Let’s Learn About Narrative Therapy

Narrative therapy views people as separate from their challenges and maladaptive behaviors. In detaching the two, patients gain some distance from the challenge at hand.

This provides them with the opportunity to discover how the situation may be benefiting them, rather than believing it is only causing pain. As well as allowing them the opportunity to recognize traits and skills they possess that can help address their problems.

In adapting this mindset, people are able to become more empowered to make changes in their cognitive and behavioral patterns, allowing them to ‘rewrite’ their life story to depict a future that holds more true to who they really are, what their capabilities are, and what their purpose is – separate from their challenges. An examples of this shift in mindset that narrative therapy may provide is the change in belief from “I am a bad person” to “I’ve made mistakes”. Narrative therapy aims to help patients process and clarify what they’ve experienced without placing blame or judgement on themselves.

When is Narrative Therapy Useful?

For example, those struggling with depression may feel as though their life is dominated by thoughts such as “I’m a depressed person”, and those with anxiety may think “I am an anxious person”. These individuals endure such a heavy burden of emotion that they cannot distinguish between their respective challenges and themselves, their self-identity becomes closely tied with their condition. Accordingly, narrative therapy would work to help patients view their condition as something they have to cope with, not something that defines them. Always striving to install that there are positive and productive approaches that can be taken in life and the future when one is able to stop identifying themselves by their issues. However, it’s important to discuss with a therapist whether narrative therapy is the right choice of treatment for you.