Exploring Narrative Medicine: A Personal Perspective
“The telling of stories alters who we become.” - Ben Okri
What is Narrative Medicine?
You might be pondering this question right now or as you engage with my newest offerings. If you are, I applaud your curiosity. You're in good company! As I navigate my practice in this emerging field, I've often been asked this question. While defining Narrative Medicine isn't straightforward, and I certainly don't claim to be its authority, I want to share what Narrative Medicine means to me and my practice (both professionally and personally) and why I believe it holds significance for you too.
Light
Dark
In my journey through providing and receiving care, I've reached a resounding revelation: the patient narrative—their story—is missing from healthcare assessments and treatments. This absence struck me profoundly as I continued to ponder the many gaps that exist in the care received by those who are suffering chronic health challenges from cancer to autoimmunity, fibromyalgia to Lyme disease, chronic fatigue to multiple food or chemical sensitivities to long covid, and so much more. I hear repeatedly of consultations where symptoms are addressed with tests and subsequent supplements and prescriptions, but the stories behind those symptoms were just shadows in the room.
Simultaneously, there's a growing trend to seek answers outside of ourselves in the personal health quest that so many are on. As I’ve written about on these pages, we scour the internet and chase the latest diets, vitamins, and fitness fads—with a constant peripheral gaze. Something must exist somewhere over the horizon. This external pursuit leads us away (and astray) from tuning into the narratives written by our bodies and experiences. We've become so intent on finding information outside ourselves, in Google or a guru, that we've neglected the rich, contextual stories our bodies tell us—stories that are critical in guiding our decisions and next steps.
This realization has reshaped my approach as a practitioner, an educator, and an individual navigating my health. It’s caused me to redefine “health.” Both for myself and in a landscape increasingly dominated by industries such as pharmaceuticals, curiously funded research, reductionist thinking, food processing, and even within realms claiming to be "functional" or "holistic." All these sectors too often fall into the trap of offering quick fixes—promising fast results with protocols that don’t deliver, leading to more confusion, frustration, and disbelief in a well-deserving population of patients. This cacophony of misses reaffirmed my belief in listening deeply—to the clinical narratives presented in a health or medical setting and the quieter, personal stories we tell ourselves about our bodies, pasts, and ailments. These stories are not just background noise. They are vital chapters in our ongoing health narrative, deserving our attention and respect. I want to help you bring these stories forward.
Is it actually “medicine”?
Narrative Medicine is a potent healing art that taps into the power of storytelling. It acknowledges the critical role of each individual's narrative in their health and healing journey. But how can storytelling constitute medicine or support medical care? It’s important to allow, even if just for the short exploration of this article, that stories transcend mere anecdotes. They are gateways to better comprehending complex health scenarios, enabling patients and healthcare providers to navigate them more effectively. With this understanding, practitioners craft Narrative Medicine practices to enhance understanding, support clinical reasoning, facilitate informed decision-making, and ultimately improve health outcomes.
Narrative Medicine enriches the therapeutic partnership I strive to build with each client as a clinician. It allows them to articulate their experiences beyond the confines of clinical symptoms and prompts me to listen more attentively. It involves setting aside biases and classic therapeutic assumptions that can isolate diagnostic solutions from the patients' personal narratives. This feedback loop further invites them to delve into the nuances of their history, uncovering insights that may not otherwise emerge. As an example, during a Narrative Medicine exercise, Melinda, a client managing type 2 diabetes and Hashimoto’s disease, shared her memories related to controlled food access in her childhood. Her mother's focus on maintaining a specific body size—for herself and Melinda as she developed—drove the control. This environment fostered a complex emotional relationship with food and her body image. Any notion of “food as medicine” felt more toxic than supportive. Eliminating inflammatory foods, as might be prescribed for her conditions (and which she had tried countless times already), triggered fear and alarm. Experts in physiology can also recognize that such stress responses are counterproductive, hindering the body's ability to manage immune responses and blood sugar balance effectively, making the entire realm of “nutrition” a potential catch-22. Acknowledging the impact of psychological factors and early life experiences on Melinda’s eating behaviors, self-perception, and abilities to embrace dietary modifications was crucial to making any progress in the realm of nutrition and disease management.
