THE POWER OF STORYTELLING

DISCOVER HOW STORYTELLING CAN TRANSFORM HEALING AFTER ABORTION

Stories have the power to break down walls, build trust, and create pathways to emotional healing. In this webinar, The Power of Storytelling, Support After Abortion Executive Director Kylee Heap welcomed participants from around the world to explore how sharing real stories can strengthen client relationships and expand the impact of healing work.

Our expert speakers—Carrie Adams-Young (storyteller and screenwriter), Michele Mazelin (Communications Manager), and Nyles Pinckney (Men’s Healing Coordinator)—shared practical insights on why storytelling matters, how it reshapes the brain’s response to pain, and how to use real-life stories ethically and effectively in abortion healing support.

Key topics covered:

Why storytelling is deeply wired into human experience
The neuroscience behind how stories foster empathy and emotional change
How storytelling can strengthen abortion healing outreach and communication
Ethical guidelines for protecting client confidentiality
Examples of narrative formats that protect privacy while inspiring hope
Behind-the-scenes glimpses of Support After Abortion’s new real-life video series

Whether you work with clients directly or help shape messaging behind the scenes, this session offers powerful tools to help you reach hearts and foster deeper healing through storytelling.

Michele introduced the session by explaining how storytelling is woven throughout Support After Abortion’s communications, including social media posts, website content, blogs, product catalogs, annual reports, and more.

She shared exciting news that Support After Abortion recently completed a new series of eight video stories — six from men and two from women — each sharing their personal abortion experiences and healing journeys.

“These are powerful, personal, and incredible video stories,” Michele said. To protect privacy, the organization used actors to portray the storytellers’ words. “Every bit of the stories are real, taken from interviews, but portrayed by someone else.”

FROM BLACKOUT TO BREAKTHROUGH – THOMAS’S STORY

Michele then showed Thomas’ story, which highlighted a man’s journey through abortion, addiction, and eventual healing.

Thomas’ story began with reflections on his upbringing, describing a happy childhood surrounded by family and faith. However, he revealed that he struggled with confidence, which led him into drinking, partying, and unhealthy relationships. Thomas says that he never expected one decision to send his life spiraling—but it did. What began as relief was followed by years of addiction, regret, and self-doubt until a pivotal moment in a grocery store parking lot made him realize just how deep the impact had been. In this powerful video, Thomas shares his journey through darkness and how faith, recovery, and abortion healing led him to a freedom he never thought possible.

Afterward, Nyles reflected, “It just felt like I was seeing the actual person tell their story,” and he encouraged attendees to reflect on:

What moment from Thomas’s story hit you the most?
Why do you think that part stayed with you?

Kylee added that she was struck by the part where Thomas didn’t initially think he needed healing. “How many clients have we cared for who came to us not motivated to get healing or enter into a group, but with just a nagging feeling that they should begin a conversation?” she noted.

Nyles agreed, emphasizing how often this dynamic appears among Support After Abortion’s clients: “A lot of them feel the same exact way.”

STORYTELLING IS INGRAINED

Michele explained that the launch of the new video series was a perfect opportunity to explore several key topics:

The science of why stories stay with us and move us to act
The role of storytelling in marketing and outreach
The ethics of storytelling

Carrie opened her presentation on the science and marketing aspects by emphasizing how deeply storytelling is rooted in the human experience.

“We are geared to experience the world through story,” Carrie shared. She highlighted that in ancient Greece, professional storytellers memorized epic works like The Iliad and The Odyssey — over 28,000 lines — demonstrating how storytelling is naturally embedded into how humans process information.

Carrie stressed:

Stories help us process the world.
They carry information across generations.
They shape how we explain ourselves to ourselves.

She quoted C.S. Lewis: “We are who we believe we are,” pointing out that the stories we tell ourselves continually shape our identity.

“This is where storytelling becomes a powerful tool in the healing journey,” Carrie said. Our internal narratives, especially after trauma, can greatly influence how we perceive ourselves and how we heal.

