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Reframing Your Reality: The Narrative Approach In Therapy

We all have stories to tell. Stories make us. We are made of stories. We have stories about our growth, our struggles, our relationships. Stories shape us. The way we look at our story, or the way we narrate our story, tells us about ourselves. We often may experience a lot of negative emotions. May be at work, may be at home, may be at any time of our lives, we may not be able to understand our problems and soon these problems become us. All stories are basic part of our life and they make our lives. The way we have developed these stories is determined by how we have connected certain events together and given a meaning to them. There are dominant stories and alternative stories; stories from the past, present and future; stories that strongly shape our lives.

Narrative Therapy Approach

As a mental health practitioner and using narrative therapy in our field of work, generally we tend to be good listeners and most important being non-judgemental…We as therapists are interested in exploring stories individuals have about their lives and relationships, their effects, their meanings and the framework in which they have been shaped and remembered.

Rather than claiming that the therapist is an expert, we as therapists are curious about the individual’s narrative. We are curious about the nature of the problem, and how the problem presents itself. We work together to reconstruct the individual’s life story into a more beneficial one.

Narrative therapy aids to empower individuals, by helping them decide how to tell their own story in a way that benefits themselves.

A part of narrative therapy is to externalize the problem identified by the client. It separates the problem from the client. For example, if individuals identify themselves as being depressed, the therapist helps the individual deal with a problem, such as depression. “The person is not the problem. The problem is the problem.”

There could always be a story for the problem. Stories that are highlighted and stories that are hidden behind the problem. Narrative therapists find ways in which these alternative stories can be ‘richly described’. To be freed from the influence of problematic stories, it is not enough to simply re-author an alternative story.

Deconstructing for Positive Outcomes

Finding an alternate story, is so essential in therapy. Narrative therapy believes that positive stories lead to UNIQUE OUT COMES. Using this new narrative, the therapist facilitates the individuals’ thoughts instilling a sense of hope which could negate the effect of negative self-image or hopelessness.

When an individual is faced with problems, to make these problems more manageable, deconstructing the story helps. Here the therapist helps the individual to break it into smaller more manageable problems. This deconstruction tool allows the individual to face small parts of the problem at a given time instead of dealing with the entire problem all at once.  

Narrative therapy can be used in family therapy, community work, schools, and higher education. Individuals, couples and families, can benefit through narrative therapy assisting them to substitute negative communication with a constructive discourse.

Let’s Solve Your Issues Narratively at ImPerfect

Kashmira Kakalia from ImPerfect is a Mental Health Profession and uses Narrative Therapy in her practice. She has years of experience working with students having special needs or gifted, young adults, adults as well as senior citizens.