Amanda D'Annucci is pursuing her Master's degree in the Psychology of Expression at NYU's Gallatin School of Individualized Study. She graduated from the Macaulay Honors College at Hunter College in 2009 with a B.A. in Urban Studies. She has served as an Intern at the Office of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, a Public Service Scholar at the Office of the Mayor in NYC, and a Summer Intern with the Ford Foundation. Amanda is currently working with Narativ, Inc, a consultancy specializing in effective communication through storytelling. Amanda is also a trainer with Story-to-College and a Peace Mover with Dance4Peace. Storytelling is a vital yet oft under-appreciated tool for effective conflict resolution. "Stories communicate values, beliefs, hopes, fears, and dreams of a people in a way that engenders respect and understanding in the listener" (Duryea, Potts. 1993 p. 388). The art of storytelling has a psychological and neurological basis that explains our natural human predilection for narrative. Through two case studies -- one involving Israeli and Palestinian students, the other involving the Sierra Leonean civil wars -- this talk will explore personal narratives and collective myth to inspire a pure and inspiring approach to conflict resolution. In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)