In my expanded definition, “medicine” is anything that heals the body, mind, emotions, or spirit. As a physician, this includes the Western medications that I prescribe, but it goes beyond to include so much more. In every conversation, it is important to define the context and agree upon the definitions that we are using. Here …Read More
Category: Storytelling
Narrative Medicine ~ Rita Charon
Narrative Medicine fortifies clinical practice with the narrative competence to recognize, absorb, metabolize, interpret, and be moved by the stories of illness. ~ Dr. Rita Charon With the age of science and objectivity applied to modern medicine, little space is left for empathy and emotions. “Just the facts” has become the litany that creates a …Read More
Florida Storytelling Festival moves to January 2019
“I didn’t learn stories, I just absorbed them.” ~Donald Davis Florida Storytelling Festival Come absorb stories in the Historic Mount Dora, the highest place in Florida. Don’t worry, it’s not that high, only 184 feet! The annual Florida Storytelling Festival celebrates the 35th year! Thursday, January 24 – Sunday, January 27, 2019 Nestled up against …Read More
The Pendulum by Dwight Lyman Moody
The Pendulum There was once a pendulum waiting to be fixed on a new clock. It began to calculate how long it would be before the big wheels were worn out and its work was done. It would be expected to tick night and day, so many times a minute, sixty times that every hour, …Read More
Storytelling as Healing – A New Course at FGCU
It’s official. I’m teaching “Storytelling as Healing” at Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) in Ft Myers, Florida, for the Spring Semester that starts in January 2019. (Yes, I still have trouble calling January Spring, even in Florida, but that’s Academic Life.) As part of the Integrated Studies Department, the class will meet every Wednesday 4:30pm …Read More
Save the Turtle
Mary was a spitfire of energy, which more than made up for her small stature and sleight build. With sheer determination, she kept 4 kids, 3 dogs, 2 cats, a bird, a gerbil, fish, and a husband in one orderly household. She loved her animals, and her kids were always bringing something home to nurse …Read More
A Story is like water
Sometimes a story washes over you, cleanses you, and leaves you open to new possibilities. The National Storytelling Festival started 46 years ago in the small town of Jonesborough, Tennessee. Today, on this annual festival in October, the small town explodes as thousands and thousands come to listen to some of the best performers in …Read More
FGCU Slam Storytelling, More to Come
“It has been said that next to hunger and thirst, our most basic human need is for storytelling.” ~ Khalil Gibran On Wednesday, September 26, 2018, more than 50 people gathered to share stories of “How I Got Here” at Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) in Fort Myers, Florida. The Wasmer Art Gallery in the …Read More
Ancestral Medicine, Heal the Past
“I am bound to them, though I cannot look into their eyes or hear their voices. I honor their history. I cherish their lives. I will tell their story. I will remember them.”~ Author Unknown We carry the roots of who we are in the lineage of our family tree. We are blessed by the …Read More
#21: The Story of HIV (Dr. Larry Friedman)
Time stood still. Even the air in the room refused to move, when Dr. Larry Friedman launched into a teaching story. As a resident doctor-in-training, we rotate through many different areas of medicine. Looking back at memorable moments during that time, the teachers that captivated me the most were the ones that told stories. In …Read More