Do I Really Have a Narrative?

Hey Ho. Yesterday was a page day and not a post day. Take a look at the About The Dharma Shrink page, and to the right you’ll see a nested page titled What It’s All About.

This page talks a little more about how this blog can help you, and what my thoughts and goals are as I write it. I hope it makes sense. If that navigation makes it difficult to find that page, let me know; I can move it easily with the magic of WordPress.

Question of the Day – Do I Really Have a Narrative?

A lot of people might not think they have a “narrative,” since it’s a term you don’t usually apply to yourself. Here are some quotes that I think might help you see what the idea of narrative might mean for you.

The dharmashrink explains it

Your narrative is the story you have in your head (whether you realize it or not) that helps you create meaning and make sense of your life.

From White and Epston’s Book, Narrative Means to Therapeutic Ends:

In striving to make sense of life, persons face the task of arranging their experiences of events in sequences across time in such a way as to arrive at a coherent account of themselves and the world around them… This account can be referred to as a story or self-narrative.

So yes-yes-yes, you do have a narrative; whether or not you’re conscious of it.

• It may be an abusive parent or spouse telling you your life will never amount to anything;
• You may just be letting society pull you along so you’re living the same story as everyone else;
• Your story may be dictated by compulsive behavior or addiction.

Whatever your narrative is, the first step to making it work for you is to believe in it’s existence, and turn it from unconscious to conscious.

“How do I do that?”, you ask.

By mindful awareness of your life, and a process called deconstruction (breaking down) of your narrative, a process we’ll talk a lot about.

The Benefits 

Thinking in terms of narrative will help you focus on how you can actively create meaning and make sense of your world.  I encourage you to explore your own life in this spirit, holistically, and with full consideration of the context of your past and present life, and with openness to your ability to create your future. By doing so you become the author of your future, rather than a victim of your past.

Namaste

Barry