My awareness of this background allowed me to customize my nutrition counseling approaches and recommendations for tracking tools, holistically considering her triggers alongside her physical health needs. For instance, the Food/Mood/Poop Journal that I readily use in care to help clients identify symptomatic patterns and felt associations was not appropriate to use in its customary form with this client. This revised and tailored approach was considered, caring, collaborative, and customized. These are all things that can be sorely missing in healthcare practices today. It led to more meaningful and sustainable health changes. My client’s experiences were respected, and over time, we were able to foster a healthier relationship with food. Seeing her not just as her diagnoses alone but as a unique individual whose life circumstances and trajectory were as much a part of her biological challenges and healing pathways as her blood markers or antibody activity shifted the tenor of our partnership. It also helped her to cultivate a partnership with her own body.
Similarly, another client, James, recovering from heart surgery and needing to make some significant lifestyle modifications to reduce the risk of another cardiac incident, revealed loneliness after his partner’s passing and a loss of purpose post-retirement. His compound bereavements were hindering his rehabilitation. He was not motivated. The healing was slow and frustrating, leading to further isolation. A vicious cycle. By integrating his need for community engagement into his recovery plan, we saw significant improvements in his emotional state, impetus to support his recovery plan, and, ultimately, his physical health. This instance exemplified how Narrative Medicine principles that incorporate deep listening not only address the clinical aspects of a patient's life but also the deeply personal and social elements that conventional medicine often overlooks. In James's case, recognizing his need for personal meaning and social connection allowed us to approach his post-surgery recovery more holistically, addressing not only his physical but also his emotional and social health. These are often just as critical to a patient’s healing as the correct dose of omega-3 fatty acids or the ideal form of magnesium. Recognizing and addressing these emotional and social factors are essential, as stress and isolation can notably impact immune function and overall recovery from surgery. This broader perspective on health care, one that considers emotional and social recovery as integral components of physical health, is what sets Narrative Medicine apart and underscores its importance in fostering comprehensive healing.
In my work with clients, I focus on drawing connections and providing education that resonates with their identities and experiences. I recognize that it’s not within my role or scope to heal their life, traumas, or ancestral experiences. Instead, I can commit to listening deeply, embracing their whole stories, and incorporating what I learn about them into their care. This process requires curiosity and an acknowledgment that despite my familiarity with their conditions, each person’s experience and manifestation of symptoms are unique. By setting aside diagnosis-based assumptions, (along with any others), I strive to understand each client as a distinct individual, not just a collection of symptoms or a case similar to others I have encountered. This personalized approach ensures that I support them in a way that honors their unique health narratives and lived realities. For many today, this results in a sigh of relief–a recognition of what they've been missing in their self-health care.
When I allow myself and them this opportunity, I also acknowledge that their held stories are as much a part of the patients I serve as their muscles and mitochondria. These stories—shared initially through a Functional Nutrition Timeline (where we draw out and identify significant health events) and motivational interviewing—help me help them more effectively.
Beyond my role as a clinician, Narrative Medicine is a pathway for me to seek internal meaning in my health journey. Rather than relying solely on my diagnoses or the incessant noise that promises resolution through a pill, a protocol, a test, a supplement, or a hack, I look inward. It offers me a unique set of data points I’ve learned through practice. This introspective approach helps me recognize that memories—whether they harbor shame, grief, joy, fear, or other emotions—intricately link with my nervous and immune systems, my gut health and instincts, and even the toxic load I carry. These stored narratives impact my health outcomes as profoundly as the B cells or memory cells in my bloodstream, each leaving their imprints from past exposures.
Every patient (and at some point, we are all patients) can experience profound healing through engaging with Narrative Medicine practices. It’s my goal to continue exploring and understanding this discipline deeply, sharing each insight and healing strategy I uncover with you so that you can benefit too. If you're intrigued by Narrative Medicine’s potential to transform your health narrative, I invite you to engage with the resources and stories shared at the end of this article. There, I provide a place for you to dive in and begin your journey with this practice.
But first, like those who ask me: What is Narrative Medicine? I’m sure you’re still curious to learn more.
Deep Listening and Personal Narratives
The discipline of Narrative Medicine is fundamentally grounded in deep and active listening, a practice often termed “close reading.” This approach to listening—or listening in—extends beyond hearing words. It involves attuning to the emotions, contexts, and meanings embedded within stories. Through specific methodologies and signature strategies, Narrative Medicine helps us cultivate the skills that enable us to foster the art of deep listening, ultimately enhancing empathy, understanding, and trust in healthcare interactions and self-discovery processes.