THE SCIENCE OF STORYTELLING

Carrie transitioned into explaining the neuroscience behind storytelling and its powerful effects on both the listener and the storyteller.

When listening to a story:

Language, emotion, and movement centers of the brain are activated.
The brain processes stories as if the listener is “walking around in someone else’s shoes,” Carrie explained.
A single story can shift a person’s core beliefs, and revisiting the story strengthens that shift.

Carrie introduced the concept of empathy transportation, a term from researcher Paul Zak. When a listener is deeply engaged in a story, the brain releases oxytocin, enhancing empathy and connection.

She then turned to the impact of storytelling on the storyteller:

Carrie shared a powerful quote from Lissa Rankin, M.D. from a Psychology Today article, The Healing Power of Telling Your Story:

“Every single time you tell your story and someone else who cares bears witness to it, you turn off your body’s stress responses… and trigger relaxation hormones like oxytocin, dopamine, and endorphins.”

This biological response can promote emotional and even physical healing, reducing anxiety, fear, anger, and feelings of disconnection.

Carrie said, “Telling your story is good medicine.”

SUPPORTING SOMEONE TELLING THEIR STORY FOR THE FIRST TIME

Michele invited attendees to reflect:

If you have ever supported someone telling their story for the first time, what did you notice?

Nyles shared how hearing others’ stories always moves him emotionally.

He noted that many clients reaching out to Support After Abortion’s After Abortion Line often say, “I haven’t told anybody else,” and experience a huge sense of relief and release after sharing.

Attendees shared observations such as:

“It was difficult for them to share, but there was a release of the burden that they were carrying.”
“As people share their story, you can see them physically start to relax.”
“They said that it felt like a huge relief and that a weight had been lifted off of them.”
“You definitely see relief.”
“I could visibly see the weight off her shoulders.”
“I noticed that it was the first step toward their healing journey.”

Nyles emphasized the importance of simply listening without judging.

Listening compassionately can unlock healing for those who have long carried emotional weight alone.

Michele and Nyles thanked participants for sharing their observations.

THE WEIGHT OF REPRESSED THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS

Carrie continued, explaining how repressing thoughts and emotions not only affects mental health but also has physical consequences.

She shared, “There’s a strong correlation between the anxiety that comes from repressed thoughts and feelings and cardiovascular disease.”

Carrie described repression as a kind of “whack-a-mole” — trying to push down emotions only makes them resurface more frequently. In contrast, telling one’s story:

Aligns emotions and memories with reality.
Helps dispel fear, reduce anxiety, and improve self-understanding.
Acts as a kind of healing “light” that neutralizes the darkness of unspoken pain.

She also tied these ideas back into the concept of empathy transportation, noting that visual storytelling — like watching Thomas’ story — is particularly powerful for creating emotional connection.

PATTERNS AND COMPLEXITY IN STORYTELLING

Pulling from Jonathan H. Westover, PhD’s article, The Power of Storytelling: How Our Brains Are Wired for Narratives, Carrie explained that our brains naturally seek patterns to make sense of chaos — a key reason why storytelling is so powerful in abortion healing.

In the aftermath of an abortion, feelings are often messy and contradictory. Society tends to push people toward black-and-white, either-or thinking, but healing requires space for nuance.

Carrie emphasized:

Many abortion experiences involve a “yes/and” emotional reality..
For example: “Yes, I felt relief and I felt heartbreak.”
Stories allow people to embrace this complexity rather than forcing their feelings into false clarity.

Examples Of “Yes/And” Emotions

Nyles asked participants to consider:

What’s one example of a “yes/and” emotion you’ve heard a client share?

Kylee shared a common example heard on the After Abortion Line:

Clients often feel both grief and relief after abortion.
Many experience guilt for feeling relief even as they are grieving.

