馃摉Narrative Therapy
An approach from Michael White and David Epston that separates the person from the problem.
Imagery evoking Narrative Therapy, An approach from Michael White and David Epston that separates the person from the problem.
Symbolic imagery, generated with respect. No sacred ceremony or living person depicted.
Narrative Therapy was developed by Michael White and David Epston in Australia and New Zealand in the 1980s. Its central move is to externalize the problem (the person is not the problem; the problem is the problem) and to re-author the person's story with attention to unique outcomes (moments the problem did not win). It draws from Indigenous storytelling traditions and post-structural philosophy.
$90, $200/session, sliding-scale common.
Estimates only. Many traditions offer sliding-scale, donation, or community access; sacred ceremonies are never for sale.
Distinguishing cultural belief, traditional practice, and evidence-supported effect where applicable.
Emotional
Externalizing frees the self from being the problem.
Psychological
Evidence-supported and widely used.
Community
Family and community are woven back into the story.
- Naming the problem as something separate from the self
- Writing letters between yourself and the problem
- Interviewing 'unique outcomes' where you resisted the problem's story
- Working with a narrative therapist
Evidence, risks, and contraindications
Evidence supported
Elements of this practice have been studied in peer-reviewed research and show measurable benefits for specific concerns. Study quality varies, and the tradition itself is broader than what science has measured.
- Cultural appropriation and closed practices. Some elements are closed to outsiders or reserved for initiated practitioners. Participating without invitation, or teaching it without lineage, causes harm to living communities and to your own practice.
This information is general education, not medical advice. Always share your full health history and current medications with the practitioner and with your regular healthcare provider before beginning something new.
What story about me is not fully mine?
When did the problem not win, even for a moment?
Written in the spirit of this tradition, held as invitations, not instructions. Take what serves your reflection.
If the problem were a character walking beside me, what would I name it?
What is the deeper story of my life that this hard chapter belongs inside of?
Which people know a truer story of me than the one I keep telling?
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