Story Medicine
by Meta Commerse
“It is a flawed cultural story that misinforms our collective understanding of our nature and possibilities as humans and of the world we inhabit.”
~ David C. Korten (from Agenda for a New Economy)
Korten touches an important nerve in this chapter, “Change the Story, Change the Future.” While we’re learning to engage such change, we look around at what’s going on. If you’re like me, you’ve wondered what’s taking us so long and why we keep adhering to if not clinging to this flawed cultural story. We too often hear that it’s just the way of the world, that violence is part of life and abuse is human nature, or that the Bible prophesied times like these, so what should we expect?
Something inside me would not accept those answers. So, this narrow, bruising path may be what turns people away. After decades in the field and with the help of good, hard-working colleagues, I’ve come to some exciting conclusions about the central theme in our stories, our planet, and world.
But, what is a story? A story is an accounting of a life event, subject to change according to who tells it. Every story contains certain ingredients: a beginning, middle, end, a main idea, characters, setting, sociopolitical backdrop, etc. James Baldwin said he found something painful happening in every book he’d read as a child, and that he felt connected with those writers because he could see from their words that they felt just as he did in this world.
Man’s inhumanity to man can be understood as self-hatred. Abuse can be defined as any act that robs the self. Therefore, equally important to understand is that acts of self-healing or self-love are key initial steps to healing humanity. “Tikkun ollam” is a Hebrew phrase that means “any act that restores the world.” “Sankofa” (Swahili) means “go back and fetch it.”
To love the self in a way that benefits humanity is to write one’s story. Not a simple task, this writing requires focus, time, and commitment. With intentional use of our own healing power to mine the past for the pearls and medicines, we heal our lives. This is sankofa, finding our real, lasting wealth through our stories and extracting the healing ideas, lessons, and principles to make our lives and our communities better.
What is a fractal? As discovered by Mandelbrot, a fractal is a colorful textured pattern of energy, invisible to the naked eye but found to exist at the base of every living thing in creation. No matter how classified, it contains fractals.
Fractals are like our words in the sense that they are essential building blocks. Our indigenous ancestors understood that words have power. Not only that, they believed that this particular power is sacred and generative. They respected this power and used it wisely, carefully. For them, stories were important knowledge, a legacy to be passed from generation to generation. In their oral tradition, these stories honored the ancestors and taught the children all at once. These stories nourished the minds and hearts of the people about their own culture and traditions. The elders were the keepers of the stories and used them to celebrate their important transitions and milestones. The stories belonged to everyone.
If you know your story, ask yourself what patterns or themes exist in it. Just as with fractals, there are always recurring patterns and themes to be found in our stories that cross from parent to child and back again. Other important questions to ask yourself might be: Who are your people? Who are you?
After much exploration, I believe there is but one story unfolding on this planet and that we each carry and act out an important piece of it. If each of us became fully aware of this part, it would spark an important shift to benefit ALL of life.
What is story medicine?
It is one of many modalities in which nothing is too hard to be dissolved, nothing too complex to be broken down and understood, and nothing is too painful to be named, described, reversed, and healed using the sacred power of words. Why? Because there is but one story. Come find your piece.
Our program is an African-centered, deep blend of writing and healing conducted in a group setting. So far, we have trained two facilitators, conducted four successful women’s groups, and, later this month, will celebrate the completion of our first men’s group!
Enrollment for our new groups opens soon. Our program is designed to meet the healing needs of adults of all ages who are committed to personal wholeness. Not only have we seen the results of our work, but our program is growing, and we’ve got opportunities available for facilitator training. Join us for our completion ceremonies scheduled soon. Contact me on Facebook for more information.
Meta Commerse, M.A., M.F.A. is Director of Story Medicine of Asheville, a unique healing program. She is also an author, activist, and public speaker. Meta is also a professor of English and History at Haywood Community College. Her novel, The Mending Time, is forthcoming. Meta is available to speak to your group on the healing power of story and other topics of interest. Contact her on Facebook.
