How to Play Spike!
Once you know the basic rules, the card game takes about 15-30 minutes for a small group to play. That's about the same time you'd spend in a paper gown or doomscrolling on FB. Except it's a lot more fun. You can play in person or on video calls. Small groups are best (about 15 is average).
3 Easy Steps to Follow
Step 1: GET THE CARDS. View the card images on this page, or share the link on a video call. If you are short on time, choose a few people to be the main storytellers. The first storyteller picks three cards. Don't overthink your choices. The cards don't have to add up to a tidy story. They are meant to be playful and to spark imagination.
Step 2: CHOOSE A FACILITATOR (IT COULD BE YOUR PEER SUPPORT LEADER)
One person guides the group: asking each player to talk about their cards, staying quiet otherwise, and keeping things supportive. Want us to facilitate for you? Just ask.
Step 3: TALK ABOUT YOUR CARDS
The card images you see below were chosen from hundreds of books, conversations, and podcasts about chronic illness and reflect the everyday lives of people with chronic illness. Say what you notice, feel, or remember. Ask how each image connects to your past, present, or future. You can stop sharing anytime — this is a safe space, not a script. Other players can offer a quick "+" of encouragement, but avoid advice-giving. Then move on to the next player until you run out of time or get tired. It's fine if people choose the same cards.
SPIKE! Storytelling Cards + Rules
Play is conducted in a safe, confidential space (what we call a patient listening lab), and facilitators remind players they can stop sharing at any time. A full facilitation guide and deck of cards are available upon request when you book a Patient Listening Lab with facilitator and game creator Denise Brodey, M.S.
** This is not a medical test or advice. It is not therapy. It is a game being beta-tested by and for people with chronic illness and support group leaders. Game testers play out of a sense of community, not for payment.**
The Healing Power of Storytelling and Play
Created by a Harvard Medical School graduate student.
Game tested on 35+ Long COVID,
ME/CFS and POTS
patients.
Research shows storytelling is an effective way for people to fight stigma, rethink their illness, and connect to peers. In one study, researchers found that stories helped offer patients new perspectives, exchange alternative views on an illness, and elicit understanding. Another study on Long COVID narratives showed that collectively telling stories fights isolation and helps people make sense of their illness.
More than 35 patients tested SPIKE! in one-on-one play and in a pilot test with Brigham's Long COVID Recovery Support Group in Boston and The Cohen Center for Recovery from Complex Chronic Illness at Mount Sinai in New York City.
Note: If you are a chronic illness patient or advocate and want more information on how to suggest this to your support group or clinical practice, we are happy to answer your questions!
Facilitators can use the cards below to explain the game and ensure that every player feels safe and has a chance to add positive comments.
Psychological Safety is Built into the Game
