What is Narrative Therapy
Re-Authoring towards our preferred life
What if I told you that the world we know and the things we understand are all a part of the narrative of the life we hold? What if the life we are living in is a bi-product of who we interact with, our family and upbringing, the community all around, and the countless influences we have throughout our lives? Narrative Therapy is not only a therapeutic modality to be utilized in psychotherapeutic settings, but the worldview of Narrative Therapy is a personal charge to be radical and see the world through fresh eyes.
Narrative Therapy is a perspective centered on the idea that as humans we construct our lives. We do so based on the interconnected socialization and personal exploration we call the present, past, and by trying to construct a preferred future. If one views problems as separate from people, you can shift your viewpoint.
Narrative Therapy believes that people have many skills, beliefs, values and abilities that assist them when facing problems throughout the course of their lives.
Through the lens of social constructionism and postmodernism, it is important to note that 1. Realities are socially constructed, 2. Realities are constituted through language, 3. Realities are organized and maintained through narrative, 4. There are no essential truths. (Freedman & Comb).
“1. Realities are socially constructed
2. Realities are constituted through language
3. Realities are organized and maintained through narrative,
4. There are no essential truths”
These ideas can be understood as follows:
Reality, that is what we conceive as our understanding of what actually exists, is socially constructed, through creating meaning by what culture, human interaction and shared beliefs provide. This is done through language, through body, written or verbal means which creates meaning and defining context of the past, present and future. People pass down the stories of their culture and selves, which creates a narrative of the community. Finally, in saying there are no essential truths we are stating that since we cannot know objective reality, all we can do is interpret experiences. Through this interpretation we are biased creatures that utilize community, culture, personal insight and other social discourse in relating to and confirming “truth” of the reality at hand.
Why is this important to therapy?
Through defining that we are meaning-making humans, we are not only able to revise and re-authorize our stories, but we can define what we value through our entire life span, narrative. The lens of social constructionism gives the therapist insight into how the client is making meaning and giving power to problems and perspectives in their day to day life, while also providing insight through the past of what they focused as important, often defining who they are.
So how does Narrative Therapies do the work?
Staying curious and asking questions that come from genuine inquiry are two of the foundational aspects of narrative therapy. By seeing that problems are problems and that people are not problems, the therapist is able to assist in externalizing the problem. Through externalizing the power of what the problem is shifts to giving insight and awareness of past experiences and why the person is holding onto the problem.
For example, a client questions why they are experiencing so much anxiety throughout the day. The therapist, through curiosity, is able to explore what the anxiety is saying and doing to the client, asking questions such as “What would you say anxiety is trying to tell you about yourself?” Thus giving insight to the client on past and present contexts of the problem of anxiety. This insight allows re-authorizing anxiety to be seen differently in the context of the past and the way in which the client interacts with present anxiety.
It is through insight with a problem and how it is uniquely interacting with us that we can gain power and compassion. Power to understand and realign ourselves to our preferred present and future, but also compassion towards how we were relating to the problem in the past.
To learn more about Narrative Therapy, please sign up for one of many trainings that will be offered.