Storytelling has been around since the first human beings sat down around a fire and talked about their lives. These first training sessions on resilience occurred thousands of years ago.  From campfires to fireplaces, potbelly stoves to water coolers, we continue to tell stories about resilience. 

In more recent times we've written these down in the form of novels and biographies, and more recently, recorded them on tape and film, and, most recently, posted on the Internet. Hearing the stories of others often enables one to identify with one or more of the characters in the story. Based on my experience with the Duct Tape Isn't Enough program, I believe that storytelling is an ideal vehicle for teaching resilience skills and attitudes, far better than lectures, textbooks, or brochures.

Research by psychologist James Pennybaker and others has found that writing about difficult things may actually improve our health. In a series of studies, one group of individuals was asked to write down their deepest thoughts and feelings about a traumatic event they had experienced. Another group wrote about ordinary matters, such as their plans for the day. Both groups wrote for 15-20 minutes a day for three consecutive days. The results were surprising. When compared with the people who wrote about ordinary events, the ones who wrote about their traumatic experiences reported fewer symptoms, fewer visits to the doctor, fewer days off from work, improved mood, and a more positive outlook. Their immune function was enhanced for at least six weeks after writing.