Nyles added his personal perspective:

He described feeling regret and relief at the same time after his partner’s abortion.
He also felt a sense of failure for not protecting his partner, which later led to overcompensating behaviors — checking on her excessively, which wasn’t healthy for either of them.

Kylee reflected that men’s abortion experiences often center on protection and emotional support, and the complex emotions that arise when they feel they fell short of expectations.

One of the participants shared: “I’ve had clients say they felt they made the right decision to have an abortion and they feel sadness and difficult emotions.”

5 QUALITIES FOR MAXIMUM EFFECTIVENESS IN STORYTELLING

Carrie transitioned to practical advice, sharing guidance from Forbes on how to make storytelling as effective as possible, especially in abortion healing outreach.

Carrie outlined five key qualities for impactful storytelling:

Authenticity: Even when a story blends experiences or uses fiction, it must feel true to the lived experiences of people in abortion recovery.
“People can always sense anything sort of fakey from a mile away,” Carrie said.
Knowing Your Audience:
Storytellers must tailor their message to meet the audience’s needs rather than focusing solely on what they want to express.
Clear Message:
Stories should have a simple, understandable structure — a beginning, middle, and end. Carrie pointed to Thomas’ video as an example of storytelling that was “clear and concise.”
Emotional Appeal:
Especially in abortion healing, storytelling must “cut to the heart” and resonate emotionally with listeners.
Visual and Verbal Elements:
Combining both visual imagery and verbal storytelling dramatically increases the audience’s emotional engagement. Carrie referenced earlier discussions about empathy transportation, noting that people engage far more deeply when they can both see and hear the story.

Carrie emphasized that incorporating these five elements helps ensure that stories are not only heard but truly felt — creating lasting impact.

THE POWER OF STORYTELLING IN MARKETING

Carrie wrapped up her segment with a compelling statistic:

“92% of people prefer marketing that incorporates storytelling.”

She emphasized that this number highlights just how deeply ingrained storytelling is in human nature. Audiences crave stories because they mirror how we understand the world and ourselves.

When organizations use storytelling — especially in healing contexts like abortion recovery — they aren’t just making their marketing more effective. They are speaking directly to people’s hearts, building trust, empathy, and emotional connection in a way facts or statistics alone cannot achieve.

Carrie concluded by encouraging providers to integrate storytelling thoughtfully and authentically into their outreach, noting its unmatched ability to engage and move people toward healing.

NO ONE KNEW I WAS HURTING – OSEI’S STORY

Michele introduced the next video by reflecting on the value of storytelling, saying, “Now that we all understand so well from Carrie why and how stories impact us, let’s watch part of another one of our new videos.”

Osei’s story opened with powerful imagery. Osei shared that part of a Bob Marley song sticks with him: “You can’t run away from yourself and every man thinks his burden is the heaviest.”

Osei described feeling isolated and weighed down by secrets, even while surrounded by people who had no idea he was struggling. He shared how an abortion experience as a young adult left lasting emotional scars. Despite agreeing to the abortion, seeing his girlfriend’s sadness afterward deeply affected him, causing him to feel he had forced her into the decision. Osei’s reflection highlighted how buried pain shaped his life for years, with memories locked away like “a secret… in a box.”

Attendees responded to Osei’s story in the chat. Some were impacted by Osei recognizing his girlfriend’s pain, some by how even though the made the decision together, he later felt responsible. One man wrote, “‘locked in a box’ I understand that personally.” And a woman shared, “For many years I never thought about how my boyfriend at the time felt [about the abortion]. That day was a blur indeed.”

Michele encouraged attendees to watch the video to hear the rest of Osei’s story, including how he eventually unlocked the pain, found healing, and reshaped his legacy.

THE ETHICS OF STORYTELLING

Michele shifted the focus to an important reminder about the heart behind storytelling. Referring back to Carrie’s earlier point that 92% of people prefer marketing with storytelling, Michele emphasized that while stories are powerful, they must be handled with care:

“There is a real person with real pain and struggles behind those words.”

