Storytelling is an integral part our society that involves transmitting ideas and messages. The ori-gins of storytelling trace back to the 15000 and 13000 B.C where drawings of extinct animals in the Lascaux Cave of 900 animals and one human have been recognized by scientists to contain all the elements of a narrative story (Lockett). In the modern world storytelling has taken differ-ent shapes through aesthetics, festivals and digital media. Storytelling has existed in various dif-ferent fields as archaeologists dig up clues and makes stories of the past and business executives use narratives to construct brand and product stories (Gotschall 15). Researchers are now ac-knowledging the powerful role of storytelling in the practice of medicine. …show more content…
The article, “Culturally Appropriate Storytelling to Improve Blood Pressure: A Randomized Trial” demonstrates a study that was conducted using interactive storytelling to promote health literacy among minority populations. The study consisted of two groups: the control group that received an attention control DVD that contained topics that weren’t related to the patient’s health and another group of patients received the DVDs that featured educational segments on understanding blood pressure, avoid-ing hidden sodium, and staying fit. At 3 months, the patient 's that viewed the DVDs had an 11.21 mm Hg greater reduction in systolic blood pressure and the patient 's in the control group had a 6.43 mm Hg greater reduction in diastolic pressure (Houston). This study shows how story-telling works through by bringing information that interests people, drawing upon their emotions contributing to their self-esteem and increasing their motivation to learn. Stories can also help pa-tients understand the importance of sticking to a treatment plan or when making lifestyle chang-es. Storytelling can be a great way for patients of all ages to reflect on the stories …show more content…
It is a movement that is meant rehumanize medicine: to be move, interpret and absorb stories of patient’s illnesses (Johna). Both the physician and the patient can benefit from storytelling. Patients find it thera-peutic as their words give shape to the chaos of their illness and physicians they benefit from the words of their patients by understanding their patients on a whole new level. Dr. Nuilla, who cur-rently teaches Medical Humanities at Baylor College of Medicine comments that, “Storytell-ing/writing in medical school, help become a more humanistic doctor," he adds that when he was in medical school he never took any humanities classes but he finds that it could’ve been benefi-cial for him in his early years as a doctor. As narrative medicine is becoming more popular, more healthcare professionals and patients are realizing the importance of telling stories of illness to each other (Charon). Now healthcare professionals recognize that the diagnosis of a patient isn’t only in the patient telling the symptoms of his/her disease but they can be made by understanding and hearing the person tell his narratives. In order to help physicians understand what they and their patients experience while going through a certain illness, medical educators are now paying attention to narrative competence or the
This requires respect and compassion and prioritizing their comfort and values. I believe that as future physicians, we must be open to the different identities and perspectives of each individual in order to try to understand their beliefs and concerns. This level of empathy allows us to connect with patients on a deeper level and treat them with better quality care. Given this, I was immediately drawn to Georgetown’s Literature and Medicine program. Having taken a similarly named course during my undergraduate career, I recognize how literature, fiction or non-fiction, can create a compelling narrative that draws us into the mind of the writer and the characters. Medically related narratives raise issues that we will be confronted with later on in our careers, such as the respective responsibilities of the patient and physician, the role of medical ethics, and the value of compassion and empathy. This program will help me to become a more reflective and empathetic individual that places the beliefs and comfort of the patient at the forefront of my professional practice, and can competently cater to the needs of a diverse
...x the problem. In today’s society, because of the advancements in the medical field, technology and the rise of professional doctors, we do not need to resort to supernatural phenomena to cure medical hardships. Doctors have the ability to fix most of our troubles through procedures such as medicine or surgery. Hence, this demonstrates how the study of history, puts human experience in context and allows us to understand ourselves as people and how much we have evolved, and will continue to evolve for centuries to come.
The Storytelling Animal is an expository non-fiction book by Jonathan Gottschall analyzing the history of stories and human’s attraction to them. It was published in 2012 and thus contains many up-to-date references and comparisons. I believe Gottschall’s main objective in writing this book is to bring us all to the conclusion that he has reached in his research. Throughout the entirety of his book, Gottschall effectively pulls us back to main ideas he wants us to understand and accept, that we are innately storytelling animals, that are addicted to stories ourselves, have always been and will always be, by using topics that build upon one another, using relatable examples, and supporting arguments with research and studies.
The impact of the Vietnam War upon the soldiers who fought there was huge. The experience forever changed how they would think and act for the rest of their lives. One of the main reasons for this was there was little to no understanding by the soldiers as to why they were fighting this war. They felt they were killing innocent people, farmers, poor hard working people, women, and children were among their victims. Many of the returning soldiers could not fall back in to their old life styles. First they felt guilt for surviving many of their brothers in arms. Second they were haunted by the atrocities of war. Some soldiers could not go back to the mental state of peacetime. Then there were soldiers Tim O’Brien meant while in the war that he wrote the book “The Things They Carried,” that showed how important the role of story telling was to soldiers. The role of stories was important because it gave them an outlet and that outlet was needed both inside and outside the war in order to keep their metal state in check.
