Narrative in addressing ACE's

My organization changes the narrative around mental health stuff. Admitting the disease model is incorrect is highly empowering to people. Google J.K Morrison "demythologization." Some other resilience groups in town try to push the ACES narrative without also challenging the disease model. I think both together are required for good outcomes.

Dear Katrice, I am massively involved in this area.  Together with my colleagues around the world, we all use very strategic versions of the narrative, to un-couple, as you say, and de-intensify the neural connections around traumatic events.  Understanding the way in which literally millions of sensory details become embedded, activated and 'stuck' in our procedural memories paves a pathway to understanding how they may be de-activated and complete the 'threat cycle.'  Subsequent retrieval of the narrative is altered in intensity as well as many other sub-modalities, and most importantly, in the meaning that has been made around the narrative.  I formally teach and train these techniques several times a year and mentor various kinds of practitioners, facilitators and therapists in integrating these techniques into current protocols.  Please let me know if I can provide you with more helpful information on this crucial subject.  Kind regards and respect, Jondi Whitis

I have so many thoughts on this. I have done a fair amount of work in coaching and training survivors of trauma to use their narratives for personal empowerment and social change. These could be written, audio/spoken, or video narratives. My comments below are related to "coming out" as a survivor or going public with one's story.

First, I feel it is very important to have a careful informed consent process to provide space for people to think through the implications of going public with their stories. This is not to discourage anyone, but just to make sure everyone understands the potential risks and benefits of doing so.

Second, the process I teach is about telling the story in such a way as to not re-traumatize oneself. Survivors are encouraged not to go into the "gory details" of their trauma histories (i.e. vivid descriptions of abuse) but to talk about it in a more general way. (Again, this is for public narratives only - in private, people should feel comfortable exploring any and all details they wish, of course). They are encouraged to share "what happened" but also the meaning they have found in their experiences. And also, to share the factors that supported healing, whether it be supportive relationships/community, access to mindfulness or other mind-body modalities, creative expression, etc. In doing so, an important point to make is that healing is not a one-size-fits-all and what may "work" for someone may not be right for someone else. Speakers can encourage other survivors to experiment and find what supports their individual healing process.

And finally, it is great if they can tie in some kind of call to action into the narrative, especially if it is being used for advocacy or awareness-raising purposes.

Also, I encourage folks to think in advance about about self-care strategies before, during, and after sharing one's narrative publicly. Even in the best of circumstances and with the most supportive audience, it can take a physical and emotional toll. 

Great reply, Leah.  And I second the motion - the safety and trust we build with them allows them to 'go where they need to go' with the narrative, and the self-care strategies always a wise idea for all.  

Dear Katrice:
This is exciting work. I'd love to hear more about what you are doing and see links to research as well. I know more about expressive writing than narrative approaches but I've been thinking SO MUCH about the different kinds of telling as it relates to trauma.

I write lots and pretty openly at this stage of my life, but I was in a writing workshop, decades ago, and shared some childhood experiences - which at the time was a new thing to do for me. I'd only done it before that in therapy and with a small inner circle.

The workshop leader said, after I'd been to a few workshops, "You write the best incest stories." She was smiling and honestly beaming and talking about how she appreciated being taken into the experience and the comments were all about my writing. It was surprising but refreshing. No one had ever reacted that way.

In a way that was positive and without pity or sad eyes.

I was the author of a story about trauma and not the victim of trauma. She saw me as more whole at that time than I saw myself and it felt FAR different and MUCH better than how I felt when sharing in therapy.

Others were in the group, just for writers, and of course people write about life so there's loss, grief, illness, war, violence of different kinds.

And also, there was joy, in love stories, celebrations too. It was all fair game. Nothing was off limits and there was no special table for the "too triggering" or "too hard" topics.

That too was awesome. I lost more shame at that workshop than I ever had. I saw how I was not so different than others that we all had different story lines is all. It was huge. I felt part of a community for the first time and it was great.

Life-changing. 

I felt fabulous for MONTHS and MONTHS after. Now years later I leaned how expressive writing four days in a row (and this workshop was 4) helps alleviate symptoms of trauma. So I'm sure that was part of it as well. But it wasn't just the writing, but being seen and heard and people listening and caring but not acting like abuse was any different than the other topics others were writing about. That too was powerful.

