Telling Stories is Good for You

Storytelling is therapeutic. Telling your story allows you to explore some realistic possibilities. It gives you a safe and creative outlet to express your emotions and experiences.

Narrating your own stories using archetypes allows you to convey complex feelings and experiences that can be difficult to express. For instance, after Mallory experienced a traumatic event, they found solace in writing their story to metaphorically explore their emotions and recovery process. Telling their story allowed them to process and release pent-up emotions.

You can foster empathy and connection with others by sharing your stories. When someone tells you their story of self-sabotage or imposter syndrome for example, you will quickly find yourself relating to the characters, events or situations. When you do, it leads to a deeper understanding of each other, and our shared human experience.

Sam was struggling with the challenges of being a new parent, but after joining a parenting group and hearing their stories, he found comfort in knowing that other parents have faced similar obstacles and triumphed. Sharing stories about the ups and downs of parenting created a sense of belonging and support. It helped Sam to overcome imposter syndrome and embrace his role as a parent (and therefore, his Parent archetype).

Storytelling also encourages introspection, self reflection and personal growth. When you reflect on your experiences and frame them as stories, it can give you insights and deepen your self understanding. You can identify patterns and archetypes, and make positive changes in your life. I like to journal about my daily experiences. I use the stream of consciousness method taught by Julia Cameron in her book, The Artist’s Way. This helps me to notice recurring themes, behaviours and of course, archetypes. I use journaling as a prompt for self-improvement and personal development.

Every story is packed with archetypes. Below, I’ve added an example of an archetype reading based on a client’s Archetype Personality Profile of the Child, Victim, Prostitute, Saboteur archetypes and their strengths and weaknesses. The client’s self-identified strengths and weaknesses were derived through a series of stream of consciousness responses. This list is followed by my reading of her Archetype Personality Profile. The overarching theme that emerged from the profile was the Hero’s Journey. My clue to using this theme was found in the clients own word, leadership, so I’ve used the hero’s journey as the story line for the reading.

The client’s strengths and weakness used in the archetype reading were:

Child

• Weaknesses – hurt ego, pride is a defence mechanism.
• Strengths – life is a game approach, determined to win.

Victim

• Weaknesses – believing hopes dreams and wishes always evaporate.
• Strengths – making a fresh start.

Prostitute

• Weaknesses – selling out leadership and life direction, fear of being inauthentic.
• Strengths – takes a leap of faith, values contributions to society.

Saboteur

• Weaknesses – sabotages public expression and healthy risk-taking.
• Strengths – creativity, guided by intuition.

Here’s the archetype reading based on the client’s strengths and weaknesses:

Once upon a time, in a bustling capital city, there lived a young woman named Emily. Her life was characterised by a deep sense of ambition and desire to succeed. Emily firmly believed that life was a game, and she intended to win it. For a long time, she felt was going nowhere in her current career.

Then one day, Emily finally responded to an unwavering inner calling. She took a leap of faith and applied for a coveted second-in-charge, leadership position at a prestigious company. Emily was determined to seize the opportunity. She saw it as a stepping stone to realising her hopes, dreams, and wishes. Emily got the role, so she left behind her familiar position, to sell her unwavering commitment to the new company’s mission.

However, the path to leadership was fraught with challenges. Emily’s ego was tested as she found herself up against fierce competition and internal politics. She realised that pride was not just a defence mechanism but also a potential stumbling block. Her insistence on maintaining her pride began to affect her public expression and her ability to take healthy risks.

Watching on as Emily struggled to deliver a presentation one day, was a wise elder, who quietly reached out to remind her of the importance of humility. Emily learned that selling out leadership and direction for the sake of personal pride would only lead to a shallow victory. Emily’s mentor encouraged her to make a fresh start, one where she could be true to her values while still achieving success.

Emily heeded the mentor’s advice. She began to prioritise collaboration over competition and integrity over ego. She realised that true leadership meant serving others, not just herself. With newfound humility, Emily ascended to the leadership position she had coveted, not as a conqueror but as a guide and inspiration to her team. 

In the end, Emily’s journey taught her that life was not merely a game of winning or losing but a quest for personal growth and meaningful contributions. She had overcome her own pride and found a deeper sense of purpose. Her hopes, dreams, and wishes, once seemingly evaporated, now flourished in an environment of authenticity and compassion. Emily had become a hero not just in her own story but in the lives of those she led.

Storytelling can be therapeutic because it makes room for emotional expression, promotes empathy and connection to our shared human experience, and facilitates personal reflection and growth. It brings hope alive. And in Emily’s case, it allowed her to entertain a range of realistic possibilities. All of which improve the wellbeing of your body, soul and spirit.

References

Cameron, J 1993, The artists way: A course in discovering and recovering your creative self, Pan Books, London.

Myss, C 2001, Sacred contracts: Awakening your divine potential, Random House, New York.