Finding science in stories, stories in science: narrative healing for those displaced by war. From the announcement:

The Field Guide for Barefoot Psychologists is an educational and self-care tool written for individuals (18+) forcibly displaced, and for those working with them. Grounded in the belief that science is a right and self-awareness is an asset, the Guide unpacks the biological and psychological processes associated with the experience of forced displacement, including issues such as fear, anxiety, stress, trauma, guilt, shame, and hopelessness. It also specifically explores positive assets for cultivating resilience, including the science of neuroplasticity, belonging, and post-traumatic growth.

Importantly, the science covered in the Field Guide is introduced through storytelling. The pilot version of the Guide follows the narrative of two Syrian siblings living through conflict and migration and uses vignettes of their lives to delve into otherwise abstract scientific concepts. Overall, the Field Guide walks users through an educational and practical process that includes psychoeducation, self-assessment, and replicable self-care exercises to increase resilience and capacity to address mental health challenges at an individual and community level. This is the first time a large body of neuroscience, cognitive science, and clinical information about trauma and stress has been translated into Arabic.

The Guide aims to normalize many of the psychological experiences associated with forced migration and conflict, framing issues such as anger, depression, and emotion dysregulation as natural, common responses of the brain and the body to abnormal life events. 

For other posts on narrative medicine, see here.

For a CBS News presentation of this topic by Michelle Miller, see here.