It was a dramatic shift for me. And though talk therapy is meant to help people, I know, sometimes, at least for me, reinforced shame because it was like trauma was so bad and my story so intense it required only a professional being able to hear it at $100 or more an hour. Plus, now with all the trigger warnings - it reinforces - dangerous and unspeakable topics even though other things like war and terrorism, pretty serious too, don't come with near as many trigger warnings. 

It felt so good to share in a writing group I got hooked. It was not led by a therapist, it was not clinical and it felt better than safe - it felt great.

How we tell, and where, and how we shape and craft the story matters.  And also how we are responded to if we choose to share. If I tell my survival tale as a warrior who survived an epic adventure where I was tested and there was trial after trial, it's different than writing a story detailing all of the ways I was damaged by trauma. For me but also for the listening. In both cases, the facts might all be the same, but the narrative approach makes a huge difference.

I too think this can be used in many ways and with all the research about expressive writing benefiting health (Pennebaker, etc.) and then combining a new narrative approach.... it's SO EXCITING. I'd love to learn more about your research and what you are doing and am enjoying this thread.

And the telling and sharing and disclosing CAN BE EXHAUSTING - depending on how it's done and where and how publicly as well. THERE ARE RAMIFICATIONS FOR TELLING OR WRITING OR SHARING THE PERSONAL STORY as well as for NOT TELLING. I'm glad others share that with people as well in coaching and working with survivors. We still live in a world where just being a survivor of trauma and abuse comes with lots of stigma. So... though things are improving that is still the reality. But, there's also lots of consequences in not sharing and telling and disclosing as well. So it's about juggling that and if/when and how is SO very personal.

GREAT GREAT THREAD. LOVE READING EVERY COMMENT!

Cissy 

Thank you all so much - I actually steer clear of 'public' confessional narratives and am more interested and involved in enabling people to communicate their story to themselves I suppose, in a way that makes sense to them. Often I get participants to use sensory, non-literal items as tools to narrate and sequence their stories, this can be done in silence. With so many, the words cannot yet come and because of the trauma/neural patterning, then sequencing, remembering can be difficult - only after they have externalised the sequence using the objects do they then talk through it, so their whole story is outside themselves, tangible, with a beginning, middle and end .... this works incredibly well with people who struggle to find words or with limited literacy ability ...

I myself was a selective mute so this idea of #givingvoice is important to me on a personal level too.

I found art therapy very helpful in communicating my story.  I used various media and methods that resulted in sharing my "narrative" when I could not find words. 

Katrice, the use of a "Cohesive Narrative [of one's future]", can be invaluable to not only individuals, but groups too ....

I notice, reading through all of your wonderful replies and comments that there are some phrases that I am not totally understanding (could be cultural or just my own beautiful ignorance!) I am assuming the Cohesive Narrative is developing a future story and identifying a positive horizon .. ? The 'Disease Model,' is the viewing of mental health issues as a disease ...? The use of language I find fascinating, language that includes, language that excludes, assumed language ... I often ask a people at a conference to close their eyes and imagine the letter 'A'. I ask - who saw a capital one, who saw lower case, who saw and object that began with an 'A' who saw a red one, blue, green, pink etc etc we all see it differently, so how can we ensure that we communicate in a variety of letter 'A's? for me Narrative is one of the best ways.

Katrice, Jonathan Shay's book, "Achilles In Vietnam: ...", addresses "Cohesive Narrative on pages 180-181, after he noted "the trustworthiness of language" on page 39. Shay resides in the Boston area, and hopefully you may be able to confer with him-while you're in Boston. Please excuse my brevity in this comment.

On the other side of the coin from narrative and storytelling, I have worked since the 1980s on Story Listening, training professionals and care givers in how to hear the cries for help of people even before the person is consciously aware of their need.  This set of tools and skills foster aha! moments of incredible releases of energy and freedom from the constraints of their meta-stories.  I have used this in dropout prevention, teacher retention and reaching out to students in need.

I am incredibly grateful to all of you for your suggestions, knowledge and brevity!