She explained that ethical storytelling is rooted in compassion, active listening, and putting yourself in the storyteller’s shoes. “It is truly such an honor,” Michele said, “to be invited into someone’s emotional space, to listen to their experiences, and to help them tell their story…in a way that honors their experience and connects with others.”

Michele stressed that in ethical storytelling:

The storyteller has their hands on the wheel — they control how their story is shared.
The role of others is to make space for their voice, not to steer or direct it.
Partnering with a writer can help storytellers articulate their journey without losing agency.

She introduced the concept of agency in the storytelling process, explaining that individuals should have control over:

Whether or not to share their story
When and how they choose to share it
Who can hear it
The ability to retract permission at any time, even years later

Michele cautioned that when agency is taken away, it can result in feelings of re-traumatization, regret, or pressure. She addressed a harmful misconception some clients have heard:

“You can’t be fully healed until you share your story publicly.”
Michele countered firmly:
“And that’s just not true.”

When storytellers retain agency, they are more likely to feel safe, respected, and supported in their healing journeys, she continued.

POLL: OBSERVATIONS ON CLIENT STORY SHARING

To reinforce the importance of agency, Michele offered a quick poll asking attendees if they had seen:

A: A client thrive when given space to make their own decision about sharing
B: A client withdraw when pressured to share before they were ready
C: Both experiences

Kylee reported that the majority of participants had witnessed both outcomes.

Michele noted she was not surprised and emphasized that protecting clients’ stories is not just good marketing practice, but a core part of trauma-informed care:

“This is best practice, even if an individual’s abortion experience might not be considered trauma or traumatic to them or by clinical standards.”

6 PRINCIPLES OF TRAUMA-INFORMED CARE

Michele introduced the six principles of Trauma-Informed Care from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and explained how they apply to storytelling. She summarized trauma-informed care simply:

“Treating people with an understanding that they might be carrying invisible emotional wounds and trying to make sure we don’t accidentally poke them.”

The six principles are:

Safety: Prioritize physical and emotional safety for everyone involved.
Trustworthiness and Transparency: Build trust by making decisions openly and clearly communicating what the story will be used for, who will see it, and how consent works (including the ability to revoke consent).
- Michele shared a Media Story Sharing: Informed Consent Agreement that providers can use that transparently layouts out the storyteller’s rights and expectations for the process.
How Healing Happens in Connection with Others: Healing happens in connection with others who have similar lived experiences, but care must be taken to avoid comparisons or pressure (e.g., not saying, “You should share your story like Susie did.”).
Collaborating as Equals: The storyteller should actively help shape how their story is told. Michele explained, “It’s not our story to use, it’s their story to offer.”
Empowerment, Voice, and Choice: The storyteller remains in full control of their story, with no single “right way” to tell it.
Trauma Informed care: Each person’s background influences how they share and what feels safe or unsafe.

Michele reminded attendees that what feels empowering for one person might feel unsafe to another, and that understanding this is critical to ethical storytelling.

POLL: HAVE YOU EVER QUESTIONED WHETHER A STORY WAS SHARED ETHICALLY?

Michele invited participation in another poll, asking participants:

Have you ever come across a story (online, in print, in conversation) and wondered if it truly honored the person being represented?

Kylee reported that about 70% of participants said yes.

Michele reflected:

“I wish I could say I was surprised, but sadly I am not.”

SHARING STORIES ETHICALLY

Michele emphasized that ethical storytelling requires more than moving an audience emotionally. It demands honoring the trust someone places in us when they share their story. She challenged participants to reflect before retelling any story:

Is this how they told it to me?
Is this how they would want it to be shared?
How would they feel seeing it shared in this way?

Michele cautioned that even with good intentions, forwarding or retelling someone’s story without their permission—especially with the name or identifiable details—can damage trust and harm their healing process.

Her advice:

Don’t assume permission.
Don’t forward.
Don’t retell unless they have explicitly said it’s okay.

