Storytelling: An Ancient and Radical Healing Practice

Over the past year, I have had the honor of being invited to share stories across different contexts. I have had the opportunity to share my own story in healing circles and I have been privileged to hold the stories of those for whom I have been a therapist. Stories are powerful in their healing and connective capacity, and I am thankful to have the opportunity to share a bit about this radical, cross-cultural practice

When we talk about storytelling, especially collective storytelling, it is important that we, at minimum, acknowledge and honor the origins of the practice. Given the history in social work and psychotherapy of stealing cultural practices and presenting them as western creation, it is essential that we engage with storytelling in a way that honors its roots and avoids causing further harm through appropriation. Best practice when participating in cultural practices that are not our own is to be invited in, to participate and learn with those who are connected to the practice. At the very least, we should honor and acknowledge the origins of practices.

Collective healing through story telling is embedded in the traditions of Indigenous peoples worldwide. Stories have been the vessels to carry history, cultural values, and communal identity across generations. Collective storytelling is also an act of social justice, by both Indigenous peoples like the Inuit who use storytelling as resistance against cultural erasure and through the Free Southern Theater, which used collective storytelling to engage rural communities in the Civil Rights Movement. The practice has a rich history of not only healing, but as a tool for systemic change.

Modern science is beginning to illuminate what a diversity of cultures have always understood: storytelling has a tangible impact on our neurobiology. Disconnection and connection are not just emotional states; they have correlates in the brain and body. Humans are wired to be in connection, and storytelling, at its core, is an act of connection. Storytelling leads to co-created neurobiological space where both the teller and the listener experience shifts in brain activity. This is possible through neural mirroring, in which audience members’ brains fire in the same patterns as narrators’. Storytelling is especially powerful in the way that engages both hemispheres of the brain, offering unique potential for healing.

When we engage in storytelling, several key processes occur:

• Smart Vagus Engagement: The vagus nerve, a critical component of the parasympathetic nervous system, plays a key role in regulating our response to stress and promoting feelings of calm and safety. Storytelling can engage the vagus nerve in a way that fosters a sense of security and connection.
• Decreased activation of the dACC: The dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) is often associated with the experience of emotional and physical pain. Storytelling can lead to decreased activation in this area, potentially lessening the perceived intensity of distressing experiences and increasing capacity for healing.
• Dopamine release and oxytocin production: Sharing and hearing stories can trigger the release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with pleasure and reward, and oxytocin, often called the “bonding hormone,” which plays a crucial role in social connection and trust.

A particularly powerful application of storytelling lies in the realm of birth and parenthood. Sharing birth stories can be a transformative experience, helping to:

• Redefine birth and parenthood narratives: Moving beyond simplistic or idealized portrayals to embrace the complexity and diversity of these experiences.
• Validate experiences: Affirming the unique journey of each individual and honoring all aspects of their birth story, including trauma.
• Foster connection: Reducing feelings of isolation that can be prevalent, especially when dealing with perinatal and postpartum trauma.
• Reshape whose voices are represented: Ensuring that a wider range of stories, particularly from targeted communities, are heard and valued.

Birth stories are especially important when we consider the context in which People of Color give birth in our country and the horrific health disparities between individuals of color and their white counterparts. We know that the impacts of systemic medical racism are far-reaching and deeply impactful: Black and Indigenous folks are three to four times more likely to die during childbirth than white individuals. People of Color have concerns dismissed and birth plans ignored by medical professionals, experience increased levels of surveillance including threat of DCFS involvement if they do not comply with medical directives that are oftentimes harmful, experience higher infant mortality rates and preterm births, experience a higher unwanted C-section rate with higher use of general anesthesia which presents increased risks and prevents immediate bonding with babies. It is also important to name that this racism is not only experienced in the present moment but is also generationally and ancestrally carried in people’s bodies.

Birth stories become important across several dimensions: they represent a form of healing, they are a form of reclamation, they are an avenue for celebrating joyful stories, and they are a way of humanizing individuals represented by statistics and trends like those discussed above. Birth stories can play a role in healing and are spaces in which experiences of medical racism and oppression can be shared. They are a form of resistance and an act of social justice, by providing counter stories to the dominant narrative and reclaiming whose voices are shared, honored, and publicly recognized. Counter stories challenge dominant ideologies, amplify targeted voices, validate experiential knowledge, promote empowerment, and build critical consciousness and community. People are more moved to social action through storytelling than facts, with the emotional impact playing a key role. Storytelling is especially impactful in changing perspectives and mobilizing action across cultural identity. Sharing positive stories, as well, is an act of reclamation. In a society in which tragic narratives are all too prominent, positive stories can be a source of joy, celebration, humanization, and connection, too.

The power of storytelling can be accessible to everyone. Resources for birth stories include:

• Birth Stories in Color
• The Birth Hour

By sharing our stories and listening with compassion to the stories of others, we can foster deeper connections, promote understanding, and challenge dominant narratives of whose story is deserving or recognized. We invite you to explore how storytelling can be a part of your own path to wellbeing, through communal storytelling, the resources above, or through your therapeutic journey.