Your Digital Storytelling Project LLC Page

As Founder and CEO of Your Digital Storytelling Project, I specialize in helping mission-driven teams transform creative vision into measurable impact especially when the path seems unclear or resources feel limited. My work combines over a decade of experience in media psychology, social work strategy, and grant development, empowering organizations like yours to secure funding, build partnerships, and confidently overcome barriers.

At Your Digital Storytelling Project, we approach consulting as a form of narrative transformation: identifying the “story” behind your organization’s goals, then translating that story into actionable strategies, funding proposals, and team alignment. Whether drafting competitive SBIR or foundation grants, creating sustainable revenue plans, or coaching teams through internal challenges, I bring a holistic lens that bridges psychology, business, and storytelling.

My background includes publishing several volumes with Routledge on Film/Video-Based Therapy™ and Post-Traumatic Growth and collaborating with partners such as USC’s Institute for Creative Technologies, NeuroTree.io, LaughMD, and the Clinical Sciences at USC and beyond. These experiences taught me that true innovation often begins where traditional structures end when we reframe obstacles as opportunities for creativity and growth.

If your organization is ready to clarify its vision, strengthen its funding strategy, or empower its team to perform at its best, I would welcome the opportunity to collaborate. Together, we can design a plan that meets your immediate goals and builds a foundation for long-term sustainability.

Thank you for considering this partnership. I look forward to connecting and exploring how we can bring your next chapter to life.

Warm regards,
Dr. Joshua L. Cohen
CEO, Your Digital Storytelling Project
https://yourdigitalstorytellingproject.com/

filmandvideobasedtherapy Experience Healing and Transformation through Consulting, Film/Video-Based Therapy, and Virtual Reality!🌟 Discover a New Path to Growth: Our platform combines the power of consulting, film/video-based therapy, and virtual reality to guide you toward healing and transformation. Embrace a holistic ...

Therapy is a protected space where you can speak freely. The only exception is if there’s a plan to harm oneself or others, which must be reported for safety. That’s why therapy is healthy: freedom of speech within ethical safeguards. Social media, by contrast, is not therapy; it doesn’t carry confidentiality and can amplify harm instead of healing.

Film/Video-Based Therapy™ does not yet exist as a licensed practice. I hold the trademark to protect the idea and honor licensure's sanctity. Around the world, people use film and media for healing, sometimes within professional guidelines, sometimes not. My stance is clear: if it carries the name Film/Video-Based Therapy™, it must be practiced under a professional license, ensuring ethical standards and confidentiality are upheld.

Let’s examine both the meaning of the word "baraka" and the film Baraka (1992).

What Baraka Means

Etymology: The word baraka (بركة) is Arabic in origin, but it is also found in Hebrew (berakhah) and Swahili.

Meaning: It literally means “blessing,” “divine grace,” or “spiritual power.”

In Islamic tradition, baraka is a spiritual presence or blessing that flows from God into the world, often through people, places, or things.

In Judaism, berakhah is a blessing recited to acknowledge God daily.

In African and Middle Eastern cultures, the idea extends to spiritual energy, luck, or the aura of holiness that can be transferred or shared.

So at its root, baraka means a gift of divine blessing, grace, or sacred energy.

The Film Baraka (1992)

Directed by: Ron Fricke (who also worked on Koyaanisqatsi).

Style: A non-narrative documentary — no dialogue, no voice-over, just images and music.

Cinematography: Filmed in 24 countries across 6 continents, using 70mm film. Known for breathtaking visuals of nature, culture, and ritual.

Music: Features an international soundtrack (e.g., Dead Can Dance, Michael Stearns).

Themes

The film explores humanity’s connection to the divine and the planet.

It juxtaposes natural beauty (volcanoes, forests, animals) with human rituals and urban life (monks chanting, tribes dancing, busy subways, industrial pollution).

Without words, it suggests that baraka—divine blessing or spiritual presence—is everywhere, in nature and humanity, but also at risk from modern destruction.

