Why Play SPIKE!?
The storytelling card game for chronic illness peer support groups makes it easy to talk about hard things.
If you have a complex chronic illness like Long COVID, ME/CFS, or endometriosis, to name a few, you need peer support—people who get what you're going through and can offer support and validation. SPIKE! takes peer support to the next level with storytelling cards that make it easier to talk about hard things. It was created to be low-energy, so even on days when you can barely handle small talk, you can connect over big issues.
Research-proven, created by patients with complex chronic illnesses, and tested by a Harvard-trained science communications expert. Get in touch and learn more about bringing SPIKE to your organization.
Patient Created, Backed By Science
The game, created by Denise Brodey, M.S., a journalist and Harvard-trained health communicator living with Long COVID, is backed by research and inspired by other successful health card games.
Lighting Up The Brain
The best stories light up our brains and may also create a surge of dopamine. Stories create what scientists call 'coherence,' which creates those 'light bulb' moments, helping us go from 'no insight' to ' insight, ' according to the NeuroLeadership Institute.
Identifying Skills and Needs
"Storytelling has the potential to provide patients with a more active role in their health care by identifying their
specific needs as well as gaps in knowledge and skills, while
allowing them to form strong bonds with peers who share similar
disease-related experiences."—NIH Library of Medicine
Stopping Stigma
"The stories we tell about ourselves and to ourselves can shift negative narratives through neural re-narrating, which allows the individual to gain a sense of agency and well-being. Participants... access deeply held but rarely conscious beliefs and emotions and explore what gives them meaning, joy, and a sense of wholeness."—The Permanente Journal