The Healing Art of Storytelling: A Sacred Journey of Personal Discovery

From "The Healing Art of Storytelling" Richard Stone writes,"When we recognize that our deepest aspirations cannot be satisfied by a culture that has reduced life's meaning to a smorgasborg of the senses and material possessions, we must search for new sources of meaning, struggling with the same questions that challenged our ancestors" (Page 3). "Our longing to find our place in this world is more than just a feeling." (Page 3) If all these self-help books did what they claimed to do,I would be at peace with myself, with my family, and even with my enemies, but this is not the case. We in the West have forgotten our philosophical roots: "Know thyself." In order to bypass my rational mind where I have formed certain prejudices, I need stories to help me slip past the "rational" guards standing there protecting my ego. Initially, my quest toward using stories to heal began with James Hillman's book "Healing Fiction." Richard Stone in his book "The Healing Art of Storytelling" offers a simpler and more understandable approach.I certainly appreciate Mr.Hillman motivating me to look to fiction to aid me, but his critical and academic approach confused my simple layperson's mind. Mr. Stone's approach is more understandable because he offers his views in simple everyday language. I am a realist at heart. I do not expect Romantic endings in life, but I do expect to find my way in and out of circles and through the many mazes of mysteries in my life. Richard Stone's book "The Healing Art of Storytelling" could be an aid for those looking for satisfaction that materialism has not been able to acccomplish or will ever able to do. Thank you Mr. Stone.

Storyteller Richard Stone relates specific steps to bringing the richness of storytelling to our lives. With personal examples and many exercises, he leads the reader down the ancient road of story. This road leads past the quick fix mentality of the '90's and the stuckness of pop psychology toward the creativity which has sustained cultures for generations. Buy this book to help you reconnect to your story and the story of those around you.