Narrative Therapy
Narrative therapy is a form of psychotherapy that focuses on the stories we tell ourselves about our lives and experiences. It helps clients separate themselves from their problems, gain new perspectives, and create more empowering narratives.
If you too-often reflect on the negative things you’ve done, or you feel as if you don’t have a true identity or purpose, then narrative therapy may be beneficial for you. It helps you create a different and healthier view of life.
Narrative therapy teaches you to re-evaluate your skills, values, and general purpose. The goal of narrative therapy is to help clients gain new perspectives about their lives and have more meaningful life experiences.
What Is Narrative Therapy?
Narrative therapy is a form of psychotherapy that helps individuals reframe their negative thoughts and perceptions. It helps by rewriting the harmful stories we tell ourselves about our lives and experiences.
This form of therapy teaches us that we construct narratives about ourselves to help us make sense of who we are and what we’ve been through. Sometimes, these narratives can be distorted by negative thoughts, experiences, and perceptions of ourselves.
Through narrative therapy, individuals are able to view their lives from an outsider’s perspective. This helps people externalize their problems and detach themselves from harmful thoughts and troubling memories.
The History of Narrative Therapy
Narrative therapy was created in the 1980s by Michael White and David Epston. Their philosophy is that a person’s mistakes don’t define them. Rather, these mistakes are growth opportunities in their story.
This perspective shift helps relieve some of the pressure that mistakes and difficult problems can create.
Read our related article to discover how to combat negative self-talk.
How Does Narrative Therapy Work?
Narrative therapy works by identifying how we view ourselves, detaching ourselves from harmful thoughts, and breaking down negative beliefs. This helps us break out of the box that we put ourselves in so we can live out our true desired outcomes.
Narrative therapy is often broken down into four key concepts:
- Narrative construction
- Externalization
- Deconstruction
- Outcomes
It’s very important for patients to spend time outside of therapy sessions to practice these concepts. They’re designed to help change someone’s negative outlook and allow them to live a purposeful and meaningful life.
Narrative Construction
The purpose of narrative construction is to make sense of your story and how to tell it correctly. Your therapist will work alongside you to help map out and construct your story.
Narrative construction allows you to:
- Piece together the most prevalent events in your life
- Identify recurring themes
- Discover meaning in your story
This technique is also called “re-storying” because you are taking a step back, and constructing your narrative to interpret events correctly.
Externalization
The second concept is externalization. This allows you to separate negative experiences and problems from you as a person. Instead of seeing a problem as a part of you, you’re asked to see it as something that you overcome.
Externalization can have a huge impact on confidence and self-identity. For example, instead of viewing your low self-esteem as part of who you are, see it as an external force for you to overcome. Instead of seeing yourself as a problem, you have to re-analyze your actions and separate the “problem” label from your identity.
Deconstruction
In this technique, you’ll break down negative experiences and allow space for positive stories to happen. With this, you’ll gain clarity and see things for how they truly are—more often than not, things are truly not as bad or irreparable as they may seem.
You and your counselor will work on breaking the problem into smaller pieces to get deeper into the root of the issue. Now that you know the specifics of the problem, you can resolve the problem in the most effective and mindful way.
Outcomes
The focus of outcomes is to apply what you’ve learned from the first three concepts to your life going forward.
When you put your problem into different views and perspectives, you may realize how many different options you have to apply to your narrative. This practice will help you realize that there can be multiple solutions to your problems and that things are not hopeless.
Read our related article to learn what to do when everything feels pointless.
What Does Narrative Therapy Treat?
Narrative therapy can treat a large number of mental and behavioral health conditions, as it helps anyone that is struggling with negative perceptions of themselves.
Some of the most common mental health issues that narrative therapy can treat include:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Addiction
- Emotional regulation
- Self-esteem issues
Narrative therapy is also known to be particularly effective at treating posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It helps trauma victims externalize their traumatic experiences and rewrite their life story in a way that empowers them, rather than harming them.
Through narrative therapy, individuals can learn to reframe their experiences in a more positive and uplifting way. This change can help overcome negative thinking and behavior patterns, develop greater resilience in the face of adversity, and gain optimism about the future.
Read our related article to discover the signs of high-functioning anxiety.
How Do I Know If I Need Narrative Therapy?
Mistakes, feeling like you’re coming up short, and traumatic events are inevitable. The way we deal with these events is extremely important. If you feel like you identify as a “bad person” because you continue to make mistakes, narrative therapy may be good for you.
The truth is, we cannot define ourselves by our mistakes. It only results in a vicious cycle of unhealthy thoughts. Narrative therapy frames negative experiences as small parts of a whole.
Read our related article to discover what to expect from therapy.
Narrative Therapy at Sequoia Behavioral Health
Although they may seem insignificant, the stories we tell ourselves can have a profound impact on our behaviors, relationships, and overall well-being.
At Sequoia Behavioral Health, we can help you overcome the negative thoughts that are preventing you from living the life you want. We work with you on an individual level to address your mental health concerns and develop a treatment plan that’s personalized to your treatment goals.
If you or a loved one is struggling with negative thoughts, reach out to one of our mental health experts today.