To illustrate the practice of Narrative Medicine, I’ll share a personal response I crafted to a prompt during a Narrative Medicine workshop that I attended to help me flex my listening muscles. The prompt was simple:
Think of a song whose music enhances the power of the words.
Here’s how I responded:
There are so many songs that come to mind and even though I have a rich familial history in music, I personally have no ritual of listening. I will almost always choose stories and podcasts (or quiet) over music. And yet, I think it might be harder for me to find a song whose music does not enhance the power of the words. By the time we receive the coupling of the two, they are so intertwined, or at least become so after repeat exposure. Therefore, in my choosing, I decided to pick a song that I know has moved me - even when I didn’t know the words or their message, a song that made me feel deep in my bones and whose lyrics were only an added layer or second thought to the experience of the music.
Unlike me, my late husband was obsessed with music. He didn’t live to see the invention of the iPod or to experience streaming, but he would have loved them. Instead, we’d walk down the hills of San Francisco, where we lived at the time, to boutique record shops, file through new CDs, their cases click, click, clicking as he flipped them in search of inspiration or a new discovery. Every so often he knew just what he was looking for and I wouldn’t have to spend my time analyzing album covers while I waited.
Archer Prewitt was one of the artist’s albums he found on one of those hunts, and he played it repeatedly on his treasured stereo system. Whenever this song came on, it struck a chord of sadness and longing within me and I’d go find him in our flat with tears in my eyes. In his last week of life, when he could no longer speak due to the effects of the brain tumor, I asked him if he knew which song it was that always made me cry. He raised his pointer finger in the air, our sign for ‘yes’, and gave me an ironic smirk: Yes, I know. But of course I cannot tell you.
After Isamu died I determined to find the song in his deep drawers of alphabetized CDs that I’m looking at now, over 20 years later. And I did… “I’ll Be Waiting”.
I'll be waiting here for you
I'll be waiting here
This prompt came after a reading and an exercise where we practiced close listening to a song by the Beatles, Eleanor Rigby. After that experience, the prompt became a jumping-off point to attune to my own stories, emotions, and responses and to write–for just five minutes on my phone timer–to whatever came to mind. This personal reflection underscores the power of Narrative Medicine to connect individual experiences to broader, more universal insights.
While Narrative Medicine is not a standalone treatment for acute medical conditions, it is medicinal in bridging the gap of humanity often missing in our healthcare systems. Narrative Medicine complements traditional medical treatments by integrating frequently overlooked aspects of patient care. These missing aspects may include the emotional, psychological, social, and cultural dimensions, and those that impact identity that conventional treatments may overlook.
This approach is less applicable when dealing with immediate medical emergencies, but vital in chronic care management, mental health, preventive care, and contested diagnoses, where understanding the full scope of a patient’s life story can significantly influence outcomes. It adds a layer of care that enhances the efficacy of other medical interventions by ensuring they align with the patient’s unique life context and values.
Narrative Medicine doesn’t pretend to replace the need for medication, surgery, or other forms of biological intervention. Instead, it enriches these treatments by ensuring a comprehensive understanding of what the patient informs them. This holistic approach recognizes that a tapestry of personal, familial, and cultural stories influences health and shapes an individual's response to illness and treatment.
By embracing Narrative Medicine principles, healthcare moves beyond the narrow focus on symptoms to foster a healthcare environment where patients feel understood and supported in all dimensions of their health. This shift improves clinical outcomes, patient satisfaction, and engagement in the care processes. Narrative Medicine has the potential to transform healthcare, a field that has left too many patients with too little agency (or a faux agency bound to heightened seeking and limited accessibility). It welcomes collaborative dialogues where people can, ultimately, feel more empowered and have more self-recognition.
Attunement to our stories is pivotal in shaping personalized care plans that authentically reflect our values and lived experiences. This approach enhances the quality of care practitioners provide, and enriches our self-care practices as patients. The critical reality is that most of our health management happens in our everyday decisions and routines outside the clinic, far more than under direct health or medical supervision. It underscores the need for individuals navigating health journeys and crises to develop a deep understanding and connection with our narratives.
“In examining disease, we gain wisdom about anatomy and physiology and biology. In examining the person with disease, we gain wisdom about life.”
