What happens when we tell stories and why it is so powerful

The first time I experienced storytelling, I cried. It was during the second year of the storytelling course I attended. For a long time I thought the tears appeared because we started telling personal stories. Many people believe a personal story is more moving, real, what they call “authentic”.

Today, I understand the tears were more about storytelling than stories. It was during the second year of a biannual course. We, the participants, already shed shields and fears. We’ve reached the stage we were able to tell a story, listen to a story, in simple.

In simple you feel a vibe, attention, intimacy. A colleague of mine, Alon Raz, calls it kindheartedness. We crave these feelings to pass between us. We also feel these days they don’t; at least most of the time.

When we tell a story and listen to a story in simple, kindheartedness passes between us. Our cravings receive a drop of nourishment, it’s a little startling, hence the tears. We call them “good tears”. Good, it turns out, is so powerful.

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