The Practice of Leaving Harmful Storytelling Practices Behind
What if you knew that you had a tool that could support many people in understanding themselves? They could use this tool to motivate others and to make the world a better place. But as you mastered it, you learned that a number of people who used it could be triggered into deep trauma and depression. Would you keep sharing it with the hope that it did more good than harm?
In my previous career as a humanitarian storyteller, I was naive enough to believed I could raise awareness and inspire change through stories. But I also worried that I was triggering trauma by having people retell their stories. I always asked consent but there are often unequal power dynamics at play in nonprofits. The storytellers rarely have autonomy and power over the editing and publication of their stories and little access to the funds their stories generate.
Most concerning was that there were no systems of care built into the story collection process. While I used to stop interviews if a person got visibly upset, I didn’t have any tools to help them. I wasn’t a therapist. And it was common practice to use a story if it could help the organization or other people in a similar situation. Causing that kind of harm on a regular basis took it’s toll. While well intentioned, it made me feel like I was engaging in a form of story prostitution. These feelings ultimately led me to leave the nonprofit space altogether.
My current business helps mindful entrepreneurs and individual seekers tell their stories for personal transformation. If they decide to share those stories publicly, I support them in shifting the narratives towards their audience using story science. The process is filled with a kind of magical alchemy where our answers are found within.
But I was surprised to learn that my new career didn’t give me a free pass on triggering trauma. It turns out that if you’re digging around in people’s personal histories, the odds of trauma coming up are high. And once again, I didn’t have the skills to help my clients when this happened. I’d left an entire career to avoid this type of situation. What was I going to do now?
I love storytelling–the science, the craft, the art. I don’t want this hurdle, this fear of causing harm to be the thing that stops me from pursuing my soul mission. I also don’t want to cause harm. That’s why I’ve decided to join the Integrative Somatic Trauma Therapy Certificate Program with The Embody Lab. It’s a first-of-its-kind 60-hour program exploring a unified somatic approach to trauma-informed care. I have used somatic practices myself for a number of years. I’m excited to share somatic processes with my clients. It feels like the puzzle piece that my work has been missing – the caretaking of our bodies and nervous systems when we brush up against trauma in our stories.
The story science says that the mind is more prone to remember negative memories than positive ones. This is wrapped up in our primal survival response. It’s normal for us to go back to these experiences when we’re trying to understand ourselves. I’ve always welcomed this journey into our personal underworld because I know that’s where many of our answers are found. But now, I can do so with the supportive tools so that I won’t leave someone drowning in the depths of trauma. I trust your stories hold their own transformational magic and I welcome the body that is just trying to keep you safe. All these years later, I’m still naive enough to believe that I can raise awareness and inspire change through the power of stories.
If you’re interested in learning a safe, trauma informed method of storytelling be sure to sign up for the waitlist below for the upcoming release of my live storytelling course. I hope to see you there.
Transformational Truth telling: How to Tell Stories That Heal, Shift, and Invite Wholeness.
The story you tell about yourself affects everything you do. Telling a compelling storytelling can help other people remember and trust you. You’ll learn to use the storytelling science to help you shift your mindset and claim a new narrative. The fundamental skill of shifting the story you tell will change everything!