Impact

Often described as a “visual prayer.”

Aims to evoke awe, contemplation, and a sense of the sacred that transcends language or religion.

Its title directly reflects the concept: the film is a blessing—an offering of vision and sound meant to inspire spiritual reflection.

Summary:

Word: Baraka means blessing, grace, or divine presence.

Film: Baraka (1992) is a wordless, visually stunning documentary that meditates on humanity, nature, and the sacred. It embodies the idea of baraka by offering viewers a contemplative “blessing” through cinema.

Baraka - Eclipse

Film/Video-Based Therapy™ (FVBT) is an apolitical clinical/educational method. It exists to heal, not to persuade audiences toward any political outcome.

To be clear, FVBT is not:
• a political endorsement or propaganda vehicle;
• a justification for coercion, dehumanization, or political violence;
• permission to use our marks alongside messages that normalize or promote violence.

What it is: intent to heal through reflection, dialogue, and informed consent.
If you ever see FVBT used to imply political backing, please DM a screenshot/link. http://filmandvideobasedtherapy.com/

Film/Video-Based Therapy ® Education This book uses film/video-based therapy to help build resilience in facing personal, communal, national, and global trauma triggers.Based on the theories of Bessel van der Kolk and his book The Body Keeps the Score and Peter Levine who is the author of several best-selling books on trauma, including...

Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated by another Jew after he succeeded in forming a peaceful coexistence agreement with the Palestinians, brokered with the help of U.S. President Bill Clinton. Rabin’s death ended the momentum for peace, and he was replaced by Benjamin Netanyahu. Many in Israel opposed the Oslo Accords, fearing they gave away land and jeopardized security, and extremists believed Rabin’s actions were a betrayal. Netanyahu rose to power in the climate of anger and division that followed, and he has since reduced the power of Israel’s democracy long before the events of October 7. Both the massacre of that day and the massive military response in Gaza are morally wrong, and Netanyahu bears responsibility for his leadership decisions. True leadership means taking responsibility, not hiding behind civilians. Without a clear plan for democratic governance, neither Israel nor a future Palestine can truly be free. Democracy is built on trust; dictatorships are built on fear.

The Oslo Accords | History Lessons This video is part of History Lessons, a series dedicated to exploring historical events and examining their meaning in the context of foreign relations toda...

The Phantom Menace — A Coded Warning

by Dr. Joshua L. Cohen

At first glance, The Phantom Menace is a film about trade disputes and space politics. But beneath the surface, it's a chilling portrait of a society under psychological attack — and too blind to see it.

This isn’t a war with soldiers. It’s a war fought through disrupted communication, manufactured confusion, and slow institutional collapse. The enemy isn’t visible. He’s a shadow. A phantom. He doesn’t conquer planets — he manipulates perception. And while everyone argues about procedure, democracy dies quietly.

> “The communications disruption can mean only one thing: invasion.”
That line says it all. When truth breaks down, invasion is already happening — not through violence, but through silence, division, and misinformation.

The Jedi weren’t trained for this kind of war. Neither was the Republic. They were expecting blasters, not backroom deals. And while they debate trade routes, a dictator rises — legally, patiently — through fear, distraction, and the failure of good people to recognize fascism in its early stages.

The Phantom Menace isn’t just a Star Wars movie.
It’s a blueprint for how democracies fall — and how they’re replaced by empires, one crisis at a time.

Rating: ★★★★☆
If you want to understand the modern world, this prequel might be the most important film of the saga.

A communications disruption could mean only one thing... Invasion! The clip is from "Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace".

How a Former Disney Exec Uses Storytelling to Drive Change
with Catherine Connors, Former Head of Content at Disney Interactive



Creative Confidence Podcast — Live Conversation
Tuesday, July 1st
10am PT / 1pm ET
–
This is a free 45-minute session. Join us live to ask our expert guests questions, participate in creative activities, connect with like-minded leaders, and get a healthy dose of inspiration.
REGISTER NOW
Episode Description
Join us for a live conversation with Catherine Connors, media innovator, community builder, and former head of content at Disney Interactive. In this session, we’ll explore how storytelling is evolving and how you can break out of traditional molds to tell stories that spark change.



