Narrative Therapy and LifeBio

Recently, while attending a conference, I was introduced to the term, “narrative therapy.” If you’re like me, you may not have heard of narrative therapy before. Narrative therapy, also referred to as “re-authoring,” was developed in the 1970s and 1980s by Michael White and David Epston. According to the Narrative Therapy Centre of Toronto, narrative therapy “focuses on the stories of people’s lives and is based on the idea that problems are manufactured in social, cultural and political contexts. Each person produces the meaning of their life from the stories that are available in these contexts.“

Narrative therapists recognize that various aspects of one’s life story can be positive or negative. It has also been noted that when people were asked to recount their personal life stories, they often discovered an “untold” story, which typically included positive accounts of hopes, dreams, desires and valued relationships with other people during that time in their life. While the discovery period cannot alter the negative aspects of a given event, the telling of one’s life story can bring out the positive aspects of a problematic situation.

After my initial thought of Wow, this is truly amazing, I began thinking about the narrative therapy qualities of LifeBio. While I do not claim that LifeBio products are a type of therapy, I will tell you that many people have found the process to be therapeutic. They recall the joys and challenges of life. They are reminded of their resilience in difficult situations. They have the chance to pass on wisdom and values gained from their life’s journey. It’s interesting that LifeBio’s 250 questions have the power to impact lives. While the questions are of either a positive or neutral tone, everyone has unique life stories, and therefore, the answer to these questions, and the tone and nature of the answers may vary greatly. For example, if your grandmother’s experience in grade school was turbulent, maybe recounting her life story surrounding that period in her life would initially bring up some sadness but then trigger positive memories of a kind girl who befriended her during that time—turning a negative into a positive. As that life story is shared with family or friends, others may have similar experiences to share. The best part is watching the relationships develop…we all have more in common than we might think. Our life stories help us see that more clearly.
Rediscover your life story or help a loved one rediscover theirs by visiting LifeBio.com.

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