Ep. 318 How to Use Stories to Teach About Death and Dying
09/27/21 • 48 min
Learn how telling stories can make you a better and more effective teacher about end-of-life issues.
In this solo episode I share some of the research around the power of stories to teach and to change behavior, which is why we should all be using stories when we are working with people around end-of-life issues. You can harness the “magic” of stories to motivate your students to take action and to develop greater empathy for others. Find out how to become a better storyteller in your work, no matter what role you play.
This episode includes:
- The neuroscience of stories and how they work to change our thinking
- Why stories are “empathy machines”
- Why everyone should use stories in their work, but especially in work that involves death and dying
- How stories help with healing
- Teach about the past
- Increase empathy
- Make sense of life
- Reveal what is hidden
- Engage the imagination
- Enhance memory
- Characteristics of a good story
- Tools needed to become a great storyteller
- Types of teaching stories
- Personal
- Witnessed
- Borrowed
- Nature
- Historical
- Myth and legend
Links mentioned in this episode:
- Research on storytelling
- Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound:7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul
- Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio
- Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here
- Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and get access to the EOLU mug: “Mind if we talk about death?” (only Patrons can purchase it). PLUS get our new bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously!
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu! Your contributions make all the difference.
Learn how telling stories can make you a better and more effective teacher about end-of-life issues.
In this solo episode I share some of the research around the power of stories to teach and to change behavior, which is why we should all be using stories when we are working with people around end-of-life issues. You can harness the “magic” of stories to motivate your students to take action and to develop greater empathy for others. Find out how to become a better storyteller in your work, no matter what role you play.
This episode includes:
- The neuroscience of stories and how they work to change our thinking
- Why stories are “empathy machines”
- Why everyone should use stories in their work, but especially in work that involves death and dying
- How stories help with healing
- Teach about the past
- Increase empathy
- Make sense of life
- Reveal what is hidden
- Engage the imagination
- Enhance memory
- Characteristics of a good story
- Tools needed to become a great storyteller
- Types of teaching stories
- Personal
- Witnessed
- Borrowed
- Nature
- Historical
- Myth and legend
Links mentioned in this episode:
- Research on storytelling
- Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound:7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul
- Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio
- Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here
- Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and get access to the EOLU mug: “Mind if we talk about death?” (only Patrons can purchase it). PLUS get our new bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously!
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu! Your contributions make all the difference.
Previous Episode
Ep. 317 It’s Your Funeral! A “Fun” Guide to Planning for the End with Kathy Benjamin
Learn about a helpful and humorous workbook for funeral planning.
My guest Kathy Benjamin is a freelance writer whose work has appeared on various sites including Uproxx, Playboy’s The Smoking Jacket, and Cracked.com. She is the author Funerals to Die For and the recently released It’s Your Funeral: Plan the Celebration of a Lifetime Before it’s Too Late. She shares how she got interested in writing about funerals and some of the fascinating facts she’s learned over time about the importance of funerals throughout history and across all societies. We also discuss her set-by-step guide to creating a great funeral. Connect with Kathy at her website:
This episode includes:
- How Kathy got inspired to write two books about funerals
- How she did research for the topics in the book
- Why funerals are important and how it helps to plan one in advance
- Some of the components of a good funeral to consider in your planning:
- Venue
- Funeral roles
- Theme
- Eulogy
- Burial options
- Interesting funeral traditions from around the world
- Challenges for funeral planning during the pandemic
- Why It’s Your Funeral could be a good humorous gift for a milestone birthday
- How to use the book to get started on planning your funeral now
Links mentioned in this episode:
- Follow Kathy on social media:
- Facebook: facebook.com/kab18
- Twitter: @KathyBenjamin
- Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound:7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul
- Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio
- Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here
- Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and get access to the EOLU mug: “Mind if we talk about death?” (only Patrons can purchase it). PLUS get our new bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously!
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu! Your contributions make all the difference.
Next Episode
Ep. 319 At the Bedside: Tools for Caring for the Dying with Gabrielle Elise Jimenez
Learn how this hospice nurse and end-of-life doula is making a difference by sharing the tools she has learned.
My guest Gabrielle Elise Jimenez is a hospice nurse, end-of-life doula and conscious dying educator. She is also the author of three books intended to teach others how to provide care to their own dying loved ones. She talks about the tools she feels are most important for caregivers to learn and she also shares information about her Facebook page that exploded with new members when people started posting about their grief. Learn more about her books and courses at her website:
This episode includes:
- How Gabby ended up becoming a hospice nurse and an end-of-life doula
- The tools needed to care for a dying loved one at home
- How to help families with grief in hospice
- How Gabby tapped into the huge need for grief support that exists in our world right now
- Advice for healthcare professionals who need to recognize their own grief
- How to stay in balance while doing emotionally challenging work
- The impact of COVID on hospice workers
- 3 things everyone should know about death and dying
- How to live our best lives by recognizing that we will die one day
Links mentioned in this episode:
- Gabby’s workshop on Rituals
- Gabby’s workshop on Your Best Three Months
- Gabby’s Facebook Group
- Sign up for the 2021 online reading group A Year of Reading Dangerously at this link
- Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound:7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul
- Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio
- Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here
- Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and get access to the EOLU mug: “Mind if we talk about death?” (only Patrons can purchase it). PLUS get our new bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously!
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu! Your contributions make all the difference.
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