What’s your story? (the negative) “Your story” is sometimes thought of in the negative context (see yesterday’s post with Byron Katie). The mind is good about “making up stories” about why we do what we do, endlessly rationalizing the emotional reactions that we sometimes do without a second (or even first) thought. “Well, of course, …Read More
Author: Dr. Joel Ying, MD
Physician-Educator-Storyteller. Integrating the power of story into medicine, healing sessions, workshops, speaking and performance.
Book – Byron Katie: Loving What Is
What’s your story? Are you suffering because of your thoughts? Your thinking? Your opinions? Your judgments? Your story? The story that we tell ourselves has the power to change how we experience the present moment. In this context, “storytelling” is the story playing in our head over and over and over. What is the story …Read More
Love Your Microbiome
When I began studying alternative medicine more than a decade ago, the word “probiotics” was on the fringe. Probiotics are good bacteria that live in a normal gut. They can help re-populate the gut after an illness or when antibiotic disrupts the normal balance of bacteria. There was controversy about whether they were more than …Read More
StorySlam sold out in Ft Myers!
On Wed, Jan 25th, 2017, at 7pm, history was made. “StorySlam: An Evening of Storytelling” at Alliance for the Arts in Ft. Myers, Florida, was a complete success! Storytellers of the Round Table put on another sold-out performance with a repeat of our sold-out show from April 2016 at the Sugden Theatre in Naples, Florida. …Read More
Understanding the Four Elements as Metaphor
The classical Greeks and many ancient cultures divided the world into four elements: fire, earth, water, air. Everything was thought to be composed of some combination of these four elements. The intersection of these four elements creates life. Today, we have other scientific models for the makeup of the universe. From molecules to atoms to …Read More
Trust the Horse
While in Bolivia in my early twenties, my friends and I decided to visit a valley near Sucre. The guidebook suggested that the best way to see this valley was on horseback. While I remember the golden sunlight of morning turning into afternoon, a slight chill in the air, and the wide trickle of the …Read More
Group Magic: Sedona, AZ
“Certain things catch your eye, But pursue only those that capture your heart.” –Native American Saying I just completed a transformational workshop, co-teaching with my friend Suzanne Sculock-Durana in her annual New Year’s Retreat in Sedona, Arizona. In the “Release and Renewal” workshop, we honor the wisdom of the Native American Medicine Wheel and apply it …Read More
Finding Truth in the Present Moment
When I was 10 years old, I loved to watch Star Trek. I loved Spock. I loved logic and reason. “The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.” – Spock, Star Trek It just made sense. What’s up with these silly things we call emotions? It’s just not rational. Knowledge is power. …Read More
Three Kings’ Day, Gift of the Magi
Friday, January 6, 2017, is the 12th day of Christmas, also known as “Three Kings’ Day” or “The Feast of the Epiphany.” In many countries, this is the end of the Christmas season, and inspiration for the song “Twelve Days of Christmas.” The Magi were Wise Men who gave gifts to a Babe in a …Read More
Happy New Year 2017! New Blog 2017!
Happy New Year! What an elusive term, this present moment! It is gone almost as fast as we notice it. Staying in the moment requires a constant letting go of expectations and judgments, letting go of this moment as it fades into the past, and focusing on the ever-present and ever-changing NOW. This is the place …Read More