Dr. Gerard Gibbons, Director/Author
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 →
Tag Archives | trauma
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)
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 →
Saved By My Own Story
Kela Holmes – U.S. Army Veteran
It has been a painfully slow climb out of darkness. For a really long time, I allowed past traumas to run my life. Bad stuff happened. Years went by. I couldn’t get beyond it. That’s called stuck. And being stuck sucks. Continue Reading →
The Journey Begins Before the Uniform Comes Off
Joe 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.
Emotive Storytelling: Thwart the Negativity Bias
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 →
The Healing Power Of Stories
Dr. Gerard Gibbons, Director/Author
Our team here at EmotiveStorytelling.com has just spent two days filming and recording the stories of eleven Veterans, most of whom have seen and survived the worst of combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. It was an extraordinary experience that deeply touched all of us who were involved. Each of these Vets has suffered lasting consequences of their combat experience, including Post-Traumatic Stress, mTBI and other emotional pain associated with combat or trauma. Continue Reading →
Healing Stories from Survivors and Warriors #3
The Anatomy of a Story: Dr. Gerard Gibbons, Visual Eyes Inc.
We’d like to show you an example of a small part of an emotive story focusing on how emotions can be used to provide a powerful resolution to a story. Healing stories, like most stories, have three elements of plot: Conflict which identifies the problem to be solved; Climax, the point of highest tension, and Resolution, the end of the story. In this clip you see the sad resolution of a story about suicide. This is indeed the end of the story.
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Healing Stories from Survivors and Warriors #2
The Anatomy of a Story: Dr. Gerard Gibbons, Visual Eyes Inc.
We’d like to show you an additional example of emotive storytelling. This time we will focus on how an emotive story can develop a powerful climatic scene. Continue Reading →