My family tells stories just about any time of the year but during the holidays, when we all get together, the story telling becomes more animated. Everyone’s slightly different account of the event adds dimension and stories grow. Sometimes the conversation ends with gales of laughter, and sometimes with a thoughtful silence. The role that stories occupy in personal health, self awareness, and group cohesion is pertinent any time of the year. As the holiday season draws near and people travel far and wide to be with those they care about, perhaps the importance of such conversation grows. While most people love a good story; theorists write of the social importance of narrative, and practitioners use story as a tool.
Author Israel Galindo differentiates between story and experience by explaining that creating a story involves putting meaning behind the experiences of day to day life. Tying occurrences, meaningless until made into story, into the framework of our beliefs and values teaches us lessons from our history and yet enables movement beyond past experiences into the present (Galindo, 2004 p. 128). The action of telling stories also creates a sense of ownership over one’s life. Telling the story of a traumatic event to an attentive listener, perhaps several times, generates a space where one can reframe the event and decide how this story fits into the broader narrative of life. The act of telling, retelling, and reframing in the presence of a nonjudgmental listener facilitates an important step toward healing (MCC Manual, 2008 p. 228). Story helps generate group health as well as individual health. Corporate memory acts as a cohesive for groups and the interpretation of such memory provides a valuable source of group identity. As members know, share, and buy into corporate story a strong foundation is formed for collective movement forward (Galindo, 2004 p. 127-128).
Several of the processes used by practitioners in the field of peacebuilding utilize storytelling. As briefly mentioned above, trauma healing embraces the act of creating story as a path out of pain toward healing. Circle process, a tool used by some facilitators for meetings where misunderstanding, disagreements, and strong emotion exist, bases understanding on the power of story. Sharing story creates vulnerability through which connectedness and recognition of common humanity can emerge. Such storytelling increases both self awareness and interpersonal connectedness and common insights for movement forward emerge (Pranis, 2005 p. 40). A third example, mediation sets aside a stage near the beginning of the process for storytelling. The obvious goal for this step is for the mediator to gain knowledge about the issue the participants bring to mediation. Underneath this overt purpose lies the opportunity for the mediator to gain trust and build understanding through careful listening to each participant’s experience and how they have framed a story (MCC Manual, 2008 p. 150). Storytelling, more than a child’s pastime or entertainment during family reunions, embodies an important part of living together as people. The act of story helps build group identity and cohesion, and creates a path toward individual self awareness and healing.
Sources Used:
Armster, ME, & Stutzman Amstutz, L. (Ed.). (2008). Conflict Transformation and Restorative
Justice manual. Akron, PA: Mennonite Central Committee Office on Justice and
Peacebuilding.
Galindo, I. (2004). The Hidden lives of congregations. Herndon, VA: The Alban Institute.
Pranis, K. (2005). The Little Book of Circle Processes. Intercourse, PA: Good Books.
