As a survivor of severe Traumatic Brain Injury, I have been fortunate enough to share experiences of early recovery - my own and other survivors - through a storytelling piece titled:
Who Am I, Again? a verbal collage of stories about TBI
This inspirational talk has met support at every performance, but I feel a need to do something new with it - to let my work with the piece grow. For that reason, I have decided to write a book to accompany the storytelling, and this blog is to get feedback as I write the book - I want you to constructively comment on the posts in this blog so I can know if I'm achieving my goals for the book.
Currently, I envision the book having 5 primary goals:
1) An explanation of my process in creating the Who Am I, Again? - one
of the great things about creating this story was the process - the
serendipity of events as they came together as well as the discovery
process in organizing all the stories collected, and I think an
explanation of my technique may be useful to other story collectors.
2) The use of storytelling as a healing tool - at times, common sense
healing will be forgotten in medical practices, and I feel that using
storytelling is an example of that. What’s exciting is that I am
beginning to see more medical literature that recognizes how
storytelling is psychologically and physically beneficial. I want to
take some time to review and comment on that literature.
3) How this story has been responded to and affected my experience - I
have come to a strong belief in the power of story through my
experiences, and I have seen many audiences respond to Who Am I, Again?
in some interesting and moving ways. I feel that sharing these
experiences will add to the case for the power of storytelling.
4) A script of Who Am I, Again? - the story provides the starting point
for this project, so I feel it is appropriate and some people may
appreciate having a copy of the script available.
5) A in-depth look at my personal experience with TBI - Who Am I, Again?
is a performance piece that is meant to teach, but also to entertain.
For this reason there is a limited time to present, and because of this,
there are many experiences that are not discussed - some that I have
never related. It is my goal to share a less refined story and once
again be in touch with the raw emotions of the experience.
Thank you for working with me on this, and I look forward to your thoughts.
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