Feel Your Heart's Magic!

The special feelings inside everybody

I began what I call "Story Creation Therapy" during my work with children who have special needs.

For example, I worked with a child with Asperger's syndrome (a "mild" form of autism) who made up an incredible story with me. In school, he would always be pulled out and restrained physically for going under the teacher's desk to sit alone under the desk.

When he did it with me, I just asked him if he had his own private cave and if it was air conditioned. He proceeded to describe the cave and we went on to make up a story of an underground tunnel. What he came up with totally on his own was that he discovered two statues of himself underground. One was good and one was bad. I asked what does the bad statue want to do, and he replied, 'He wants to turn me into a statue." 

This child, who was not usually able to speak of his emotions, was able to create a story of the good and evil tendencies that are in each one of us. And, for someone whose problem is an inability to express and feel emotion, the fear of turning into a statue is especially telling.

Later, he said "Sally, You have a good and bad statue of you too." It was truly amazing that he could also relate the same problem to me, the decision that all people have to make: choosing life or becoming frozen.

We All Need Story Creation

My experiences using Story Creation Therapy with hard-to-reach children lead me to realize that the core issues that are reachable through story work are, in fact, universal.

I began offering forms of this work to other children, families, and adults. In all cases, I discovered that it could educate, heal, and entertain. Like characters in my stories, we all have a need to be more in touch with our heart's magic.

You can read about some forms that my Story Creation work has taken:

• Personalized story/song/poem creation
• Interactive performance programs for schools, such as Time Traveling Woman
• Workshops for all ages
• "Uplifting Stories" open mic events.
  

I will be happy to email you a 4-page paper, "Storytelling & Singing with A Group of Children Using Person-Centered Techniques." Just request it using my contact form.

You can also hear some of my stories recorded during "First Night," the jubilant New Year's festivities begun in Boston. My CD is available. You can even hear free samples.