Tag Archives | personal stories

Healing Combat Trauma with Humorous Stories and Laughter

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)

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 All About Behavior Change

Dr. Gerard Gibbons, Director/Author

Let me ask you a question. What do these concepts have in common?

Prevention, compliance, marketing, sales, assertive communication, setting limits, and incentives.

Look closely. The commonality may not be obvious because they are each associated with diverse areas of endeavor including medicine, business, interpersonal relationships, morale building and parenting.

Give up? Continue Reading →

Stories are Infectious

Dr. Gerard Gibbons, Director/Author

Tell me a story.

How often have you heard that? As a parent, no doubt you have – many times from your kids.  Hello, I’m Dr. Gerard Gibbons founder of emotivestorytelling.com. There is always a tug on my heart when my little girl says daddy, tell me a story. And of course I love tell her stories. This is Emotive Storytelling. Continue Reading →

Emotive Storytelling: The Me To We Factor

Dr. Gerard Gibbons, Director/Author

Let me tell you a story about what a guy named Peter Guber has learned about storytelling.  Peter Guber is a successful film producer whose films have earned over 3 billion dollars and have captured 50 Academy Award nominations.  He is also an owner of two major league sports franchises.  So he’s got some cred.  Continue Reading →

The Journey Begins Before the Uniform Comes Off

Up-front-and-early2Joe read the Go Army ads and enlisted. He’s a good guy. Not Harvard or Stanford material, but a hard worker, a guy who knows that courage is acting in spite of fear. He was also thinking about the post-deployment perks when he signed the papers.

So he goes through kick-butt training, gets deployed, gets knocked down, and two years later comes home with PTSD and mild traumatic brain injury.

Continue Reading →

Emotive Storytelling: Thwart the Negativity Bias

Emotive Storytelling: We face issues in isolation

We face issues in isolation. Despite the fact that our healthcare system, mental health treatment models and behavioral health interventions are often face-to-face centered or group support-focused, most people face their issues alone. Problems are most challenging when people are in their own space, place and moment. That means without their spouse, friends or healthcare provider nearby. Continue Reading →