Christine Cissy White posted:

Dear Katrice:
This is exciting work. I'd love to hear more about what you are doing and see links to research as well. I know more about expressive writing than narrative approaches but I've been thinking SO MUCH about the different kinds of telling as it relates to trauma.

I write lots and pretty openly at this stage of my life, but I was in a writing workshop, decades ago, and shared some childhood experiences - which at the time was a new thing to do for me. I'd only done it before that in therapy and with a small inner circle.

The workshop leader said, after I'd been to a few workshops, "You write the best incest stories." She was smiling and honestly beaming and talking about how she appreciated being taken into the experience and the comments were all about my writing. It was surprising but refreshing. No one had ever reacted that way.

In a way that was positive and without pity or sad eyes.

I was the author of a story about trauma and not the victim of trauma. She saw me as more whole at that time than I saw myself and it felt FAR different and MUCH better than how I felt when sharing in therapy.

Others were in the group, just for writers, and of course people write about life so there's loss, grief, illness, war, violence of different kinds.

And also, there was joy, in love stories, celebrations too. It was all fair game. Nothing was off limits and there was no special table for the "too triggering" or "too hard" topics.

That too was awesome. I lost more shame at that workshop than I ever had. I saw how I was not so different than others that we all had different story lines is all. It was huge. I felt part of a community for the first time and it was great.

Life-changing. 

I felt fabulous for MONTHS and MONTHS after. Now years later I leaned how expressive writing four days in a row (and this workshop was 4) helps alleviate symptoms of trauma. So I'm sure that was part of it as well. But it wasn't just the writing, but being seen and heard and people listening and caring but not acting like abuse was any different than the other topics others were writing about. That too was powerful.

It was a dramatic shift for me. And though talk therapy is meant to help people, I know, sometimes, at least for me, reinforced shame because it was like trauma was so bad and my story so intense it required only a professional being able to hear it at $100 or more an hour. Plus, now with all the trigger warnings - it reinforces - dangerous and unspeakable topics even though other things like war and terrorism, pretty serious too, don't come with near as many trigger warnings. 

It felt so good to share in a writing group I got hooked. It was not led by a therapist, it was not clinical and it felt better than safe - it felt great.

How we tell, and where, and how we shape and craft the story matters.  And also how we are responded to if we choose to share. If I tell my survival tale as a warrior who survived an epic adventure where I was tested and there was trial after trial, it's different than writing a story detailing all of the ways I was damaged by trauma. For me but also for the listening. In both cases, the facts might all be the same, but the narrative approach makes a huge difference.

I too think this can be used in many ways and with all the research about expressive writing benefiting health (Pennebaker, etc.) and then combining a new narrative approach.... it's SO EXCITING. I'd love to learn more about your research and what you are doing and am enjoying this thread.

And the telling and sharing and disclosing CAN BE EXHAUSTING - depending on how it's done and where and how publicly as well. THERE ARE RAMIFICATIONS FOR TELLING OR WRITING OR SHARING THE PERSONAL STORY as well as for NOT TELLING. I'm glad others share that with people as well in coaching and working with survivors. We still live in a world where just being a survivor of trauma and abuse comes with lots of stigma. So... though things are improving that is still the reality. But, there's also lots of consequences in not sharing and telling and disclosing as well. So it's about juggling that and if/when and how is SO very personal.

GREAT GREAT THREAD. LOVE READING EVERY COMMENT!

Cissy 

A lot of very good points here, Katrice. And, agreed, there are so many creative and therapeutic ways to tell our story.  Finding our own path there is key.

Hello all, I'd appreciate any resources/references about use of narrative in helping people heal.  I work as a chaplain in a hospital.  Thank you!

Amie

Hi, Amie Schumacher.  One thing I'd like to add to your resources list is one of the newer paradigms for processing narrative.  I've learned that people's narratives are best handled in a manner that allows its safe, comfortable deconstruction at an appropriate pace. The best tools I've found for that are from the Energy Psychology branch, and involve focused mindfulness, counter-conditioning and down-regulation of the ANS using targeted acupressure stimulation, and attention to each activated narrative aspect that is incompletely processed within the Limbic system.  Happy to say more, if you like.