Drawing from her experience leading storytelling at Disney Interactive, building inclusive creator networks, and launching her own storytelling consultancy, Catherine shares a fresh take on how stories shape identity, culture, and possibility.



We’ll talk about:

✔️ Why storytelling must shift from solo to collaborative
✔️ New storytelling formats that go beyond the Hero’s Journey
✔️ How to focus on what your audience needs to hear
✔️ Why play is essential for unlocking creativity and connection
✔️ Practical tips for storytelling with purpose and empathy



Whether you’re leading change inside your organization, working with a community, or just ready to level up your storytelling skills, this session will give you tangible takeaways to apply right away.



Have a question for our guest? We always save time for audience Q&A at the end of each event.



*Can’t make the live event? We’ve got you covered! RSVP and we’ll send the recording, podcast, and recap to your inbox.*

Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: How a Former Disney Exec Uses Storytelling to Drive Change. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar. Join us for a live conversation with Catherine Connors, media innovator, community builder, and former head of content at Disney Interactive. In this session, we’ll explore how storytelling is evolving and how you can break out of traditional molds to tell stories that spark change. Drawing from h...

I need some feedback on this new Avengers treatment Planet 5150 – Geopolitical Subplot Expansion
Title: Planet 5150: An Avenger's Initiative
Genre:
Political Sci-Fi Thriller / Legal Drama / Multiversal Allegory
Core Plot: The California Showdown
In the near future of Earth-838, President Thaddeus "Red Hulk" Ross declares war—not on a foreign nation, but on California itself. Following a federal court's ruling against his unlawful federalization of the California National Guard, Ross bypasses the Constitution, sending ICE into the state to detain both U.S. citizens and foreign nationals without due process.
California Governor Gavin Newsom, portrayed by former Captain America actor Chris Evans, launches a legal rebellion. Backed by state courts, constitutional scholars, and a rising civilian movement, Newsom sues the federal government to block ICE operations, reclaim state sovereignty, and protect due process.
What begins as a courtroom battle becomes a multiversal crisis when Iran, citing Geneva violations, launches a missile strike on California. Ross declares the attack proof of treason and moves to seize total military control of the state.
Doctor Strange, having witnessed the nuclear fallout in a previous timeline, travels back through the Chrono-Judiciary, a temporal plane where legal rulings shape multiversal integrity. With She-Hulk and Sam Wilson by his side, Strange must ensure a single moment in time holds: the federal judge’s decision affirming that Ross's seizure of California's Guard was unconstitutional.
This ruling, if upheld, could:
Reinstate the Tenth Amendment's limits on federal power
Reverse the logic of the Dobbs decision, restoring federal protections for civil liberties
Prevent the Geneva-triggered Iranian strike and the collapse of the U.S.
Global Context (Background Layer)
While the main action unfolds in California's courtrooms and streets, the global backdrop intensifies:
China’s Diplomatic Play
China has been brokering peace between Israel and the Palestinians, leveraging its Belt and Road Initiative to fund a new way to control Gaza that brings more revenue to China and leverages a ceasefire. This success infuriates Iran, which views China's cooperation with both sides as a betrayal. Seeking revenge and a show of resistance, Iran targets the U.S. as Israel's military and financial lifeline. Since California is now defenseless, they attack Newsom's state, and due to Thaddius' illegal takeover of the National Guard, they are helpless against Iran.
Iran also demands the release of Palestinian and Iranian nationals detained by ICE in California. Framing its retaliation as Geneva enforcement, saying that detaining their people in Iran without due process violates international law. So Iran launches a limited strike on California to punish American violations of international law.
Meanwhile, China uses its influence to stabilize the region gathering all nations furious about Thaddeus' tariffs and want to restore global stability economically, while fostering a new global competition between:
Europe and China — representing lawful trade, AI diplomacy, and economic recovery
India, Israel, and the UAE — forming a tech and energy axis with competitive development priorities
This background becomes fuel for legal arguments in the U.S. court case. The world has shifted. Justice, once a domestic issue, now determines whether peace or apocalypse defines the multiverse.
Act Structure Highlights:
Act I: Siege of the State — ICE raids California. Newsom calls for legal resistance. Red Hulk imposes federal military rule.
Act II: Judgment Day — The court case begins. Strange arrives from the fallout future. Tensions escalate as China and Iran react.
Act III: The Geneva Trigger — Iran strikes. California burns. Strange travels into the temporal courtroom to realign the federal decision.
Act IV: Restoring the Seal — She-Hulk argues multiversal precedent. The judge defies Ross and upholds the Constitution.
Act V: A Legal Reset — The Geneva Accords are repaired. ICE authority is curbed. States regain their rights. Peace replaces collapse.
Taglines:
"They called it treason. He called it the Constitution."
"One judge. One strike. One chance to reset the law."
"California sued the empire. And won."
"When ICE comes for freedom, it takes a wizard to stop them."
"Planet 5150: Where the Constitution held."

