In the Narrative Herbalism Intensive, Heather Wood Buzzard (MA) explores what herbalism and narrative healthcare have in common and how herbalists can integrate the wisdom of story-based care into the art of herbalism. Packed full of practical tips and strategies for herbal practitioners to incorporate the principles of narrative or person-centered healthcare into their practices, this intensive covers what narrative herbalism is and how it can deepen and improve your herbal intake skills. There are three sessions to this series—three lessons, each accompanied by a video.
Session 1 | Narrative Healthcare and Herbalism: Weaving Words and Herbs: Session 1 begins with an introduction to the common ground that narrative healthcare and herbalism share. What do herbs and words, plants and stories, have in common? How do herbalists get to sneak in the “back door” to stories-in-healthcare and what is that secret entryway?
Session 2 | The Health Stories We Tell Ourselves: Concepts in Narrative Medicine and Herbalism. This session goes in depth into the theory and important vocabulary behind person-centered care, from an herbalist’s perspective. It covers one of the primary tools available to narrative healthcare practitioners, the art of close reading, and how it can be utilized by herbalists.
Session 3 | Herbs and Empaths: Storied Herbs for Story Shifting. In this session, we have so much fun spinning tales about the plant’s themselves, working on that all-important piece of an herbalist’s job: matchmaking plants and people. Get ready to explore one of the most potent herbs for increasing empathy and what clues this herb gives us about itself—mimosa.
Narrative healthcare—infusing story and empathy into care for the body and the relationships between care providers and clients—is a hot topic in the medical field. Now, learn how herbalists in particular can access the power behind the tools and ideas of narrative health and successfully integrate these story-centric practices into herbalism either at home or in a clinical setting. Let’s get started!
