ABSTRACT
"Uncoding" differs from decoding. Decoding implies that there is a reality to be deciphered, a code to crack, rather than signs and symbols to be excavated for meaning and possibility. Speaking to the activities of therapist in therapy, "uncoding" suggests a process through which meaning unfolds gently and aesthetically in therapeutic endeavour. Narrative therapy has particular compatibility with the Celtic tradition of storytelling, in which narratives of the past are woven with myth and fantasy, conjuring up imaginary locals of eternal youth, characters of absolute wisdom, heroes and antiheroes, and multi-dimensional perspectives on life. The critique of systemic therapy has challenged therapists to attend to their power within the therapeutic relationship and the manner in which therapy has, in its time, supported societal abuse of power. The powerful tranquillity of David Campbell's approach extended systemic thinking and practice into new territory, while disentangling the complex tripartite organisational intricacies and convolutions such a venture required.