Beyond Clinical Practice
In its most classical and academic form, Narrative Medicine primarily aims to enhance clinical practice by teaching clinicians deep listening skills. Rooted in the conviction that understanding a patient's narrative is crucial for providing comprehensive care, it encourages healthcare providers to transcend mere symptom management and consider the whole person, informing treatment plans and strengthening therapeutic alliances.
Over the past two decades since its inception, Narrative Medicine has evolved beyond its traditional clinical application. It’s found expression in various forms and across myriad disciplines. In fields such as medical humanities, Narrative Medicine enriches the study of medicine by integrating insights from literature, philosophy, ethics, and the arts. This interdisciplinary approach acknowledges that stories are not merely personal accounts but also cultural artifacts that reflect and shape our understanding of health, illness, and healing.
Narrative Medicine's impact also extends beyond clinical settings and studies related to medicine, influencing contemporary literature and broader cultural narratives. For instance, Siddhartha Mukherjee, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author known for 'The Emperor of All Maladies,' skillfully intertwines narratives about genetics and heredity in 'The Gene: An Intimate History.' His approach not only makes complex scientific concepts accessible but also highlights their personal and societal implications. This method of storytelling demonstrates how Narrative Medicine can transform our understanding of science, making it more relatable and reflective of human experience, thereby engaging a wider audience who might be interested in the intersection of science, history, and personal storytelling.
Here are just a handful of some of my favorite books that showcase Narrative Medicine’s expansive reach, enriching our understanding of health, illness, and healing across different contexts:
"When Breath Becomes Air" by Paul Kalanithi: This memoir by a neurosurgeon diagnosed with terminal cancer explores the intersection of medical practice, personal narrative, and mortality. Kalanithi's reflections on life, death, and the doctor-patient relationship provide profound insights into the human experience of illness and the role of storytelling in medicine.
"The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot: This non-fiction book explores the scientific and ethical use of Lacks' cells (HeLa cells) but also examines broader socio-cultural implications, including race, consent, and medical ethics. The book sheds light on systemic injustices in healthcare and research, particularly how marginalized communities have historically faced exploitation and neglect in medical studies.
"Cutting for Stone" by Abraham Verghese: This novel follows the lives of twin brothers born to an Indian nun and a British surgeon in Ethiopia. Through rich storytelling, Verghese explores themes of identity, family, and the practice of medicine in diverse cultural contexts, emphasizing the power of narrative in understanding human experiences and health.
"The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down" by Anne Fadiman: This non-fiction book examines the cultural clash between a Hmong family and the American medical system over the treatment of their daughter's epilepsy. Fadiman's narrative illustrates how misunderstandings rooted in cultural differences can affect medical care and underscores the importance of cultural competence, humility, and empathy in healthcare.
"Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End" by Atul Gawande: Gawande explores end-of-life care by blending personal stories with medical research to challenge conventional approaches to aging and dying. He advocates for a more compassionate and patient-centered approach to healthcare decisions through narrative.
These pivotal works (and there are so many more!) exemplify Narrative Medicine's capacity to transcend clinical practice and resonate with wider audiences, inviting reflection on the ethical, social, and existential questions raised by advancements in medical science.
While Narrative Medicine initially emerged as a method to deepen clinical practice, its adaptability and expansive reach now demonstrate its potential to enrich healthcare and our broader cultural understanding of health narratives. As interpretations of Narrative Medicine continue to diversify, its foundational emphasis on compassion, listening, and the power of personal narrative remains central to its relevance and impact, and my interest in its potential for you.
“Stories are medicine. They have such power; they do not require that we do, be, act anything – we need only listen.”
Narrative Medicine and “Patient-Centered” Self-Care
If you’re reading this now, and you’re a patient… good! I promise this is for you. Please read on.
If you happen to also be a coach, clinician, or practitioner—as many of my readers may be—know that embracing deep listening is how you actualize Narrative Medicine in patient care scenarios. In essence, it’s about listening with greater care and attention. It’s about stepping out of your head, setting aside your fears that you “don’t know enough” or can’t fix someone’s issues, and being present for what emerges. This practice bridges the gap between medical practice and the human experience, welcomes crucial information, and forges a therapeutic partnership between all parties involved in care, further influencing health outcomes. In an era where patients feel more pressure to be highly informed about our biology and potential treatments, it's vital to remind us that we don’t have to know all the answers. And that some may be hiding where we least expect them to be in the stories we are holding.
