ABSTRACT
This chapter puts into context how all of the various forms of psychotherapy use the act of narration: Psychoanalysts refer to narrative action as interpretation; Jungian analysts use narration to frame their clients’ stories in terms of archetypes and myths; rational emotive behaviorists, use narration to “dispute” their clients’ irrational beliefs; cognitive behaviorists call their form of narration “summarizing” or “problem solving”; couples and family therapists, use narrative action to help clients hear, acknowledge, and validate each other’s perspectives; in group therapy, narration can challenge each member’s instincts, and increase their awareness and relatedness; drama and gestalt therapists encourage clients to perform “monologues” of their inner thoughts to help them be aware of the stories they tell themselves; play therapists use narration to help children bring their inner conflicts and worries to the surface; and of course narrative therapists help clients to be the expert narrators of their own lives. But just as all actors share the same core mission to effectively perform stories about lives, all therapists share the same ultimate goal to help their clients effectively narrate and perform their own lives. Diverse clinical examples are given to illustrate how the performance of narration can be used effectively, even subtly, in psychotherapy sessions.
