What is Story Work?

In the span of our lives there have been specific moments which have formed us, marked us, shaped us, and sometimes shattered us in the deep places of our hearts. Often, we may find ourselves too busy, numb, distracted, or maybe even afraid to pause and notice the bruised, fractured, or wounded places within. 

Explore the Impact

Story Work is a method in which one pauses to take a closer look at one of these moments in childhood or adolescent years, and writes it out as a way to explore, along with a safe guide, the impact of the harm done.

I began to dive into this process several years ago when I was working with trauma survivors and training non-profit leaders on ways of caring for depression, anxiety, addiction survivors.

I found that once we begin to explore some of these painful moments, we might be shocked to find out we have been living with parts of our hearts that have been abandoned, cursed, betrayed, abused, rejected, or even deadened through harmful actions. As we begin to take a closer look at the damage, we may even find that some parts of our hearts have been living in exile, are orphaned, widowed, cold, hungry and thirsty for hope.

Find the Bound, the Exile, or the Orphan Within

I believe that caring for people who are literally in prison, ill, hungry, or displaced is a sacred service. I also believe that taking some time to bring care to the parts of our own hearts that may be bound, exiled, widowed, and orphaned, is the way to start. We start this sacred care with ourselves and move out into the larger community.

In my own trauma healing journey, I have been discovering pieces that had been abandoned in the harm I had never faced, nor had taken account of. This work has proven to be key in my own discovery of truth and agency over life situations which impact my life today.

Going back and visiting some of these childhood stories and retrieving lost parts, can become a powerful catalyst into a journey of healing and transformation as we bring care, strength, goodness, and blessing back to our hearts.

Re-Member the Pieces

There are times we are afraid to take a closer look at what has really happened in our lives. We may not want to see the pieces because then it confirms there was a shattering. But these lost pieces of our hearts bring forth such authenticity, integrity, and truth back into our lives. Truth about what really happened, and truth about the intentional care that is needed to heal. Truth that it is possible for our hearts to be re-membered, for the broken pieces to be gathered back together, reconnected, and held safely in light and love.

Come Home to Shalom

In this process, a deconstruction of old ideas and old ways of thinking might occur. For example, we might change our minds about white-knuckling our way through life, and turn to find wholesome ways to bring strength, safety, covering, and nourishment to our hearts instead.

Whatever the deconstruction is, may it be a gentle, slow paced, and well supported process that leads to a reconstruction of joy, and a journey back to the ways of shalom- to the ways of goodness, flourishing, health, protection, and delight which we were all created for.

For me, story work has been key into the re-membering of the shattered. Into the re-mothering of the orphan, and into the unbinding of the bound within. I would like to extend that invitation to you.

We need our whole hearts. And our hearts made whole.

I want to underscore to please not embark into this process alone. Entering these stories and recovering these parts can be challenging, so a story coach, a trauma therapist, or a spiritual guide who is trained in story work can journey with you in a skilled, non-judgmental, compassionate, and gentle way.

Ready to engage your story? Register here for our next Small Group Story Workshop coming up soon.