Posted by raisinb on March 23, 2009, at 10:49:26
In reply to Re: it is a human need » raisinb, posted by SLS on March 23, 2009, at 7:13:42
There are actually narrative therapists out there who work in this way.
It probably makes sense to me because I teach literature. But we could think of depression as a storytelling failure (yeah, I know, but bear with me...)
When a person experiences something horrible, his ability to cope and survive emotionally often depends on his ability to find meaning in it. For some, it's "this was horrible, but I learned..." or "I lost this, but I gained this..." or "it made me realize..." and "it fits into my life and my self-concept in this way, because I grew like this..."
If a person can't integrate whatever happens into a largely positive story of himself--in which he's the protagonist (not the pointless mistake or detail) and trials mean something or teach him something--then he's screwed.Part of my "story" is that my parents screwed up pretty badly when raising me. But then I listen to Johnny Cash, "A boy named Sue" and I realize that just like the dude in the song, I can kick and fight and be strong partly because of my crappy childhood.
poster:raisinb
thread:886279
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20090322/msgs/886666.html