Greetings and salutations to all!
I extend this warm welcome to you with a big smile on my heart. I am extremely grateful to have this opportunity to share a selection of gifts and tools that I have received over the course of my journey as a Story-Teller, a Story-Teacher, and an individual with an extensive complex, intergenerational trauma history.
The healing power of story has saved and transformed my life. I look forward to weaving together written and video content that highlights paradigms of possibility, while illuminating the power of story, hope, healing, and transformation.
I am relatively new to the New York State Trauma Informed Network Resource Center (TINRC) community. I was first introduced in the spring of 2024 when I ran into a trusted colleague who informed me of a new trauma-responsive and resiliency-informed training that was available free of charge to the community I serve. I listened intently as they described the six modules of the training and quickly worked with them to secure a training date. Participating in the Tending the Roots training affirmed my experience while also shining a light on a myriad of assorted pathways and places where this information could be helpful.
When this same colleague recommended that I consider attending the upcoming Train-the-Trainer (TTT) session later that summer, I did not delay. I was on a mission, determined to return home, find the TINRC website, and submit my application. Within two short months I was sitting in a classroom on the NYU campus in New York City filled with an amazing group of soon-to-be facilitators and two knowledgeable trainers who embodied the principles and content in deeply meaningful ways.
My decision to accept and pursue this invitation and opportunity was a significant moment – both personally and professionally. For those of you who are familiar with the work of Joseph Campbell and the Hero’s Journey framework, I was choosing to hear the call and say yes to the mystery of a new path; one that would require me to draw upon the skills and support I have cultivated over the years to confront and break free from the internalized voices that have antagonized and immobilized me.
But as fellow journeyers, you know what tends to happen when someone musters the courage to take the first big step… despite the anxiety generated from taking the action, a new momentum begins to form and the next step comes into view.
Sure enough, within a month of completing the TTT session, I again ran into this trusted colleague who mentioned the TINRC’s free annual conference and recommended that I register as soon as possible. When I found my way to the website, I was greeted by the words, “Join the Journey” – a thoughtful, heartfelt invitation and call to action.
With great care and intention, the TINRC team continues to co-create a community for all of us, regardless of how, where, or how long we have been doing the work. That truth was present and palpable when I crossed the conference threshold of the Broadway Ballroom at the Saratoga Hilton & City Center in Saratoga Springs, New York.
It was that welcoming, safe space that enabled me to stand before those who had gathered for the open mic storytelling that Thursday evening. Up until that moment, I had never participated in an open mic despite having decades of experience as a professional storyteller, story-teacher, and facilitator. However, this was different.
In stepping forward and sharing a *story crafted in honor of the woman who was instrumental in my survival and arrival ‘home’ in the truest sense of the word – fully embodied, authentically me, joyful, loving, and ALIVE – I was choosing to step into the light and be seen as well as heard. I was accepting the invitation to belonging and acknowledging the power of love, hope, and possibility.
Within twelve hours of that step into the light, a received the next call and invitation – to consider applying for the TINRC’s Storytellers in Residence Initiative. Nine months have passed since I received that invitation; a true gestational period of preparing for whatever lies ahead. I am honored and humbled to be part of this community of peers and dedicated professionals who are committed to transformation and healing.
Here’s to the road ahead and our collective unfolding!
The NYS TINRC Newsletter is produced by CCSI. The views, opinions, and content expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, or policies of the New York State Office of Mental Health (NYS OMH).