During our lifetime we are involved and witness many stories that impact our lives.
Certain stories gain ascendancy in our thinking and become part of our Dominant
Narrative. Certain schools of thought will problematize and classify an individual as
inherently Problematic. Indeed, Michael White and David Epston believed, “rather than
attributing something inherently wrong with a person, they are the problem, “it is the
meaning that individuals make of events that determines their behavior.” Stories
learned in childhood, that we have given high priority too in our understanding of self
and the world around us, can influence our choices in adulthood. We are in constant
interaction with stories daily. Some stories become the maps in our lives that give us
direction for daily and lifelong choices.
The goal in Collaborative Therapy is to help individuals understand that Dominant
Narratives that are Problem Saturated, and Co-Construct new stories from a persons
existing library of experiences, that are healthier and to live a life more preferred.
Try this exercise: In journal form or story form, write your autobiography. Spend some
time in reflection on which narratives have become Problem Saturated, which you may
want to replace with the stories you have written about that are more preferred to you.
Or you can construct your own narrative that is more positive for you and provides
healthier direction.
Reference
Narrative Means to Therapeutic Ends by Michael White and David Espston, 1990.