BRATTLEBORO — In “A Beautiful Journey,” a series of storytelling events showcasing people who live with, or are impacted by, substance-use disorder (SUD), storytellers share parts of their life stories with community members who want to hear firsthand what it's like to live through the destructive brain disease known as addiction.
Hosted by the Turning Point of Windham County, this series focuses not only on what can lead a person to rely on substances, living a life of isolation and despair, but also on what it takes for a person to find hope and meaning.
Hope is the catalyst for recovery, and these stories will showcase how everyone's recovery is different. Storytellers will tell us how they are able to stay actively involved in the community, which benefits their overall recovery.
These stories can help us move away from judgment and stigma and learn how to accept and have empathy for people who have experienced the devastation of substance use.
For this series, each storyteller is paired with a story coach. The two work together to ensure that the story captures the true essence of what the storyteller wishes to communicate. The result is a finely crafted piece that the storyteller can be proud of. The storyteller will then have their story prepared for sharing events and can feel confident when sharing their “Beautiful Journey.”
Turning Point has generated a list of people in recovery who are willing to share parts of their journey with our community. These people comprise our “story board.” People on the storyboard will be called upon for our big community events such as our annual event at the Latchis Theatre or the Next Stage Café Fables series in Putney.
Storytellers will also present at schools, organizations, businesses or any other invested community members who wish to hear these remarkable people tell their inspirational stories. Finally, they themselves can help coach the next team of storytellers.
Substance-use disorder can be heartbreaking to witness, but we can become numb to it due to the steady drumbeat of news stories focusing on arrests, overdoses, and deaths. Our goal is for these courageous people to tell educational and hope-filled stories to shine light onto a dim part of our reality and help to create understanding for a disease that's frequently misrepresented or misunderstood.
These stories will provide listeners with truth, honesty, and authenticity. These stories will also help the storytellers feel heard, which is an important part of their continued journey in recovery: to know that they matter and are valued.
It takes great strength to open up and disclose vulnerable parts of our lives. This program provides a safe place for these stories to be shared and a time to hold space for the stories to be validated by the audience and community.