The StoryBook Project
About the Project
In " Allison and the Magical Feelings Journey," Allison learns that all her feelings have important messages. No feeling is inherently good or bad. By labeling her feelings, she learns to control their expression.
The Project Schedule
Exhibited at Umpqua Bank, Benicia, CA through April 30, 2018. Artist's Reception April 12, 5-7pm. Donations to Benicia Human Services Board
Prints and content guide available for order. Downloadable art and content coming soon.
The StoryBook Project Illustrates How Learning the Skills of Talking, Trusting, and Feeling Heals and Mitigates Child Trauma
The StoryBook Project:
An illustrated look at “Name Them to Tame Them” and why it is important
No matter how we try to protect our children, they will encounter stress. And traumatic experiences in children’s lives are also a given, says research. A long-term Kaiser Permanente study shows that our children will likely experience at least one of the following before they are eighteen: death or illness in a parent or caregiver, an accident, bullying; they may witness or experience a violent act. Often we are at a loss at how to help our children with these challenges. Substantial research points to simple ways to help our children, and teaching them to recognize, and discuss feelings is a first step to prevention and healing. We live in a culture, however,that sends messages to "overcome" feelings rather than to process and assimilate them.
The StoryBook Project is the result of three years of research, writing, art and the mining of personal recollection. The Project explores simple methods and the proven benefits of helping our children name emotions to cope with stressors or trauma. The project uses a short fable and set of storybook style illustrations. The illustrations are colorful, and fun, meant to engage a wide range of audiences: children, families, nonprofits, professionals in the fields of education, psychology, or social work. The fable follows a child protagonist through a magical land as she learns that all feelings are meant to guide her. The fable also provides suggestions for what to do when feelings become overwhelming, uncomfortable and she needs help to understand them.
Why the Project is unique: What makes this project unique is that it was created by a survivor of trauma who had learned none of these skills as a child. The difficulty of attempting to learn these skills as an adult and integrate trauma is not for the faint of heart. I would like others to know it can be done.The story is told from my own childhood recollections. I incorporate into the project not only research, but the narrative and illustrations that tell the story of the confusion I felt at trying to make sense of my own childhood feelings - and what I now know would have helped. However, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
Researchers know that unspoken family rules of 'don't talk, don't trust, don't feel' freeze trauma and disallow processing. With its gentle story, the project encourages talking about challenging situations, finding a trusting listener, and recognizing and naming feelings to mitigate trauma. I am also witness to the struggle and pain of those who never learned to talk, trust or feel and struggle today.. I understand the profound difference this skillset can make. I also know this skillset exists in each of us based on a continuum of ability and can always be improved. To teach it to our children, we must understand it ourselves.
The StoryBook Project Research
All of the content in the StoryBook Project is supported by current research. A selection of research:
Trauma Research: Bessel Van Der Kolk, author of The Body Keeps the Score,
Brain Science: When Labeling an Emotion Quiets It
Social Emotional Learning: Yale University Emotional Intelligence Program
Six Seconds.org
The Great Divide: Why some children are better at handling feelings than others: Research shows that children who are well cared for and attached to their caregivers display a more complex emotional vocabulary allowing them to describe physiological and psychological states like hunger, thirst, anger, confusion. They make relevant decisions based on those feelings. This is a learned skill. Children who have not learned this skill or are maltreated do not display this vocabulary. Their parents do not have these skills or this vocabulary to pass on. The child may mimic the disorganized emotional response of the parent who does not know how to regulate emotions. We commonly refer to this as "acting out." Indeed, this is acting, acting outwardly those feelings that have no words.
The Science: Neuroscientists agree with the benefits of emotional labeling to prevent “acting out” or engaging in impulsive action. Brain scans show that the act of labeling one’s emotions shifts brain activity from the amygdala, the fight or flight part of the brain, to the cognitive processor, the frontal lobe. What had been an uncomfortable, unnamed body feeling of the primitive brain that urges impulsive action, becomes a thought to be processed, with relevant choices to be made. This simple labeling action works for children and adults.
