Blog 11

Many people who understand the importance of narrative in a persons life may argue that utilizing narrative as a way to process your life events constructively is a manner in which the person involved can heal and grow from what it is they have experienced. In Julie Beck’s essay “Life Stories,” she states “If someone is afraid of how people might react to a story, and they keep it to themselves, they’ll likely miss out on the environment that comes with a back-and-forth conversation.” She says this to further demonstrate the idea that for some people, sharing their story can be a way in which the person is able to detach the negative context they have given to it, and allow themselves to see the situation purely for what it is. In doing this, the person could potentially be able to move on and find their situation as a learning opportunity and accept it as part of their story. A perfect real-world example of this would be a story that I heard from a classmate in which her friend spent most of her life feeling sad and ashamed because her father has spent most of her life in prison. She states that although she felt so much negativity about her family life and shameful about having an incarcerated parent, as she grew older she began telling her situation to people in her life and as more and more people came to accept her story, she was able to accept it herself and develop a new sense of contentment about her life despite her situation. All in all, it’s clear that sharing your story with others can act as a method of therapy and can allow you to accept your story for what it is. This, in my opinion, explains why so many people turn to therapists and counselors to find healing from their negative experiences and develop a kind of “it is what it is and it’s okay” kind of attitude.