Graphic Medicine at Castle Hill

June 17 – 21, 2024, 1 – 4:30 pm

“Thank you for bringing so much healing and magic and humor to us.”

I’m going to be back at Castle Hill, Truro’s Center for the Arts on the Outer Cape (Cod) for an intimate (registration is capped at 10) workshop in a most beautiful part of the world. You get to explore your idyllic surrounds (or lounge around, no judgment) in the mornings and join me for four afternoons of graphic medicine. (Wednesday, Juneteenth is a holiday!)

Graphic medicine is an emerging field within the field of narrative medicine— personal narratives of illness, care giving, recovery, and health– which has its origins at Columbia Medical School. Graphic medicine is “illustrated” narrative medicine. The making and “reading” of the work has documented and extensive cognitive benefits, from engendering empathy and stress reduction among medical practitioners (the basis for its inclusion in medical school curricula) to cognitive reappraisal (thought/memory shifting), autoimmune response, post-trauma growth, reduction of loneliness, fear, and not last nor least, the creation/”reading” fosters laughter, agency, and control over experience.

The workshop will provide an immersive, communal experience for artists, writers, health care practitioners/students, caregivers, chaplains, etc. through a series of tried-and-true writing and visual art prompts and activities, a little lecture, some discussion, sharing (optional), plenty of coaching and not last nor least, fun.

Hope to see you this almost summer!

For more information or to register https://www.castlehill.org/2024-workshops/becker