Narrative therapy is concerned with the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves. How we view ourselves depends on these stories. Changing our stories and changing the narrative can result in personal change.
I personally love narrative therapy. I first encountered it during my professional training in psychology, and years later, while working at the National University of Ireland Maynooth, my personal therapist used narrative therapy. I predominately work these days with anxiety disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder and use cognitive behavioural therapy and exposure response prevention, but I still use narrative therapy to inform my practices when appropriate.
What is Narrative Therapy?
Narrative Therapy is grounded in social constructionism. I shall try to briefly explain what social constructionism is, as that will help set the stage for narrative therapy. My doctoral thesis used social constructionism, and going deep into the theory is a head melt, that’s not a very professional way to describe a theory, but it can get quite complex and hard to get your head around, but at its simplest, it just means that what we take for granted as being true, is constructed through our interactions with other and the social processes that surround us.
A real-world example would be currency. Here in Ireland, we have the Euro. I am able to go into a coffee shop and buy a coffee using pieces of paper called Euros. It works because we all agree that it has value, if we didn’t agree and accept it as valuable I would be giving the owner a piece of paper in exchange for his product.
Narrative Therapy is a relatively new therapy, it was developed in the 1980’s by a social worker, Michael White and a therapist, David Epston as a way to ‘re-author their lives.‘ I love that and having worked therapeutically with as many people as I have, I can see the immense value it can have as the stories most people tell are brutal, and really need re-authoring.
The best way for me to move forward is to give an example of what I mean that you hopefully can relate to.
Several years ago, I had a client called Conor (all details anonymised). He was referred because he felt like a failure in all aspects of life, especially work. He said he wasn’t good enough or smart enough and “I’m failing at everything.’ In terms of narrative therapy, the stories Conor told himself internalised being a failure or inadequate, he was believing that struggles he experienced in work defined him as a person.
Narrative therapy would aim to shift the narrative and re-author his script to externalise his problems. During therapy, I wanted Conor to see his work difficulties as separate from himself. He gave a name to this, The Critic, and The Critic became part of his story. Rather than thinking I couldn’t do this, he changed the narrative to say that the critic is trying to say I am failing. As Conor got better at this story, he could emerge triumphant over The Critic.
Externalization and Re-authoring
Externalization is a key technique used in narrative therapy. It involves viewing problems as separate entities, rather than inherent aspects of the individual. This can help individuals to gain a new perspective on their problems and to challenge their dominant narratives.
Re-authoring is another important technique in narrative therapy. It involves helping individuals to rewrite their life stories in a way that aligns with their values and aspirations. This can empower individuals to become the authors of their own lives.
Through externalization and re-authoring, narrative therapy can facilitate personal growth and transformation. It can help individuals to reclaim their lives from the influence of their problems and to create new narratives that reflect their hopes and dreams.
Identifying Dominant and Alternative Narratives
Identifying dominant and alternative narratives is a central part of the narrative therapy process. Dominant narratives are the stories that individuals tell about themselves and their lives. These narratives can often be limiting and disempowering.
Alternative narratives, on the other hand, are the stories that individuals could tell about themselves and their lives. These narratives are often more empowering and aligned with the individual’s values and aspirations.
After receiving narrative therapy during personal therapy, I continue to use it in my life and have found it invaluable. If you would like to find out more about narrative therapy, I recommend The Narrative Centre, and the following books are helpful.
Retelling the stories of our lives by David Denborough
What is narrative therapy? by Alic Morgan