An Evening with Me, Neuroscience, Story-Telling and Connection

"The fact of storytelling hints at a fundamental human unease, hints at human imperfection. Where there is perfection there is no story to tell.”

– Ben Okri, poet and novelist

One of my favorite things to do is facilitate interactive workshops to help people have insights into how our mind-brain-body systems help us optimize our wellbeing and functioning (and what happens that can get in the way). I do my best to find words that connect us to a deep and loving connection with ourselves and with others. Although I'm gearing up for more in-person events next year, I wanted to get some wheels rolling on this, and I want to connect with you!

A beautiful way we can do this is through story-telling.

Story-telling is an art and a way for us to use the magnificent machinery of our breath, voice, face and hands as tools to help others know what we are feeling deeply inside. Some people use words to tell stories, some use images. Story-telling helps us express how events in our life affect and shape us. The better we get at this, the more regulated we feel, and the more creative and collectively intelligent we become. Stories point to patterns. They have arcs, ups, downs, conquering of inner and outer demons. Most importantly, they have choice points. Stories give us a chance to know about choices people have made and why. They paint context in richer detail.

In today's online world, there is a strong emphasis on surface level connection and groupthink. This evening is a way to help us feel an escape from that, and show up as ourselves, let others see us, and be present for others. We need more of this in-person, but this will be a way to connect with many of you that I may not get a chance to in-person.

We will begin the evening with a short 'Stefanie-style' science opener about stories. I'll then introduce you to one question at a time (we may only get to two or three), and then you'll go into small groups to chat for a short period. We'll come back from those groups, and hear some reflections, which I will interweave with what we understand about how this shows up in our hearts, breath, bodies, hands and voices, and our capacity to say what we truly want to say, and feel understood, safe and connected to other humans.

This is more of an experiment for some things I'd like to explore with in-person, team- and partner-oriented events next year... so it will be pretty casual, and even if there's only a few people it will be worth it for 'data-gathering' 🙂

The ideas of using communication to help us regulate our nervous systems and amplify collective intelligence is also aligned with the book I am currently writing, about the Biomechanics of Human Communication and Attachment.

*** this is a very late notice invitation... I had this event published but had decided to postpone - and forgot to take it off Eventbrite! Someone just reserved a spot, so I thought I'd send this today, to see if anyone else is interested. If a few people RSVP, I'll hold this event tomorrow! It will be very informal (and I currently don't have much furniture due to moving, but I'll make do!***

FREE (donations are welcome)

Tickets are limited (only 12 spots). Reserve your spot HERE

Looking forward to seeing you there!

LOVE, LOVE and MORE LOVE to you ... from Me

xoxo

"The knowledge of how to build a nest in a bare tree, how to fly to the wintering place, how to perform the mating dance-
all of this information is stored in the reservoirs of the bird's instinctual brain.
But human beings, sensing how much flexibility they might need in meeting new situations,
decided to store this sort of knowledge outside the instinctual system; they store it in stories.
Stories, then - fairy stories, legends, myths, hearth stories - amount to a reservoir where we keep new ways of responding
that we can adopt when the conventional and current ways wear out."

-Roberty Bly, Iron Man