“The power of stories lies in their ability to access the deep layers of the psyche, providing a mirror to our inner world.” – Marie-Louise Von Franz

As aptly stated by Jimmy Neil Smith, “We are all storytellers. We all live in a network of stories. There isn’t a stronger connection between people than storytelling.” What distinguishes humans is not merely our consciousness, but our innate capacity to craft narratives—myths being the earliest manifestations of this unique trait, as noted by Margaret Atwood, “built in the human plan. We come with it.”

This conference aims to convene screenwriters, performance storytellers, digital storytellers, authors, educators, practitioners, journalists, scholars, researchers, psychologists, visual artists, and other creatives to explore the diverse types, functions, and significance of storytelling. In addition to delving into the fundamental question, “what truly constitutes a story?”, we seek to delve into why storytelling remains vital, how it continues to resonate in contemporary society, and the profound impact narratives have on shaping our perceptions and identities. With a comparative lens, we will examine various narrative forms, tracing their roots in mythology to the latest innovations in storytelling.

We invite 15-minute presentations on topics including (but not limited to) the following:

Common archetypes in stories
Sandplay and its narrative implications in therapy
Storytelling as a therapeutic tool
Murals and visual storytelling
The intersection of storytelling and technology
Storytelling in media and journalism
Digital storytelling: Innovations and challenges
Exploring cross-genre storytelling through the prose poem
Ekphrastic storytelling: The dialogue between image and text
Performance storytelling: Oral traditions in modern contexts
The role of research in storytelling practices
Fairytales, fables, and their enduring relevance
Contemporary renditions of mythology
Evolution of archetypal themes in children’s films
Children’s pop storytelling culture: Trends and impacts
The function of storytelling in pedagogy
Storytelling in drama
Analyzing shifts in archetypal reflections in children’s stories
Understanding the psychology underpinning storytelling processes
Surrealism and magical realism: Expanding narrative boundaries
The art of visual storytelling: From illustration to graphic novels to sequential art
For creatives: Sharing and discussing your own creative storytelling work
The entire conference program will be announced following the proposal deadline once all presenters have been selected.

Submission Guidelines: Abstracts should be submitted through https://forms.gle/oH2fqEJ7mNJDgjMQ6 by April 4, 2025.

Contact Information: For inquiries or clarifications, please email us at [email protected]

*By purchasing a ticket for this or any of the London Arts-Based Research Centre events, you acknowledge and agree to the Terms and conditions and Privacy policy https://labrc.co.uk/2025/02/09/storytelling-2025/

The Art of Storytelling: Archetypes in Focus Registration Open* Call for Papers:The Art of Storytelling: Archetypes in Focus A Transdisciplinary ConferenceMay 24-26, 2025 Where:May 24-25, 2025: Oxford University (and Online)May 26: Online onl…