Everywhere we turn, there are stories to be told. The movies, art museums, songs, even the ones around the family table. Telling these stories ourselves, and helping others tell theirs is where we hold the power to create positive and negative experiences that can be attached to those in our lives.
Narrative Therapy is how we guide the ability to turn the way we speak, and begin the process of unraveling our lives by means of story-telling, leading to successful breakthroughs and more impactful relationships.
This blog and course reviews the ways this therapy can help individuals of all ages overcome difficult challenges, and why this approach is a great tool.
Narrative Therapy as a Tool
Most of us live in our heads, and while we may be out and about doing day-to-day activities like going to the gym, working at our desk, or even socializing with friends, our minds never turn off. The words we speak, and the thoughts we allow to ruminate in our minds are what guides these day-to-day activities, and how we perceive others, and more importantly - ourselves. The separation of these thoughts, and our core values, is how we reflect on the gravity of our behaviors and habits. This engagement can have the following deliverables:
Separating the person from the problem
Deconstructing social norms
How stories are woven into a person’s identity
Exploring the impacts of a person’s relationships
Supporting and unpacking personal decision making
Externalization
People’s Stories
Examples of stories we tell ourselves vs the internal dialogue we project into the stores:
Your boss gives you critical feedback on a project you have been working on. You internalize this as you are bad at your job, you don’t deserve a raise, and you failed your employers. That internal dialogue comes from the corporate culture preaching to not make mistakes, you should always be perfect, and you won’t move up if you mess up.
You spill coffee on your favorite pants. You internalize this as you are clumsy, you can’t do anything right, and you ruin your morning. That internal dialogue could be stemming from childhood or school when you were scolded from small mistakes, as an adult, you think you can never mess up, you have to be perfect, and you aren’t allowed to be clumsy.
These narratives in the stories we tell can be based off:
Culture (how we perceive the way others have done it before us based on childhood upbringing, environmental factors, even social media)
Messages (subtle ways we pick up on others perception of us, based on internal judgments that have grown into our minds)
Role Assumptions (this could be gender roles, spousal roles, employment roles, even roles that you’ve constituted as principle in your relationships)
Telling a ‘unique story’ or making ‘exceptions’ to these stories can look like this:
Your boss gives you critical feedback on a project. You’re feeling defeated and like a failure. What are other times that you have done well at work? What did you feel when you were praised? Most times you do everything very well, this might just be an exception.
You spilled your coffee on your favorite pants. Most other times you don’t spill your coffee though, right? You are usually very clean, and aren’t in a rush. This might just be an exception.
These exceptions and unique stories that can be extracted from the main narrative, with the right guidance, can help extract positive feelings from the experience, ultimately being associated with similar events in the future.
How to Implement Narrative Therapy
Naming The Problem Story - the original story holds a feeling over it, naming this feeling as the story can help guide the individual to the core problem
Externalization- taking the feeling in problem story, and guiding it into an external factor to the internal story
Naming the Preferred Story - Finding the ‘good’ emotions in the story, using them as descriptions
Collaboration - between the client and therapist, finding ways to work together to use this pattern in similar ways without overworking the client
Applications of Narrative Therapy in Real Life
Facilitating this therapy, and helping people reach conclusions on their own means we have to understand how to ask questions, and what can influence the mind while shaping their stories.
Aspects of life like music, art, movies, food, poetry and artifacts all have stories attached to them that people use and reflect on. These reflections can be tied to the ways that they feel about their own lives, and make a part of their own experiences.
Songs that carry heavy meanings about violence, or harm can give that feeling to listeners. -
Movies that are very cliché and romantic can set a precedent to its viewers.
Art can hold many meanings, and its viewers will internalize those as well, using them as proof of their own experiences.
Thinking about diversity that narrative therapy can help, can be easier to understand when we begin to know what demographic these aspects appeal to.
As these are only three examples, this course is a crucial way to dive deeper into the assortment of those who benefit from this therapy, and how we can be there when the need rises.
Overall
Narrative Therapy produces outcomes that can help an individual see themselves, and the world in a better light. By taking problems, and externalizing them, this influential technique is a great tool for all demographics to understand their minds, conquering challenges such as anxiety and depression, eating disorders, disruptive communication patterns, and more.
Core Wellness provides a range of educational resources and opportunities that offer live webinars, on demand courses, and subscription plans that cater to your professional growth and that of your clients. These expert-lead training comes with learning options that cover a large range of topics, helping you stay up to date on modern therapeutic practices.
Links:
https://corewellceu.com/live-courses/search/narrative
