Course Description

This course teaches a simple, yet powerful technique known as Story Weaving. Story Weaving is a community building exercise wherein people learn to harvest and incorporate the wisdom found in the stories of others. Story Weaving is also a practice of personal exploration that invites us to let go of narrative separateness and become enmeshed as part of an ecological world. In this way, Story Weaving represents an interwoven inward and outward journey: connecting us more deeply to ourselves by helping us recognize our fundamental interconnectedness. 

Story Weaving is best thought of not as an individual modality, but as complimentary to other practices, such as forest bathing, mindfulness practice, nature connection, coaching, facilitation and many more. Due to its flexible format, Story Weaving provides a pathway of deepening into any experience. By learning to facilitate it, you’ll have another potent and heart-centered technique for your next retreat, seminar, class or even casual social event. Wherever there is community, Story Weaving can find its home. 

This course is designed to teach you what Story Weaving is and how to practice and facilitate it through a series of readings, videos and self-guided explorations. There are no live sessions to attend, however, with your purchase of this course, you also claim a lifetime membership to the Story Weaving Club, where you may practice story weaving as a participant and also be a guest facilitator.

The course is organized in two main chapters. The first focuses on the philosophy that underpins the pedagogy of Story Weaving, unpacking the ways in which Story Weaving resolves a sense of narrative isolation in the process of building community. The second chapter focuses on methodology, examining the technique in a series of simple, ordered steps. This second chapter also offers best practices, time management tips and facilitation tools to incorporate the voices of the More Than Human World in the Story Weaving process. 

This course is not offered as one that can be passed or failed. There is no formal assessment or demonstration of abilities that must occur to complete it. You are welcome and encouraged to use the tools offered in this course in whatever way you please, and to modify the practice as it is explained here to best suit your own process.

Social proof: testimonials

Everything is Welcome

Allison Kitzerow

The practice of Story Weaving has given me an ongoing, much-needed outlet for creativity that I haven’t been able to find in my job or past schooling. I love the process from start to finish—from listening to everyone’s stories and harvesting what resonates with me, to creating my woven story, and then sharing it with everyone and listening to theirs. I love that “everything is welcome” and there is no pressure to make the woven story good or full of meaning. The practice has allowed me to be vulnerable, creative and connected to others in a new, very deeply satisfying way.

The Yarns of Wisdom

Serena Vogel

The sharing and receiving of stories is very powerful when done in a circle of participants where all is welcome. Sharing from open hearts allows each person to be seen and heard which is vital to overall well-being. Stories have their own wisdom to be shared and when we connect our stories together first through deep and heartfelt listening and then weaving new stories, new truths, wisdom and meaning emerge. The yarns of wisdom woven together move us from I to WE and community is created. New pathways for understanding ourselves and each other strengthens the hearts of all in the circle as each person comes away nourished with a deeper sense of belonging. Since completing FYIN and the Story Weaving course, I often wonder what our world would be like if people in positions of power were willing to share and listen from their hearts and then seek wisdom in the weaving of new stories. So it starts with us in our families, friendship circles, retreats, workplaces and the effects of this practice moves us from I to WE.

Instructor(s)

Ben Page

Ben Page is a Forest Therapy Guide, global advocate for the practice and the author of Healing Trees: A Pocket Guide to Forest Bathing. He is the founder of Shinrin Yoku LA and Integral Forest Bathing and has been guiding Forest Therapy walks since 2015. During his tenure as a trainer and mentor of guides, Ben has trained hundreds of guides around the world. From 2017-2020, he also served as the Director of Training for the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy Guides and Programs, specializing in curriculum and pedagogical design and was the main designer of the ANFT Forest Therapy Guide Training on Thinkific. Since his practice began, Ben has been featured in such publications as Women’s Health, USA TODAY, Good Morning America, The Washington Post, and WebMD. Ben is also a co-founder of The Open School, Southern California’s only free democratic school. He holds a B.A. in religious studies from Carleton College and an M.A. in human development and social change from Pacific Oaks College.

Course curriculum

  • 1

    Welcome & Introduction

    • How to use this course (Thinkific Tutorial)

    • Welcome!

    • Course Description & Design

    • Where Does Story Weaving Come From?

    • Story Weaving Club: Schedule and Zoom Link

    • Story Weaving Club Whats App
  • 2

    Chapter 1: Facilitation

    • Chapter Introduction & Learning Objectives

    • Facilitation of Story Weaving

    • Video Tutorial of Story Weaving

    • Self Guided Exploration: Solo Story Weaving

    • Assignment: Practice Story Weaving with a Group

    • Story Weaving Presentation at The Nature Talks
  • 3

    Chapter 2: Philosophy

    • Chapter Introduction & Learning Objectives

    • Philosophy of Story Weaving

    • Self-Guided Exploration: Crafting Intersubjective Stories By Yourself
  • 4

    Post-course materials

    • Course Evaluation

    • Write a testimonial of this course

    • Stay tuned for more...

    • End of Course Harvest

Pricing options

Explain how different pricing options might be valuable to different segments of your audience.