TYPES OF STORIES

Michele outlined several different methods used to share stories respectfully, protecting both privacy and authenticity:

Anonymous Quotes:
- A person’s exact words without identifying details.
Composite Stories:
- Real quotes and experiences combined from several people into one narrative.
Representative Stories:
- General reflections of common experiences, not exact quotes from any one person.
Fiction Based on Real Themes:
- Inspired by real stories, but fictionalized to protect privacy (e.g., changing names, locations, adding fictional elements). Often incorporates anonymous, composite, and representative stories, along with fictional elements.
Fully Shared Stories:
- Storytellers can either:
  - Choose to share publicly under their real name and image, or
  - Share anonymously (with actors or non-identifying images)

“In both cases, the storyteller is fully engaged in the process,” she said.

Michele explained that the new video series launched by Support After Abortion uses this final method—fully shared stories, carefully crafted with the storyteller’s full engagement.

I’M STRONGER THAN I THOUGHT – ANNA’S STORY

The webinar continued with the powerful story of Anna, who vulnerably shared her experience of abortion and healing. Anna recounted:

“It’s been four years since my abortion. We had a previous abortion years before when we were young and our relationship was still very new. But this time was different.”

Anna described filling out an online questionnaire to order abortion pills, followed by intense emotional pain after taking them. She wrestled with deep sadness and uncertainty, haunted by the feeling that her pregnancy was farther along than she’d been told—based on what she saw and later compared to fetal development images. She shared how she struggled with what to do with the fetus.

Anna detailed moments of profound grief and self-questioning, including saving a sprouting avocado seed and writing in her journal:

“How could I care more about this seed than my own?”

She found healing through Support After Abortion’s Keys to Hope and Healing program. The face-to-face support and hearing other people’s stories helped her feel understood and allowed her to move forward. Reflecting on her journey, she said:

“It was like that weight I was carrying just came off and I could breathe.”

REFLECTIONS ON ANNA’S STORY

Michele shared that Anna’s video story really affected her because, “I know her.” As Anna shares later in the video, she’s a Support After Abortion volunteer. And they worked together on her story. She said, since she knew the story so well:

“I didn’t expect to feel anything during the filming, but this actress was so spot on that I wasn’t hearing her. I was hearing Anna’s voice and her tears as she told me her story for the first time.”

She encouraged attendees to watch the rest of Anna’s story after the webinar.

Participants were invited to share in the chat what moment from this part of Anna’s story impacted them most.

For many, how far along she was and keeping the fetus because she didn’t know what to do with it were impactful. One said, “My heart hurt to hear she kept the fetus because of the weight of [my own decision].”

Others were affected by the lack of human contact Anna experienced throughout her abortion experience. One said, “I can’t imagine the isolation she must have felt from the automated responses.”

Q&A

In a brief Q&A session, Nyles posed a question to Michele about best practices for ethically asking someone to share their story for a resource or marketing project.

Michele advised:

Ideally, there should already be some level of trust established, whether through events, groups, mentoring, or referrals.
The request should be made by email, not in person, on the phone, or by text, so the individual has space to consider it without feeling pressured.
The language in the invitation should be clear and compassionate, emphasizing the person’s full control over their participation.

Michele added that for Support After Abortion’s video project, all storytellers were contacted through trusted connections and the process was handled thoughtfully via email.

WRAP UP

Kylee concluded the session by acknowledging the emotional weight of the stories shared:

“If any of you are struggling with what you heard across our webinar today, I encourage you to call us on our After Abortion Line.”

She reminded providers and leaders that healing work can surface their own emotions, and they deserve care too:

“Even as providers, as executive directors, as leaders in our community, we deserve help.”

NEXT STEPS

Click here to watch the video of this webinar.

Click here to register for the next Abortion Healing Provider webinar.

Click here to access Support After Abortion’s Resource Library.

Click here to explore Support After Abortion’s services, resources, and training for Abortion Healing Providers.

Click here to explore our Lived Experiences Resource.