When you spend time in a Laundromat, as I have done for the last two years, one thing is immediately obvious: almost everyone there smokes, most are overweight, and many are eating junk food and drinking colas. The need to use a Laundromat is generally a sign of limited financial resources; the behavioral side suggests limited health literacy.
For home re-location and professional transition reasons, I coincidentally found myself in this environment to observe both. Continue Reading →
Emotive Storytelling:
Narrative is a powerful strategy for influencing health behavior.
With the increasing interest in the use of narrative communication as a strategy for influencing health behavior, there has been an effort to develop standardized protocols for creating engaging stories and to determine the successful components of an effective story. Continue Reading →
Alcoholics Anonymous is based not on theory but on experiences which are shared through stories.
In 1976, a handsome young physician in his early thirties stood up in a crowded room and said, “hello, my name is Jack, and I’m an alcoholic.” From the group a chorus was heard, “Welcome Jack.” Continue Reading →
You can train and educate until the cows come home and you won’t see any long-lasting change
Education and training are the most common solutions when we run up against a performance discrepancy—a situation where we are trying to get people to perform according to a set of standards, expectations, or rules and they are failing to do so. Continue Reading →
Much like a trojan horse, a story can penetrate into the fortified citadel of the human mind.
This is simple truth so I’ll get right to it. People are moved by emotion. Emotion trumps reason. There is no better way to engage and emotionally connect other people to your mission than through the power of storytelling. This applies whether you are in Pentagon, boardroom, break room, waiting room or living room. Continue Reading →
Stress reaction gene linked to coronary risk
“Stress gene tied to coronary risk: Duke University study reinforces emotional system’s role in cardiovascular disease” reads a recent news headline designed to catch our attention. Continue Reading →
The Weight of a Costly Problem
Doctors are being asked to change their behavior toward their obese patients through guidelines developed by a group of medical organizations that include the American Heart Association, the American College of Cardiology and the Obesity Society. Continue Reading →
I would like to talk about storytelling as behavioral therapy. As we all know, post-traumatic stress disorder – PTSD, is a significant problems for many of our service members and Veterans. Continue Reading →
Soldiers Peter Nemmers, Morgan Bright and Matthew Hildebrandt from the 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division laugh while preparing to depart from Iraq at Imam Ali Base on December 17. (Mario Tama/Reuters)
The last place you would probably expect to find a standup comedian would be in an Army uniform. But there I was for the better part of a decade, trying to make one of the most dangerous chapters of my life a laughing matter. Not because I didn’t take the Army seriously, much to the contrary. I took it very seriously, which is why when the laughter stopped I was in big trouble. Continue Reading →
It’s valuable to share your story.
You and others will be healed by doing so..
– Teresa Lynne
Life has taught me the importance of telling my story. I can’t afford not to now. Sharing it, I discovered I had value and a purpose. A personal commitment to help others helped me learn that. In the process I affirmed myself. But that’s not where I started.
