The Five Elements: Personal Storytelling

(This piece is a short introduction to one of the Five Elements I have researched - clinically and experientially - that truly lead to a more rewilded, connected life.)

We all have stories and our stories change.

One of the important roles of community gathering is the opportunity to share stories. It’s important for us to tell our stories—over and over again—and to hear the stories of our ancestors and our friends. Sharing our voices helps dissolve a sense of isolation at a deep, archetypal level and reveals how Mother Earth has been dreaming through us in myths and tales forever.

Whether aware or not, many long for the company they keep to be more meaningful, and long to commune in physical spaces again, rather than bur-like digital holes. Clients often come to therapy, as they struggle to resolve outer or inner conflict, longing for a relationship in which they can find acceptance of and connection to their true, one-of-a-kind Nature. It is the work of therapy to help provide this. Through bodily attunement, self-expression, sharing one’s stories in whatever forum feels organic, and connection with Nature and meaningful community people glance into mirrors and open portals into themselves.

When we share our stories, particularly without filtration, storytelling and community participation – two of the Elemental Rewilding facets – go hand in hand – yet so does storytelling and art – writing, poetry, visual tales spilled out, dancing myths into being and traumas into sweat and refuse. All the elements come together in our telling of the world.

People tend to be estranged from both their needs and personal gifts. Ecopsychologist Andy Fisher highlighted the prevalence of this in commenting on his work: “My own interest, though, is to develop a discourse more centered on speaking to and illuminating our estrangement, for that is where I believe our common experience most lies”

Social isolation is a main risk factor associated with suicidal ideation and successful suicides; belongingness is the antidote. Research conducted at Brigham Young University (2015) identified that social isolation is as threatening to individual health as obesity is. The research also found loneliness is on par with alcoholism or smoking 15 cigarettes a day in terms of riskiness. Recovery from addiction and eating disorders often centralizes replacing self-harming behaviors and social isolation with healthy rituals and group processes of vulnerability to root the individual in forming new attachments within and without. Rewilding is not so dissimilar. We’re going to dive much more into this as a community, and I can not wait.

What stories have you been telling yourself and others lately? How dated or true are they? Maybe take a few moments to meditate and/or journal these as a check-in.