Anatomy of a Story

Anatomy of a Story

How does a story become a whole brain experience, for we know that the sequence of story events uses only one mode of brain processing?  But a whole brain experience of an autobiographic event when coupled with emotions may produce other remarkable changes.  The experience may provide and promote changes in physiology, bolster immunity with even the possible building of new brain tissue through mutable (changing) synaptic connections, and it may well influence people’s genetic material.  Stories become personal narratives when beliefs, thoughts and feelings are combined with intentions, desires, hopes, and dreams.

Stories can combine many aspects of experience including the physiologic, bodily, emotional, cognitive, social and cultural components of a whole experience.(bring together many facets of our lives)  Many stories are sequential facts.  But stories that involve the whole body combines with our opinions and get tagged with our personal meanings.  This process implies more than the objectivity (logical reasoning) story sequences.  Even though stories may be laid out over time, such as in the past, the present, the future, or in other worlds or times, they are integrated beyond the stories lines when other aspects of our being, other than logic become involved.

One’s own story and that of others, often includes us, or others, encountering ways to solve life’s problems.  New situations make for plots so that people can transport themselves to new places, experiences, and outcomes.  Choices are broadened as indirect learning takes place.  It is better to learn the stove is hot through a story encounter than having to painfully learn through experience.  Our learning from the storyline will increase if we have evolved empathy for the story characters that have been burned and with whom we can vicariously (indirectly felt by others) share their pain and suffering.

Social learning theory has long shown the models we are most likely to imitate are those we identify with the most.