Ancient Tales and Their Wisdom for Modern Life
The stories we were told as children brought us connection, imagination, and entertainment. But they hold within them so much more. As CS Lewis said “some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again.” Those stories have been passed down through generations because they contain vital wisdom – medicine – for us.
Encoded within those time-tested stories are patterns of the human experience: love and loss, courage and shadow, transformation and return. And perhaps they have more to offer us in these times than ever before.
Story Medicine is a podcast that takes these traditional tales as treasures handed down to us by our ancestors. Each episode brings you a story from somewhere in the world, told in full; and then explores what wisdom it carries for our lives today.
Listen to the Podcast
How each episode works
Each episode has three parts:
Use it your way
Some listeners come for the stories alone, as a companion to a morning walk, an evening wind-down, or a quiet moment in a busy day.
Others go deeper, working through the integration practices and sitting with what emerges.
Both are welcome. For those who want to explore and integrate the wisdom with others, we have the Story Medicine Circle.
The Story Medicine Circle
Understanding a story and its medicine is one thing. Living its medicine is another. Think of this as a book club, to accompany the podcast.
The Story Medicine Circle is a small, warm, and welcoming regular Zoom community for listeners who want to go deeper: to discuss the story, share what it stirs, and work through integration practices together. In community, with conversation and accountability, the wisdom moves further from interesting idea to lived experience.
Whether you’ve been listening from the beginning or you’re just finding your way in, your voice is welcome here.
Explore each episode's themes in conversation with others
Work through integration practices with structure and support
Connect with a community united by curiosity and a longing for depth
Go beyond listening, into living
Who Story Medicine is for?
These stories have always belonged to everyone. The podcast is for anyone drawn to them. This tends to include:
Adults navigating change, loss, or the deeper questions of a life well lived.
Young people exploring who they are and what the world asks of them.
Parents looking for stories worth sharing across the generations.
Therapists, counsellors, and educators who work with the patterns of human experience.
Anyone who suspects there is more beneath the surface of the old tales and wants to find out what that is.
If you're curious about life, you're in the right place.
Hosted by Joe Summerfield
Joe Summerfield has spent over twenty years supporting people in navigating this life: wellness, identity, relationship, loss, transformation, and what it means to live with depth and purpose.
He is a psychotherapist and the creator of Connected State Therapy, an integrative approach that links somatic therapy and analytical psychology, bridging contemporary neuroscience and ancient wisdom traditions.
Story Medicine grows directly from that work. Joe experiences making Story Medicine as part of his own personal practice, and a shared journey of exploration with listeners.
He is based in Hampshire and London, and works with individuals online worldwide.
Take the next step
If the themes in Story Medicine resonate with you, explore Joe’s therapeutic work, events, and resources.
