Collin County Living Well Magazine May/June 2016 | Page 20

Doctors Don ’ t Write Prescriptions for Stories –– Maybe They Should

By Melanie Hess

Full-time storytellers Peggy and Gene Richardson say they believe in the healing power of the spoken narrative , and they have both experience and research to back them up .

Gene defines storytelling as , “ A live narrative performance shaped by dynamic audience response .”
For most , thoughts of storytelling often lead to mental images of library programs or elementary school , but the Richardsons emphasize that storytelling is not just for children .
Regularly “ telling ,” as they call it , at drug and rehab centers , federal prisons , local festivals , sporting events , or sometimes even at the mall , the Richardsons stress that stories are for everyone .
“ We are part of tradition that goes back to the caveman ,” Gene says . “ The narrative form was the only form for a long time .” made . By the end of two months , I was hooked .”
The impact she saw the stories having made the stage fright all but disappear .
At the rehab center , Gene often tells a signature healing story about a man who lives in Hell .
“ I tell them , ‘ There once was this man who lived in Hell . That ’ s right , he lived in Hell . Now this man could leave anytime he wanted to , but he never did . You know why ? Because he knew the names of all the streets .’ And after they get through laughing or scratching their head , I say , ‘ That ’ s your story . The only reason you are here is because you know those streets just a little too well . If you aren ’ t happy where you are , you gotta go somewhere else .’”
Stories like these , the Richardsons believe , are not only engaging , but potentially healing and certainly impactful .
Descending from a long line of storytellers , Gene turned to his inherited talents in an unfortunate season of unemployment in 1979 .
“ They needed somebody out at the state museum of agriculture ,” he says . “ And many of the events they had required some storytelling . So , I started looking into storytelling professionally and I ’ ve been at it ever since .”
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Today , he describes it as a calling .
Peggy , however , claims she was dragged in “ kicking and screaming .” She attended a storytelling festival with Gene in the March of 1989 and admits she was intrigued .
“ I had never seen stories told for adults before ,” she says . “ I was completely mesmerized .”
Nonetheless , Peggy ’ s shyness and stage fright kept her comfortable on the sidelines , attending functions to talk to people or support simply as an audience member .
Homeward Bound
Yet when Gene found himself suddenly without a telling partner for Homeward Bound , the drug and rehab center he worked with in 1999 , he knew Peggy would be the perfect fit . She knew all the stories and had visited the center regularly .
Reluctantly , she agreed .
“ It took me a long time to get over being shy ,” she says . “ But it didn ’ t take long at all to get over the stage fright because I was actually seeing what a difference the stories
COLLIN COUNTY Living Well Magazine | MAY / JUNE 2016
“ Especially at the home ,” Peggy says , “ clients will come in and ask us to tell these stories over and over again .”
The stories reach their audience in ways that can be seen even years down the road .
Peggy recalls a special “ gift ” the couple received while out for their anniversary one year .
“ We were at the theatre , coming out of the movies , and we hear somebody yelling ‘ Storytellers !’ and we look up . We could tell we recognized the face , but we didn ’ t know who this was . And he says ‘ I know y ’ all don ’ t remember me . It ’ s been a couple of years .’ Then he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a rock and says , ‘ I remember the stories you told . I still have the rock you gave me , and I want to let you know I ’ ve been clean for two years now .’”
For the Richardsons , this man ’ s quick “ thank you ” provided a world of encouragement .
“ It was one of those ‘ Okay . I can die ’ moments ,” Peggy says . “ It was real validation that the stories were making a difference .”