ABSTRACT
People come to therapy with stories about themselves that are in some way interfering with the lives they would prefer to lead. Yet problematic stories will only ever be one version of lived experience, a partial description of a person’s identity and the events within their lives. Re-authoring is the process by which people are supported to develop alternative accounts of themselves: accounts that they prefer. The therapist does this by listening out for those hopeful moments that may have become neglected or overshadowed by the problem story. Narrative theory suggests that these moments can be richly described; the richer their description, the greater their possibility for influence (White, 2007). This being so, as stories become more vivid and visible to a person, they also become easier to access and metaphorically step into. Thus in order to thicken a developing story, meaning is deepened and moments connected to others within a person’s history. Encouraging a re-engagement with stories that have been hidden from view offers the possibility for the resurrection of alternative knowledge, skills, values, hopes, and dreams. This can lead to the development of new (or even old) understandings that fit better with the way a person would like to see themselves, be seen by others, or go on in life.