Helping the most vulnerable: At its highest good, the “name it to tame it tool” can be taught to a child who lives with stress or trauma, a child who may have few other resources. In schools and nonprofits, this skill is usually part of a program in SEL or social emotional learning. The child learns a set of skills to reduce overwhelm and support impulse control. Rather than remaining physiologically awash in cortisol and adrenaline, learning to say to himself, "I am afraid. I have choices to soothe and protect myself," can reduce the effects of a stressful event. Yet the most simple skill, that of naming feelings can be taught by anyone, anywhere. But that teacher must be a good listener as well. More on that next.
Talking or teaching about feelings means listening first: Naming feelings is only one tool in the toolbox. Anyone who is stressed or traumatized benefits from what trauma experts call a “witness.” In the StoryBook project, this person is called “The Gentle Listener,” someone who listens to the details and feelings of an event, sometimes over and over, without judging the response.
Healing trauma through storytelling and naming feelings: When an individual begins healing from trauma, one important step is understanding the emotions that cause him or her to be “stuck” in an uncomfortable feeling state. Trauma encodes in the limbic or sensory parts of the brain. The cognitive, or thinking part of the brain is essentially “offline” during a traumatic event, with the amygdala running the show. We say to ourselves when traumatized or shocked, “I was speechless.” Naming feelings and storytelling reconnect the language centers and the limbic system reducing painful feelings of overwhelm and allowing for better choice making.
FAQ's
The series explains and illustrates the concepts of Emotional Literacy, Emotional Regulation and the Emotional Ecosystem and how these skills support trauma prevention and healing. What do these terms mean?
Emotional Literacy was a term first used by Claude Steiner (1997) who says: Emotional literacy is made up of 'the ability to understand your emotions, the ability to listen to others and empathize with their emotions, and the ability to express emotions productively. ... Having a sense of empathy.
The StoryBook Series stresses awareness and learning of the most basic of these skills, identifying and labeling emotions, a skill children aren't born with, and many adults may not model on a consistent basis in our busy world. Anyone can use three simple steps: identify (label) emotions, list options, take appropriate action that doesn't harm the self or others. This process is an integral part of emotional regulation and a healthy emotional ecosystem.
Emotional Regulation: Name Them to Tame Them
Child development experts and neuroscience agree that naming emotions helps children to regulate them. Emotional regulation is the ability to manage emotions and their related actions. The StoryBook Project illustrates this concept in a simple to comprehend series of art with a short fable just right for adults and children to discuss. The work can be used as a training tool for staff, parents, or others.
SIMPLE HOW TO RESOURCES for parents and children from Michigan State University
FUN EMOTIONAL NAMING FOR ADULTS from Psychology Today
The Emotional Ecosystem
The concept of the emotional ecosystem was defined for this project as follows: the range of emotions, limited or complex, an individual accepts and uses to interact and make decisions. Attempting to banish, or suppress emotions throws the system into an imbalance.
A healthy Emotional Ecosystem is one that keeps you feeling mostly content. Ups and downs occur, but you recover well. A healthy emotional ecosystem is sustainable, allows you to maintain inner balance, and to thrive even in the face of change and adversity. It is typically diverse, that is, you can recognize a number of emotions; it has the ability to maintain its structure (organization and diversity) so you function well (vigor) over time in the face of external stress (resilience). Like any ecosystem, the healthy emotional landscape changes and adapts as it encounters stress of life.
An unhealthy Emotional Ecosystem leaves you feeling a victim of emotions. Small stresses can feel overwhelming, or you become numb. The unhealthy system may become disorganized and limited ( you can only recognize and name a few emotions, i.e. fear and anger), it lacks vigor (functions poorly) and cannot maintain itself well during stressful periods (lacks resilience). You may feel emotionally overwhelmed by life's challenges and changes, lash out in anger and blame others, or internalize stress as anxiety or depression. Like any ecosystem, the unhealthy emotional landscape borders on collapse if it encounters a severe stress.
