Narrative Medicine in Psychotherapy
The roots of narrative medicine, unsurprisingly, are found in the practice of psychotherapy.
For the psychology enthusiasts out there, you may be familiar with the notion of ‘unconditional positive regard,’ the idea that any successful therapy session involves listening to the stories and experiences of the patient without judgment.
Despite it traditionally being a one-sided conversation in which the therapist simply sits there muttering many “uh-uhs” and “I see’s,” psychology has evolved immensely, proactively integrating elements of narrative medicine.
As mentioned time and time again, the goal of narrative medicine is to use a holistic approach towards treating patients. We do not view the patients as merely ill, but as human. They are individuals not defined by their diagnosis but rather by their personal experiences. These experiences shape these patients into who they are and the narrative approach allows for clinicians to better understand the patient’s condition from the patient’s perspective.
In the context of psychotherapy, therapists can delve deeper into a patients’ story and unravel the series of events in their lives that may have contributed to their diagnosis. This can help determine the appropriate course of action for rehabilitation. Consequently, it strengthens clinician-patient relations. For a patient to gain confidence, they must be able to trust their care provider wholeheartedly. Once they are comfortable, the conversation becomes much more engaging and bearable to participate in, allowing the patients’ thoughts to be expressed more freely.
Psychotherapy is intended to offer a safe outlet for patients to freely express their needs and desires, piecing together bits of their past to form a cohesive storyline. This story is what Holmes (2016) describes as “a sequence of events centring on a suffering patient. It consists of alternating episodes of ‘what was done to me/what I felt,’ and ‘how I reacted/responded/felt about it in return”. There may initially be resistance, but as long as a therapist can demonstrate curiosity and display neutrality, the patient will not feel succumbed to the pressure.
With these stories in hand, a therapist can critically think through them, and use these stories as the backbone to providing the best treatment they can muster for their patient. They can also use probing questions to allow the patient to reflect on each recounted event, so that they may then uncover extraordinary things about themselves that they otherwise would not have known.
Patient-centred care is crucial in the field of psychology, as is in any other field. In regards to therapy, treatments and programs set by a therapist can only be done correctly if that therapist remains attentive to their patient’s needs and proactively uses their personal story to guide their journey to wellness. It is another excellent example as to how narrative medicine is changing the healthcare system, transcending from physical to mental healthcare.
By: Saray Membreno (She/Her) | Marketing Committee Member
