Narrative therapy uses the narrative method for therapeutic purposes, the narrative method is one that uses a narrative point of view and the voice to present a literary or theatrical story, among others, this narrative method will be a respectful and blameless approach, so that in this method the following maxim is respected: people are experts in their own lives (Morgan, 2004).
As we have said, narrative therapy seeks a respectful and not guilty (guiltless) approach to community therapy and work; In addition, he sees the problem as a different entity from individuals and assumes that individuals have many skills, skills, beliefs, values. , commitments and skills that will help reduce the negative influence of the problem on their lives.
“Language is a true indicator of how we perceive ourselves as people. -Stephen R. Covey-
For narrative therapy, the word story or narrative means: events linked in sequence, in time, and according to a topic. As human beings, we interpret, make sense of the experiences of everyday life. We’re looking for ways to explain the facts and make sense of them.
It is this meaning that shapes the story (narrative). We all have many stories about our lives and relationships that happen simultaneously. We have stories about ourselves, our skills, our difficulties, our skills, our actions, our desires, our work, our successes, and our failures. Trying to make these stories coherent greatly influences how we continue to live and write them.
Basically, outsourcing a problem is the linguistic separation of the problem from the patient’s personal identity. -Ivon Castillo Ledo-
We are talking about a succession of facts connected by a thread of time, it is precisely this thread that we select, because events fit better with the idea of the dominant story, the events that arise from the dominant narrative are hidden or less significant (or with a modified meaning) in the light of the dominant theme.
For example, if I have a dominant story in which I am a good driver, every time I respect the signs I confirm a meaning and this fact and strengthen the conclusions of my story. The day I receive a fine, as this event is not consistent with the dominant story, is hidden or minimized because it does not correspond to the general meaning.
Well, the main goal of narrative therapy is to give the person the space to define their own life in an adaptive narrative mode (which is positive for him). The secondary objectives would be:
It may sound curious, but all human beings are storytellers, stories that we tell to people, but also stories that we tell each other, besides, in these stories there is usually a part of the truth, as well as another imaginary part.
We were born with a narrative impulse. Thus, we socialize, create self-development and establish an autobiographical memory that gives us meaning. Personal storytelling is what we explain (to people and ourselves) about our own lives. We are the ones who create our world and are therefore responsible for our reading of it.
“A self-report is an explanation presented by an individual of the relationship between relevant facts over time. -Gergen-
This gives us the opportunity to define the first difference between the problem and the person, this difference gives rise to a great opportunity for the person to value their own resources and analyze the problem from another angle. The person’s story will be presented through events. related to the corresponding interpretation we have made of it, which will establish a narrative voice and reasoning to interfere.
Likewise, the narrative itself decides what we consider and reject in our history, so our personal history will be influenced by both sociocultural factors and more individual factors, such as our genetics.
Language is the way we create (or recreate) and present ourselves, it is also useful to manage our inner world of thoughts and feelings, hence the importance of analyzing this language. If we create our reality from the explanations we give, this narrative will define the so-called “effects of the dominant story”.
These effects are derived, for example, from the tone or voice of our most global or general history, so if our story is a story of abandonment and loss (written and told by us), the effect of this dominant story will be melancholy.
“Our personal history is influenced by sociocultural factors, as well as educational and personal factors. -Leila Nomen Martin-
The position of the therapist in this model will go from specialist to companion of the person seeking help, being the co-author of the therapeutic process, not a client or patient (White, 2004).
The idea of the therapeutic process using narrative techniques is basically to be able to find an alternative story, a deconstruction of the dominant narrative story, in favor of a renewed and different story.
Reflection is in favor of this new narrative in search of what we call isolated conquests, which are what give us the opportunity to introduce new information and/or approaches, so they give us the opportunity to build a new story and/or identity.
This technique is both very simple and extremely complicated; it is simple in that it represents a linguistic separation from the problem of the patient’s personal identity; complicated and difficult is the delicate way in which it is done; it is precisely through the careful use of language in therapeutic conversation that the healing of the person begins and finally takes place.
The novelty of the narrative approach is that it offers a useful sequence of questions that systematically produce a liberating effect for people, following this therapeutic sequence is like building an ark with bricks, if you try to take the last step without patiently placing the first bricks. Before, your bow won’t hold.
We assume that our life is as it is, but we can always reformulate it in another way, in reality everyone can rewrite their history as they see fit (García-Martínez, 2012). There are three dimensions around the narrative matrix. that allow for a coherent, complex and multiple narrative (Gonoalves, 2002):
Internal dialogue is interrupted in the same way it began, by an act of will, you are as I say you are. But that could change if you start talking to yourself differently (Castañeda, 1994), if you start to think that you are different, then I present a series of exercises to work with the inner dialogue, that voice that speaks to us continuously and translates reality. :
There are many resources to explore certain aspects of our history, such as metaphors, news or therapeutic letters, among others. Let’s look at some of these features.
A metaphor is a linguistic form that makes an implicit comparison between two different entities, a dramatic feature that attracts attention and offers a new stage, through which the client can contemplate a new experience (Lankton and Lankton, 1983).
There are three types of metaphors to use in the therapeutic process
Therapeutic metaphors can be used to formulate an opinion, suggest solutions, access and use resources, personal knowledge, sow concrete ideas, etc.
On the other hand, stories are an expression of essential philosophical truths, explanations of nature, or dreamlike relationships. The stories are therapeutic because the person has the opportunity to find their own solution through rewriting their history and the conflicts that appear there.
The story does not refer to the outside world, although it is realistic enough and has everyday features intertwined. The unreal nature of these stories is an important resource, as it clearly shows that the purpose of the stories is not useful information about the outside world, but the internal processes that occur in the individual (Gordon, 1978).
In short, when we tell personal stories to strangers we get rid of them and transform them in the past, this allows us to begin to conceive of the future we want, to document these stories so that they do not get lost in oblivion and can serve as inspiration for others. The ultimate goal is for people to understand the power of how they tell their stories, how they tell them, and how they do it influences how they behave in the present.
Bibliography
White, M. (2002) “The Narrative Approach to the Therapist Experience”. Gedisa.
Nomen Martín, L. (2016)? 50 psychotherapeutic techniques ?. Pyramid.