Our stories, our health
Unfixed resource
This week I’m sharing an offering by one of Unfixed’s partners Health Story Collaborative. Founded by author, patient and Harvard professor Dr. Annie Brewster, this organization keeps the patient voice alive in healthcare and harnesses the healing power of stories. Supported by evidence and research, storytelling has the power to transform individuals as well as the healthcare system.
Would you like to receive individual coaching and guidance as you explore your story and relationship with illness?
Do you want to share your story and find hope and healing in community?
Then join Health Story Collaborative for their inaugural "Our Stories, Our Health" course, led by founder and Executive Director, Annie Brewster, and Director of Programming and Writing for Expression and Connection facilitator, Annie Robinson.
There are still a few spots left! Please inquire about a scholarship if interested.
Overview
This virtual 8-week interactive course is grounded in experiential learning, reflective reading and writing, and science that supports the health benefits of storytelling. It is through our personal stories that we make meaning and ultimately integrate challenging life events – including illness* – into our sense of self. Engaging with our own stories and sharing stories in community helps us heal.
The course will meet once weekly via Zoom for 2 hours over 8 weeks.
Participants will learn about the science of stories, engage in reflective reading and writing exercises, independently write between sessions with guided prompts, and engage in peer editing and story-sharing in community.
Participants will receive written feedback and 1:1 mentoring from one of the instructors throughout the course.
Participants will complete a written personal narrative and will be given the opportunity to share their finished work in community.
*We define “illness” as any imbalance in the physical, psychological, or spiritual well-being, and “healing" as the process of moving toward balance and wholeness. We believe in the value of these stories as a celebration of hope, human resiliency and dignity.
Have you missed earlier chapters of the Unfixed memoir? You can read everything for free here: