Work with H.G. Roberts
I’m a storyteller and story producer, and I’d like to bring what I do to your organization and your clients.
My life’s work is to help those struggling with depression, anxiety, addiction and suicidal thoughts as a result of trauma (particularly during childhood) tell their story so they can gain a new awareness about themselves and potentially heal. Storytelling is an under-used tool to help the traumatized overcome their struggles as they age into adults. Despite solid narrative therapy and Imaginal Exposure (Exposure Therapy) methods used in mental health counseling, authentic storytelling via motivational interviewing has become a bit of a lost art as it pertains to a therapeutic modality. Storytelling can be a very powerful tool to address and balance our mental health. I’m certainly not the only one saying this. Check out what they’re doing at Numberstory.org. I love this!
If there’s a good fit and a need, I’d love to work with your organization and clients part-time, full-time or as an independent freelance producer to draw out and capture their stories. These stories (as audio podcasts or videos) can live on your Website and social media channels, here on my Wesbite (see below), and my Youtube channel for the storyteller and others to engage as one piece of their therapeutic spectrum.
Over time, these stories will form a large qualitative data set from which researchers, mental health practitioners and policy makers can glean additional insight into identifying patterns of resilience, ultimately leading to evolved methods of trauma-informed care, mental health counseling and rehabilitation, as well as social and behavioral change.
What’s in it for the storyteller? The storyteller can overcome feelings of fear and isolation by becoming vulnerable in a safe space. I use a specific method for drawing out a client’s story using a question protocol and motivational interview approach (see below). But I am open to collaborating with you to adjust the questions/process to best serve you and your clients’ needs. As well, the storyteller can connect the dots of his/her life to better understand, if still present, their self-sabotaging and destructive thought and behavior patterns and become empowered to change. If they have found a way past those behaviors, then their story is focused more on how they became resilient, which is equally as powerful.
What’s in it for you/your organization? The stories I/we produce via your organization/clients can be branded and credited as such, which allows your organization to participate in the growing resilience community and be seen as a major player in the arena of therapeutic healing and social change.
What’s in it for the world at large? We can raise awareness of and catalyze a more focused national dialogue about mental health and ACEs, and generate ideas for policy reform (esp. around criminal rehabilitation) and social change (better understanding and responding to marginalized groups).
Perhaps there is already a position available within your organization to carry out this important work. If not, perhaps together we could pursue grants or private funding to carry out this work within your organization. I have all the gear to record and produce audio podcasts. And Zoom will allow us to video record face-to-face interviews. I would lean on locally-based video production companies to produce a video series. Additionally, I have a relationship with a well-respected Denver-based psychologist who can provide insight and guidance when necessary.
Stories H.G Roberts has recorded with trauma survivors.
Share your story.
How has On Monsters and Phantoms impacted you and changed your thinking? Has it helped you connect the dots of your own life and see things anew? We’d love to hear about it. Share your story with us, and let’s together create a supportive community around adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and resilience. It’s all about connecting and healing. When your ready to share your story, it will be a conversation between us. We’re going to go to the deep places.
For me, what made the biggest difference—the biggest change—in overcoming my self-sabotaging behavior, addiction, anxiety and suicidal thoughts was examining myself and learning how to tell my story. In short, the method I used for this process I call “responsible inquiry.” I allowed myself to ask whatever questions I wanted about my life, beliefs and behaviors, and I could answer them however I wanted, without judgment, condemnation or shame. I wrote out my answers in a journal so I could reflect on my “logic” periodically to decide what made sense to me and what didn’t anymore. I let myself explore the dark places that my trauma had previously shut down … the hidden feelings that society and personal relationships scuttled. I kept asking, “Why do I believe this? Is it necessary to believe it? Is there another way to think about this?” I allowed myself to read other perspectives and thoughts that differed from my own about very important aspects of my life. I opened myself up to new ways of thinking. At first it felt against the grain, but I adapted to it.
During the process of learning how to tell my story, I made discovery after discovery, connection after connection. As I like to say, I began to “connect the dots” from my ACEs and religious trauma to my current self-sabotaging behaviors, addiction (porn) and destructive beliefs. I began to unlock the true sources of my fear, depression and anxiety. I began to understand that I thought of myself as evil, why I thought that about myself, and that I was free to not think that about myself. From there, I was able to discard what I didn’t wish to accept anymore. That’s when healing began. Yes, I had to abandon old ways of believing and thinking, but that’s how change happens. Ask yourself: do you like feeling the way you’re feeling, or do you want things to change? Change is possible. Your readiness is key.
