THE TWINTERRITORIES OF STORY DEVELOPMENT

Jim Rudes, Ph.D

Karen Shatz, Ph.D

THERAPEUTIC CONVERSATIONS X

May 2012

Vancouver, BC

Canada

The Twin Territories of Story Developments

Interpretive method

This refers to the processes by which we make sense of our world. Since we cannot know objective reality, all knowing requires an act of interpretation. So what we know of life, we know through our lived experience.

This proposal leads to new questions:

  • How is experience organized?
  • What do people do with experience to give it meaning?
  • How is lived experience give expression?

Narrative point of view

In order to make sense of any experience, that experience must be storied.

Ascription, Selection, and Expression

It is the “storying” of experience that determines the meaning ascribed to experience. These stories shape the ways or lenses through which we select the events of our lives and become our storyline.

Narrative metaphor = unit of meaning = story

Elements of a story

These are four basic elements that are necessary for any story: events, in sequence, over time (temporal dimension) that develop and form a plot line.

Narrative Inquiry

What does a client bring to counseling?

  • Their lived experience
  • Circumstances of their lives that form the story of their experience

The “ACTIONS” + “MEANINGS” in CONTEXT

  • All the elements that comprise a story

In responding to another’s expressions we are always interpreting or reading them. As therapists we want to make distinctions about what is important to client. We listen for the main points of their story, for any dominant themes or patterns, for their point of view (meanings), for significant events and actions, and their decisions and conclusions about self and others.

Twin Landscapes

Unique Outcomes (exceptions) are theopenings into new storylines that once identified are further developed through landscape of action and identity/meaning questions. Weaving questions through the Twin Territories of Action and Identity/Meaning invites people to inhabit new versions of themselves.

“The interplay between the twin territories invite experiential involvement in the hearts, minds and lives of the characters in the story being told.”

With Landscape of Action questions, we plot sequences of events through time. We search for details from various experiences, settings and with multiple points of views.

  • How did you do that? How did you make that happen?
  • Was it easy or hard? Were there any false starts or was it something

you just put your mind to?

We ask for the details of the event: timeframe, context, setting, situation, who else was involved). The details of the experience - what happened and how it occurred (Freedman & Combs, 1996).

  • What happened - in what sequence - involving which characters?

Landscape of Action

“Landscape of action is comprised by experiences of events that are linked together in sequence through time and according to specific plots. This provides us with the rudimentary structure of stories. If we drop one of those dimensions out- experience of events, sequences, time, or plot- then we wouldn’t have a story. Together, these eventsmake up the landscape of action” (White, 1995, p. 31).

Landscape of action questions contribute to, identify, and construct an “agentive self”.

Landscape of action questions ask about events and actions.

Once a unique outcome has been identified then the following questions might be asked to helpexplore and develop unique outcomes.Can you tell me a bit of what happened there? How did you do that?

  • Where were you?
  • Who was around?
  • What were the steps that you took to get yourself ready to do what you did?
  • What do you think was the turning point that led you to being able to do what you did?
  • Was this event unusual or have there been other times when you’ve done this sort of thing before?
  • Have there been other occasions when you have managed to do this?
  • How did you manage this then?
  • What happened just before and after?
  • How did you prepare yourself?
  • What did your friend say when you told him?
  • Was it a decision you made on your own or with someone?

(Morgan, A., 2000).

Landscape of /Identity/Consciousness [Meaning]

“The Landscape of Consciousness or Meaning has to do with the interpretations that are made through reflections on those events that are unfolding through the Landscape of Action. . .Through reflections of events in the Landscape of Action to determine what those events might say about the desires, preferences, qualities, characteristics, motives, purposes, wants, goals, values, beliefs, commitments of various persons” (White, 1995, p.31).

Regardless of how much detail Landscape of Actions questions contribute to story development,if it is to have endurance and significance, it must also be developed in the Landscape of Identity or Meaning.

Landscape of Identity/Meaning questions ask people to review their actions and reflect on what these actions say about their characteristics, qualities and personhood. This provides new meanings about their hopes, intentions, beliefs, dreams and commitments.

These questions encourage people to explore a different territory, invite them to reflect differently on their own identities and the identities of others.

  • As you have been describing these times when you have been able to evade the influence of the problem, or how you have been able to outsmart it, what do you think this says about you as a person?
  • When you took this action, what were you hoping for? What does this action say about your hopes for your life?
  • When you were able to take this action in the face of the problem, why was this important for you to do this? What does it say about what you value?
  • What might others who know you say this reflects about you as a person?
  • What would you call this step you took?
  • When you agreed to do this what does it say about what you want for your life?
  • These address personal values
  • What personal values is this course of action based upon?
  • When you apologized after the argument, what does it say about what you value in your relationship?
  • Intentions, plans, purposes
  • When you took this step what were you intending for your life?
  • What does it say about what you were planning?

(Morgan, A., (2000)

References

Freedman ,J.,& Combs, G., (1996). Narrative Therapy: The social construction of preferred realities. New York, NY, Norton.

Morgan, A., (2000). What is narrative Therapy? An easy to read introduction.Adelaide, South Australia, Dulwich Centre Publications.

White, M., (1995).The narrative perspective in therapy, In White, M., Re-authoring lives: Interviews and essays. Adelaide South Australia, Dulwich Centre Publications.

White, M., & Epston, D. (1990).Narrative Meanings to Therapeutic Ends. New York, NY. Norton.

PowerPoint available upon request

Dr. Jim Rudes email:

Dr. Karen Shatz email:

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