Emotional intelligence and the development of emotional regulation do not occur naturally. These are not innate skills, they must be learned. And this skillset may be absent in dysfunctional families with addiction issues or in families who communicate difficult feelings with emotional or physical violence. Many schools are now teaching these skills to children. And adults can learn them as well.
The StoryBook Series stresses awareness and learning of the most basic of these skills, identifying and labeling emotions, a skill children aren't born with, and many adults may not model on a consistent basis in our busy world. Anyone can use three simple steps: identify (label) emotions, list options, take appropriate action that doesn't harm the self or others. This process is an integral part of emotional regulation and a healthy emotional ecosystem.
Emotional Regulation: Name Them to Tame Them
Child development experts and neuroscience agree that naming emotions helps children to regulate them. Emotional regulation is the ability to manage emotions and their related actions. The StoryBook Project illustrates this concept in a simple to comprehend series of art with a short fable just right for adults and children to discuss. The work can be used as a training tool for staff, parents, or others.
SIMPLE HOW TO RESOURCES for parents and children from Michigan State University
FUN EMOTIONAL NAMING FOR ADULTS from Psychology Today
The Emotional Ecosystem
The concept of the emotional ecosystem was defined for this project as follows: the range of emotions, limited or complex, an individual accepts and uses to interact and make decisions. Attempting to banish, or suppress emotions throws the system into an imbalance.
A healthy Emotional Ecosystem is one that keeps you feeling mostly content. Ups and downs occur, but you recover well. A healthy emotional ecosystem is sustainable, allows you to maintain inner balance, and to thrive even in the face of change and adversity. It is typically diverse, that is, you can recognize a number of emotions; it has the ability to maintain its structure (organization and diversity) so you function well (vigor) over time in the face of external stress (resilience). Like any ecosystem, the healthy emotional landscape changes and adapts as it encounters stress of life.
An unhealthy Emotional Ecosystem leaves you feeling a victim of emotions. Small stresses can feel overwhelming, or you become numb. The unhealthy system may become disorganized and limited ( you can only recognize and name a few emotions, i.e. fear and anger), it lacks vigor (functions poorly) and cannot maintain itself well during stressful periods (lacks resilience). You may feel emotionally overwhelmed by life's challenges and changes, lash out in anger and blame others, or internalize stress as anxiety or depression. Like any ecosystem, the unhealthy emotional landscape borders on collapse if it encounters a severe stress.
Emotional intelligence and the development of emotional regulation do not occur naturally. These are not innate skills, they must be learned. And this skillset may be absent in dysfunctional families with addiction issues or in families who communicate difficult feelings with emotional or physical violence. Many schools are now teaching these skills to children. And adults can learn them as well.
How does the Storybook Art Project directly help at-risk children?
Exhibiting and sharing the work introduces the concept of emotional literacy. It suggests that these basic skills are imparted to children by their caretakers. The content included with the exhibit highlights the fact that children most at-risk may be the least likely to receive instruction in these skills at home. They rarely may witness healthy role-modeling. The work provides simple strategies that anyone can use to support the emotional literacy of an at-risk child.
At-risk children may have little access to emotional learning in their homes and have difficulty with emotional regulation including naming emotions, calming themselves and interacting with others.
The project brings awareness to that issue through its art, its fable, and related services The series supports children by providing content for discussion based on the fable and illustrations.
The project brings awareness to that issue through its art, its fable, and related services The series supports children by providing content for discussion based on the fable and illustrations.
Exhibiting and educating
* The work is available for exhibit as originals or prints.
* The work is available as prints will and will soon be available as a downloadable PDF with support materials.
* This website and related social media accounts educate on the topic and include links to the latest research and resources.
Classes are being developed based on the latest research - Read more about the research.
* The work is available as prints will and will soon be available as a downloadable PDF with support materials.
* This website and related social media accounts educate on the topic and include links to the latest research and resources.
Classes are being developed based on the latest research - Read more about the research.
Donating Funds and Art
- A percentage of proceeds from art sales is donated to an at-risk children nonprofit partner.