One such example is the recent launch of the American Red Cross “Go Red for Women Storytellers” program. This campaign combines modern internet technology with the centuries-old tradition of storytelling in an effort to address the alarming statistics surrounding heart disease among Native Americans. According to the American Red Cross, heart disease is the number one killer among Native Americans, and 36% of those who die of heart disease will do so before the age of 65. The “Go Red for Women Storytellers” program provides a forum that encourages modern Native American storytellers to impact the future by publishing stories that will encourage other Native Americans to adopt healthier lifestyles and to seek help for overcoming destructive behavior.
The novel “Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures” by Vincent Lam takes the readers through experiences that occur from being a physician. A physician, undoubtedly has a very difficult and stressful job as it is another person’s life in their hands. Vincent Lam’s short stories come straight from his own experiences and the barriers encountered to obtain a status in the medical field. The novel starts off with Vincent Lam going through the personal lives of Ming and Fitzgerald along with a few of their colleagues that grind through medical school to become a physician. It is evident throughout this novel that these physicians face a lot of ethical dilemmas. Physicians typically have to handle patients throughout their day, it disengages them from their personal life making room for obstructed thinking. From whole-hearted scenes to dark humorous scenes, this novel allows the reader to experience a physician’s life virtually. It also presents the great struggles experienced due to perceptions of others and one’s own desires to feel a certain way. Relationships often become obstructed as the desires of an individual becomes conflicted with the perception of culture and family views.
The core concept of narrative therapy is rooted in postmodern theory. This includes having a positive and hopeful view of clients and their power to create change. Also, taking a “not-knowing” stance is essential in order to enhance collaboration between clients and therapist. Narrative Therapy encourages therapists to remain curious and acknowledge
Patients have long lamented that their doctors do not truly listen to them. A new emerging discipline, Narrative Medicine, seeks to rectify this problem by teaching both medical students and doctors alike the value of empathy and through the use of literature how to listen, dissect, and reconstruct patient’s narratives. Although Rebecca Elizabeth Garden and Rita Charon, agree on many aspects of Narrative Medicine, Garden tends be more critical and points out more flaws in her work entitled “The Problem of Empathy: Medicine and the Humanities,” whereas Charon cites the numerous benefits of Narrative Medicine in “Narrative Medicine: Honoring the Stories of Illness.” Although Narrative Medicine is beneficial because it allows doctors to develop empathy, one should also realize the many potential pitfalls and complications that arises.
Morace, Robert A. “Interpreter of Maladies: Stories.” Magill’s Literary Annual 2000 1999: 198. Literary Reference Center. Web. 6 Apr. 2010. .
The question “Why do we tell stories” does not have one simple answer as any individual may have a different response to the question based on their background but, this essay will attempt to form a cohesive answer to the question by responding to three statements, (1)“Some texts seem to be fighting for or against social change or political attitudes or traditions. Choose and discuss the fight for or against this change.”, (2)“Humans are the only animals who seek to understand themselves.The search of this understanding is a theme in many pieces of literature.”, (3) “Lord Acton once said, “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” The use and abuse of power is a recurring theme. Discuss how this theme is developed.” ;
In “The Truth about Stories”, Thomas King, demonstrate connection between the Native storytelling and the authentic world. He examines various themes in the stories such as; oppression, racism, identity and discrimination. He uses the creational stories and implies in to the world today and points out the racism and identity issues the Native people went through and are going through. The surroundings shape individuals’ life and a story plays vital roles. How one tells a story has huge impact on the listeners and readers. King uses sarcastic tone as he tells the current stories of Native people and his experiences. He points out to the events and incidents such as the government apologizing for the colonialism, however, words remains as they are and are not exchanged for actions. King continuously alerts the reader about taking actions towards change as people tend to be ignorant of what is going around them. At the end people give a simple reason that they were not aware of it. Thus, the author constantly reminds the readers that now they are aware of the issue so they do not have any reason to be ignorant.
Storytelling’s impact on people who use it has been life saving in certain cases. By asserting the existence of different perspectives, writers get to suppress their own opinions in order to sympathize with others. (insert thing about meta-fiction) With this idea in mind, author Kate Taylor wrote the novel Serial Monogamy, a meta-fiction of a writer recalling the story of her husband’s affair and her deal with terminal breast cancer, all through her telling of Dickens’ secret life and tales of the Arabian Nights. In Serial Monogamy, storytelling makes people more understanding as they explore new perspectives.
Throughout this paper I will explore the power of storytelling using the course lexicon and I will examine it in the context of two course texts. One of the texts that I will be referring to is by Doxtator, excerpts from Fluffs and Feathers and the second text I will be referring to is by Griffin, excerpts from Woman and Nature. The power of storytelling is a part of the mimetic world and because stories have so much power they can be used to help bring about dominant fantasies. Stories are told over and over again until they are reinforced and in this essay I will argue that the power of storytelling is a form of social control.
Michael White and David Epston are the leading figures of narrative therapy which gained popularity in the 1990’s (Biggs & Hinton-Bayre, 2008). In developing narrative therapy White and Epston were influenced by many of their peers. These peers included lea...
Narrative Essay It all started my sophomore year of high school. People always tell you that when someone knocks you down, you should always get back up and keep trying. I had this mindset at the beginning of my sophomore year, but I ended up letting a teacher knock me down to the point where I did not get back up for a couple of years. I never expected my second year of high school to go so awry.