I spent about 10 years researching ACEs, religious trauma and the psychology of storytelling, and I shed countless tears figuring out how to tell my story and to extract new meaning and perspective from it. I had a good friend to help, which is important. Together, month after month, we kept pressing into my story, my truth. What emerged is On Monsters and Phantoms. It shows you what happened to me, how those traumatic experiences shaped how I saw myself and the world around me, how I changed and what I had to do to make those changes. I essentially wrote my way into awareness of myself. I leaned into all the “skids” and dissonance in my life. It wasn’t easy, but neither are your past and current struggles, right? For survivors of childhood and religious trauma, resilience doesn’t come easy. That’s our path: the hard and dark road. We’ve been dealt a heavier hand than some. But if you can learn to navigate that dark road with strength, then you can learn to help others through their pain.
My life purpose is to sit down with the quivering, listen and help where I can. Though my book tells my story, it’s the process of writing that book that is most important, and that’s what I hope to share with you and help you through. When I finally found the courage to tell my story, that’s when I began to take control back over my thoughts and behaviors. I saw what I couldn’t see before. Trust me, you don’t have to spend 10 years crafting a 400-pg memoir to change. That’s what I needed to do, but you might choose to tell/share your story differently.
I ordered a bunch of author copies of my book to give them away for free to those who could truly benefit from it. If that’s you, then contact me and I’ll send you a copy on my dime. And after you read it, pass it on to someone else who needs it. It’s less about making money off my book, and more about working with people who can benefit from my method of changing patterns of thoughts and behaviors. (If there’s a job/grant out there that allows me to provide for my family and give my books away for free forever, let me know! For now I have a limited amount of free copies to give away.)
I’m one guy, but I’m here, and your story and personal growth matters to me. My heart is open to work with people suffering from the effects of the trauma. Let’s make new meaning from your story. When you’re ready to face and vanquish your own monsters and phantoms, I’m ready to help. Standing by.
To note when sharing your story (via Zoom or potentially in person if local to Gainesville, Florida):
You can stop and start, rephrase things, take your time, and collect your thoughts when necessary. We’re in no hurry, and I can edit out any “mistakes.”
We can stop at any point if things feel too difficult, but at the same time, the emotions you express are important to the story.
This is the general format and flow our conversation will take. Prior to recording, we’ll cover:
Are you okay with us recording your story to share as part of the resilience community?
You’re about to tell a very personal story about a significant adverse childhood experience. Will you be revealing this information publicly for the first time?
Are others aware of your story? Have you considered how they may react to hearing your story? Are you prepared for that reaction, which could be negative, but it also could be love, support, forgiveness and acceptance?
Will anything you say accuse someone of a crime for which they’ll be investigated?
Do you wish to tell this story anonymously? Do you plan to withhold any names of people in your story so as not to potentially incriminate them?
Questions to guide the recorded conversation. These are general questions, and the discussion is not bound by these questions or their order. I may probe deeper based on an initial response to a question. For the recorded story, I may edit the order of responses to create the best narrative flow.
Introduce yourself. Name and what you do (do not give your full name or specific job title if you wish to remain anonymous).
Tell me who you are today: what you love about life, what you value, and your greatest challenges (physical, emotional, mental).
Tell me what happened when you were a child. How old were you?
As much as you can, try to recount the feelings associated with your traumatic event(s).
Do you think any of the emotions and feelings you experienced as a child shaped your view of yourself and the world around you? If so, how?
Can you connect any of your current or past struggles to ways of thinking you adopted out of your ACEs?
What does resiliency mean to you?
Despite your ACEs, how do you think you’ve been resilient?
Is there anything else you wish you could overcome or change about your life/self today? How might you approach making that change?
What advice would you give to any person who has gone through something similar and may be struggling with similar issues you have struggled with?
How has sharing your story made you feel?
You will sign a consent form giving permission to publicly share your story. You will also need to share a brief bio and a picture (accounting for anonymity). Ready? Complete the form below and submit!