Storytelling

a means of bonding; there is a sense of closer connection to those with whom we share spontaneous and often personal stories.

An even older spatial memory technique used by Indigenous populations living in Australia (i.e., Aboriginal peoples living in Australia) involves creating a story in an actual physical space, using elements in the environment as part of the narrative. Among Aboriginal populations living in Australia, these stories tend to remarkably remain... See more

shamanic vision journeys tell of entering an underworld or experiencing supernatural flight to a spirit world above. The Tungus shamans of Central Asia descend to the underworld through a narrow hole to cross three streams, where they encounter the spirits. The South American Tapirap shamans change into birds and fly through the cosmos; the North... See more

Storytelling is our superpower

The constant re-reading entices the consciousness into operating in an unusual manner; it creates patterns of operation or categories which are available when external events dictate them. This practice may allow a person to perceive aspects of reality which are so uncommon and unusual that he would not otherwise possess the needed constructs, or... See more

“ Stories are actually a form of technology. They are tools that were designed by our ancestors to alleviate depression, reduce anxiety, kindle creativity, spark courage and meet a variety of other psychological challenges of being human. ”― Angus Fletcher, Wonderworks

once oral stories become written literature, we no longer have to rely on speculation.

specific stories survive because they hold an “ inner significance which is rarely glimpsed consciously, but which nevertheless acts powerfully upon our minds. ”

it is not enough for people to know that they should drive on a certain side of the road, they also need to know that others possess that same knowledge. Stories may therefore act to ensure that all members of the group know, and consequently abide by, the “rules of the game” in a given society.