Following an information session about a family therapy course I intended to study next year, I've decided that I no longer want to do it. Wow, that makes for a great story.
But wait. I heard about some of the other courses being run at the institute, and one of them was in Narrative Therapy. The counselling equivalent of folktalkes. It immediately piqued my interest. As the professor spoke about his humbled views on what the course had to offer - not just techniques and phrasing, but rather an entirely new perspective on working with people - I became transfixed. His words sang to me about a foundation for therapy which was far broader than that; it could shape the way I view everything.
My friend Thomas has often talked about storytelling and its potency for change and enlightenment, and I've always agreed with him (well, for the larger part), but we've never quite connected in our views. I could detail all the differences here, but the major themes are that we just use different theories and approaches. As I see it, his focus is more on numinous, emotional experience to guide us through life, whereas mine is more bent towards meshing body and mind towards reflective adaptation in the world. Basically, inner determines outer, versus its opposite.
That's not to say I disagree at all with his views, just that I find mine pull more weight. I'm curious to see how my focusing on the narrative experiences of people's lives will shape the way I see myself. Because that's really the driving force behind studying this. What I learn about the world and people, I learn about myself.
Hence, keeping a journal for this might be a good idea. See what happens!
-J
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