Author Event - Lisa Weinert w/Jenny Jackson

Join us Thursday the 28th to hear Lisa Weinert speak about her new book Narrative Healing: Awaken the Power of Your Story, in conversation with Jenny Jackson, author of Pineapple Street

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“Lisa Weinert gives us a timely reminder that a writer is a body and not just an intellect. Somatic practices and writing prompts combine to resource the nervous system and release hidden stories. Whether you want to write your way to healing or open yourself to deeper and more authentic writing, this book is a must-read.” — Resmaa Menakem, New York Times bestselling author of My Grandmother's Hands, The Quaking of America, and Monsters in Love

The Harvard Mind Body Institute conducted a study that showed there is no separation between our minds and our bodies, yet Western culture continues to ignore the body. Think about how our bodies react in certain situations: a pit in the stomach when we’re anxious, an eyebrow raise when we’re surprised or suspicious, etc. So, it makes sense that when we hold on to certain events in our lives, whether they were born out of trauma, sadness, or shame, it affects how we move through the world.

Lisa Weinert has taught and lectured on the power of storytelling at institutions such as Wesleyan University, Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health, and Fortune 500 media companies. Beginning her career in book publishing, Weinert eventually became a certified yoga instructor with a specialty in trauma-informed and restorative yoga, leading her to combine her professional training with her own experience with trauma to create a

writing program that seeks to release our stories in a way that is accessible and empowering. Instead of putting pen to paper immediately like most writing programs, NARRATIVE HEALING: Awaken the Power of Your Story begins with the body and provides anyone—not just writers—a comforting and inclusive pathway to heal by first searching within.

By combining somatic practices, creative prompts, and mindfulness exercises, Weinert guides readers through a six-stage cycle of healing through storytelling: Awaken, Listen, Express, Inspire, Connect, and Grow, encouraging them to approach the program in any way that feels comfortable for them, and helps them discover:

● That simple, mindful movement can help ground us, help us be present, and ultimately spark creativity.

● How to set up your mind, your body, and your space properly so that you can maintain a consistent writing practice over a period of time, which is the most effective way to set yourself on the path to healing.

● Sharing stories that you have kept hidden could be the exact medicine that someone else needs. You realize that you’re not alone and this helps build resilience and a sense of belonging.

● The importance of (and how to) truly listen. In an average conversation, an American adult takes in and comprehends less than 25% of what they hear! But this ability we’re born with is renewable and Weinert shows readers how to reclaim it.

● That therapeutic writing programs can have tremendous effects on our physical health, including improved immune function, lower blood pressure, healing from trauma, reduced stress, anxiety, and depression, increased resilience, a sense of connection & belonging, joy, and contentment, and improved sleep, focus, and clarity.

Weinert takes a transparent and inclusive approach by adding original stories and voices from a wide and diverse range of healers, writers, and teachers from various ethnicities, backgrounds, abilities, and sexual identities to help readers find their own voices.

While healing with writing may not be a new idea, NARRATIVE HEALING proposes a new framework and model for addressing creative, spiritual, emotional, and mention blocks to match the world we live in now. Storytelling is the ultimate disrupter—you don’t have to know how to fix the issue because this program is about noticing it and how it feels. And Lisa Weinert is inviting you to start the journey. She writes, “My hope is that if we start to listen to the body when it whispers, we won’t have to wait for it to scream to hear what it has to say. And we will thus have the capacity to listen to others too.”

Lisa Weinert founded Narrative Healing, a mind-body writing program to integrate her 10 years of experience in book publishing and her experiences as a yoga teacher, in 2016. Weinert’s workshops, courses, and coaching has taken her to renowned centers of mindfulness and healing, including The Rubin Museum, Wesleyan University, Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health, and Omega Institute of Holistic Studies, and has since become a global online community. Her work has also been featured in Yoga Journal and Human Shift Magazine. She writes about mindfulness, personal growth, wellness, and the healing power of writing. NARRATIVE HEALING: Awaken the Power of Your Story (Hachette Go, 2023) is her first book. More information can be found at: lisaweinert.com and narrativehealing.com.

Jenny Jackson is a Vice President and Executive Editor at Alfred A. Knopf. A graduate of Williams College and the Columbia Publishing Course, she lives in Brooklyn Heights with her family. Pineapple Street is her first novel.