Using Storytelling as a Tool to Change Your Life
Using Storytelling as a Tool to Change Your Life by Nigel Baldwin
The American poet and political activist Muriel Rukeyser said “The universe is made of stories, not atoms.” Ursula K. LeGuin has been quoted as saying “There have been great societies that did not use the wheel, but there have been no societies that did not tell stories.” And yes, alright, they are both quotes by storytellers but these statements would suggest that storytelling is pretty important to all cultures. Elsewhere I have said (and I’m by no means the only one) that storytelling is one of the most powerful tools we can use to change our lives. How exactly? How does storytelling help us change our lives more than, say, political action or direct protest? Apart from the fact that political action etc. might not change anything or, even if it does, it might not effect lasting change that sort of process is an external process. Storytelling on the other hand, either as the giver or the receiver, has a hidden internal process.
It can engage us emotionally, intellectually or both and the stories can have a hot line to our subconscious, essentially sidestepping the need to rationalise the narrative. Like insightful music or art it engages us at a deeper level. Profound stories are a lover’s arrow to the heart. And the story is working its magic at a deeper level while we are being engaged, entertained and maybe even laughing heartily. Our willingness to suspend disbelief as we immerse ourselves in the journey allows the story to access our inner being. And since a story will nearly always offer us empathy somewhere it will also be participating in the healing of our wounds. Stories can also help people who are seeking to change their lives by offering different ways of living. They can provide practical solutions to some of our problems and inspire us to great things which, at other times, might astound us. Read the rest of the Fabulous Article