Decorating Spaces and Shelters
- Art Posters with emotional literacy messaging are available for nonprofits, shelters and similar spaces.
Why was the project created?
Marcy Orendorff has worked as a healthcare writer and researcher. She holds degrees in Educational Psychology and Social Work. She uses art integrated with research as a message to encourage social change. She brings education, research and personal experience to her projects.
Her own childhood was a challenge fraught with family domestic violence and substance abuse. For twenty years, she has focused creative and research efforts to address the difficulties children face both during these crises and in their aftermath. She now advocates for intervention and prevention.
After ten years of research and discussions with adults who grew up in similar homes, she noted that one critical skill is often missing for those who have lived with severe dysfunction. Although as adults, they may have mastered the art of "looking good," for example, they may have jobs, families, and intellectual problem-solving abilities, they frequently lack the ability to identify their own emotions. They may have not mastered using their own emotions in healthy ways for personal growth or relationship building. They know something is wrong, but cannot name it. This lack of emotional literacy makes sense given the role-modeling and distorted emotional dynamics of their dysfunctional family systems.
Although research indicates that the foundation for our emotional skillset is laid in childhood ( see ACE Kaiser Permanente/CDC Study below)
emotionally literacy skills are not fixed - they can be improved. The StoryBook Project uses that framework as its conceptual basis.
Her own childhood was a challenge fraught with family domestic violence and substance abuse. For twenty years, she has focused creative and research efforts to address the difficulties children face both during these crises and in their aftermath. She now advocates for intervention and prevention.
After ten years of research and discussions with adults who grew up in similar homes, she noted that one critical skill is often missing for those who have lived with severe dysfunction. Although as adults, they may have mastered the art of "looking good," for example, they may have jobs, families, and intellectual problem-solving abilities, they frequently lack the ability to identify their own emotions. They may have not mastered using their own emotions in healthy ways for personal growth or relationship building. They know something is wrong, but cannot name it. This lack of emotional literacy makes sense given the role-modeling and distorted emotional dynamics of their dysfunctional family systems.
Although research indicates that the foundation for our emotional skillset is laid in childhood ( see ACE Kaiser Permanente/CDC Study below)
emotionally literacy skills are not fixed - they can be improved. The StoryBook Project uses that framework as its conceptual basis.
Additional Research & Resources
Understanding Adverse Child Events (ACE), Trauma, and Resilience
The CDC & Kaiser Permanente's ACE Study & Findings: An Unexpected Discovery - How childhood events affect long-term physical and mental health.
Quiz from Kaiser Permanente': What is Your ACE Score?
Research and Resources
For Families
The National Child Traumatic Stress Network
For Adult Survivors of Childhood Trauma
Book: The Body Keeps the Score
Website: Joyful Heart Network
Art and Resources: Children of Domestic Violence
Art Series and Narrative: Children of Domestic Violence
Best Selling Books
How We Choose to Be Happy, Rick Foster & Greg Hicks
Full Catastrophe Living, Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D.
The Body Keeps the Score, Bessel Van Der Kolk, M.D.
The CDC & Kaiser Permanente's ACE Study & Findings: An Unexpected Discovery - How childhood events affect long-term physical and mental health.
Quiz from Kaiser Permanente': What is Your ACE Score?
Research and Resources
For Families
The National Child Traumatic Stress Network
For Adult Survivors of Childhood Trauma
Book: The Body Keeps the Score
Website: Joyful Heart Network
Art and Resources: Children of Domestic Violence
Art Series and Narrative: Children of Domestic Violence
Best Selling Books
How We Choose to Be Happy, Rick Foster & Greg Hicks
Full Catastrophe Living, Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D.
The Body Keeps the Score, Bessel Van Der Kolk, M.D.
Exhibitions and Donations
Meet a few StoryBook characters
The Lion of Gentle Courage
The Curious Bird
tags: #emotional literacy, #emotionaltrauma, #at-risk children, #emotionalecosystem, #childhoodresiliency, #anxiety #depression #PTSD #SEL #Emotionallearning #emotionalintelligence
