Tag Archives | emotive storytelling to heal

My name is Fred, I’m a Type I diabetic

The behavior change of a type 1 diabeticMy name is Fred, and I am a Type I diabetic. It’s been about 4 hours since my last shot of insulin. (In a 12-step parody, this is where you’d say, “Welcome, Fred.”)

I’m a grizzled veteran of the diabetes wars, having developed Type I diabetes (formerly called “juvenile diabetes,”) when I was eight. Continue Reading →

Saved By My Own Story

Kela Holmes - U.S. Army Veteran

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 →

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 →

Inspired Listening

Emotive Storytelling Creative ListeningWe’ve all faced a scenario like this: we sit through a meeting, presentation or conference, listen to catch what we can, take lots of notes, and then think to ourselves “Good—I got it” as the situation ends.

But did we really?

Did we understand what the speaker was trying to communicate?

Continue Reading →

The Best Story Wins

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The Best Story Wins

Years ago, mealtimes in many homes meant story time – retellings of work experiences, report cards and bargains. When friends, uncles and aunts came to visit and mealtimes were longer, there was more storytelling, gossiping and laughing. (And yes, crying and arguing were part of those stories, too.)  Continue Reading →

Storytellers Need Storylisteners

ear2He can only hear his story: He found her in bed with another man when he returned from an important mission. She can only hear her story: She’s tired of being his second wife – the military is his first.

They’ve got four kids. And along with their wedding vows, they promised each other an ugly divorce – if it came to that.

Each thinks the other is the villain. But they’re about to learn the name of the real enemy. 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 →