The Story Project 

“I believe the longest road to recovery is approximately 1.5 feet.

 When a person realizes that healing is as far from the top of your head to the bottom of your heart, you’ve found the longest road.”

-Marc Kelso, Kansas Consumer

The Story Project has resulted in a collection of stories from consumers throughout Kansas.  This collection is entitled From the Top of Your Head to the Bottom of Your Heart:  A Collection of Kansas Recovery Stories.

Compiled by Lori Davidson and Suzette Mack, this collection consists of over fifty stories and poems in addition to resources and ideas for writing and sharing one’s story.  The book can be purchased for $8 from the KU School of Social Welfare Resource Guide

The following is an excerpt from the Introduction to From the Top of Your Head to the Bottom of Your Heart:

The distance between our head and our heart can be the longest and sometimes most difficult path we as humans ever have to travel.  It’s the difference between our intellect and our spirit, between knowledge and understanding, between thoughts and emotions. . . the recovery journey, indeed any life journey, is made easier when we gain the ability to unite the two and integrate this connection into our lives.  Often, the telling of one’s story is the conduit that can make this link happen.

Since the beginning of time, people have told stories.  They have gathered around campfires, kitchen tables, front porches and any place where two or more individuals are drawn together.  We see stories in ancient hieroglyphics and petroglyphs.  We read stories in daily newspapers and magazines; we view them on televisions and movie screens.  We can experience a historical event by listening to an older adult reminisce or glory in the simplicity of a single day as we listen to a 4-year old share preschool adventures.  We talk in stories and we work in stories.  It is simply our nature to tell them.

Sharing our story is a gift that we alone create.  It is a personal rendering of who we are and how our lives have been shaped.  Stories provide a way for us to remember, to take time for introspection and to reflect on what matters most to us as we bring together the forgotten pieces of our personal life experience.

Stages in Creating and Sharing Your Story of Recovery

“Each person’s life is a story that is telling itself in the living.”

-William Bridges

From the Top of Your Head to the Bottom of Your Heart includes many  ideas and tips for telling and sharing your story of recovery.  Another recovery story resource from the University of Kansas is the book Pathways to Recovery:  A Strength Recovery Self-Help Workbook which includes a chapter on writing and sharing your story of recovery.

Below is a description of the stages of telling one’s story of recovery from Pathways to Recovery.  The stages have been adapted from Louise DeSalvo’s book Writing as a Way of Healing:  How Telling Our stories Transforms Our Lives.

Stage 1:  Preparation

Begin to pay attention to the things you have experienced and look for ways to express yourself.  Your exploration might include reading the recovery stories of others or asking a trusted friend to be your mentor as you begin to explore your story.

Stage 2:  Germination

Begin to gather images and ideas and start to piece your story together.  Your ideas will probably feel a little disconnected at first, but you may have a clear picture of where you are heading right from the start.  As you begin to explore your recovery story, more thoughts may come and your ideas will become clearer.  Certain ideas or images may begin to appear and metaphors, specific objects, symbols or a special quotation may emerge that represent parts of your story.  You make positive discoveries about your story and see connections between experiences that your never understood before.

Stage 3:  Working

Begin to build and develop your recovery story.  Add in more details and begin to see where and why things fit together.  You may feel deeply emotional as you recall challenges you have faced.  Pull your story together in notes or in your mind’s eye.  You may think you are done at this point, but it is important to continue to refine your story.

You may need to work through layers of feelings; stay with it even if the process is difficult or takes time.  In developing your personal account of recovery, it’s important to explore old memories or situations that you may have wanted to avoid or ignore because they might stir up old feelings.  We heal as we go through our memories and feel our feelings.  It can take a lot of courage to open up about our personal experiences.  If you find yourself becoming upset, you may want to work on your story with the support of a safe and trusted friend or advisor.

Stage 4:  Deepening

Continue to revisit your recovery story.  Even though you may have spent weeks or months or even years developing your recovery story, during this stage your learn much more deeply what your story is really about.  Begin to ask questions like “why did all this happen?” or “what lessons have I learned through these experiences?”  Your story will take on a deeper and more lasting meaning.

Stage 5:  Shaping

In this stage, begin putting your story into a specific form.  This may be a written document, a play, a poem or artwork.  Even now your story may not be in its final form.  The challenge is to not use this time of shaping to make your story perfect, but to feel a sense of accomplishment or closure about the challenges you have faced.

Stage 6:  Completion

During this time, you will refine your story by adding or deleting elements based on where you feel they belong.  You will probably spend a lot of time working on your story, refining it and gaining even deeper understanding of its meaning.  This may be a long, slow process.  Don’t give up!  You will have a story, artwork or image that your are proud of!

Stage 7:  Going Public

At this point, you may want to share your story with others.  Depending on your own personal style, this may involve sharing your story with a small group of friends or peers, publishing your story or public speaking.  This type of sharing allows you to feel that you are part of something greater and expand your story beyond your individual perspective.

Submitting Your Story

If you are interested in submitting your story of recovery to the Supported Education Group for possible publication, email or mail your story along with your name, address, phone number and email address to:

Lori Davidson

1545 Lilac Lane

Lawrence, KS 66044

(785) 864-4720

(866) 728-1909 (US toll-free)

davidson@ku.edu