“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”
In healthcare today, the term “patient-centered” care refers to an approach that prioritizes the patient’s values, preferences, and experiences in healthcare decision-making. It involves respecting and responding to individual patient needs and preferences, ensuring that patients are active participants in their care and that their voices are heard and respected throughout the healthcare process. Patient-centered care emphasizes empathy, communication, shared choice management, and collaboration between healthcare providers and patients.
It then stands to reason that the healthcare provider and the patient are integral to the journey towards resolution. The therapeutic partnership requires both parties. This perspective might seem obvious, yet it starkly contrasts with the usual navigational paths in healthcare, where such comprehensive and inclusive engagement is often lacking.
To shift this paradigm, we must redefine what it means to be a patient. Being a patient is not merely about taking directions from healthcare providers as if they hold all the answers. It’s not about demanding that they fulfill our every request–this is not feasible or advisable. Instead, being a patient involves becoming an active stakeholder in our health journey, bringing what nobody else can to the table. Beyond the clinical setting, being a patient means engaging in ongoing dialogue with our bodies, discerning the difference between our signs and symptoms, and considering our habits, experiences, and more. It involves recognizing the interconnectedness of physical symptoms with emotional, social, cultural, and environmental factors. It embraces an acknowledgment of all the determinants of our health.
As patients, we possess invaluable insights into our health that can inform and enrich the care we receive. Embracing this role empowers us to advocate for our well-being and collaborate effectively with our healthcare providers. It also enables us to discern more effectively what integrative and complementary practices and modalities align with our personal needs at that particular moment in time.
Unfortunately, amidst the noise of quick fixes, biohacks, and social media promises, our filters for discerning what’s best for ourselves have become porous. You might think of those filters as “hyper-permeable.” Instead of pausing to listen, we often scroll, click, purchase, and accumulate. We seek, yearn, quest, and pine. Narrative Medicine offers an antidote to this impulse. It’s more than just a tool for healthcare providers. It places your stories and your deep listening back at the core of understanding and addressing your own health challenges more comprehensively. This approach nurtures a more profound sense of agency and resilience in navigating healthcare choices and decisions—those prescribed to you and those you pursue yourself.
“What can our stories reveal about these root causes?”
This reframing of the “patient” role underscores the holistic nature of patienthood. It emphasizes active engagement, self-awareness, and the profound impact of personal narratives on health and healing. Narrative Medicine practices can transcend symptom management, exploring the unique stories underlying chronic health challenges and their origins. It equips you with potential tools and insights into root causes. Ultimately, the question arises: What can our stories reveal about these root causes?
I can pose this question, but only you, accessing the stories that are as much a part of your being as your symptoms, can answer it.
The practice of Narrative Medicine invites us to reclaim a “patient-centered” approach to self-care, where our experiences, insights, and values shape the decisions that impact our health. Health becomes less about feeling broken and needing fixing and more about navigating another aspect of our life’s journey. By embracing this approach, you enhance your ability to cultivate the instincts to consider healthcare choices and foster a deeper connection with your health narrative that integrates personal wisdom and lived experience. This intersection empowers you to participate in your healing journey more actively, not by demanding that new test or prescribed intervention but by better conveying your health history and timeline. You ripen your expertise in you.
Gimme the Tools, Please!
The tools of Narrative Medicine are simple yet very effective. They allow you to more easily tap into parts of you that may not be visible to the naked eye or seen on a test or a scale. They’re also highly accessible no matter where you are in your health journey.
Are you ready?
Here they are:
“texts”
active listening
reflection
prompted writing or telling
That’s it! Just four things.
Let’s start with “texts”. In Narrative Medicine, a “text” refers to any material that can be read, interpreted, or discussed. Those can be any of the following:
poems, short stories, novels, essays, plays
biographies, autobiographies, memoirs
photographs, paintings, and other forms of visual art
films, videos, documentaries, performance pieces, dance
music, songs, lyrics, melodies, compositions, concerts
The objective is to immerse yourself in one of these “texts” in the humanities to connect with the human experience. Even if it's the human experience of another, their expression can still touch us. When we pay attention to the place we are touched or the reflection that arises, we learn something new about ourselves. It takes what might be very academic to the very personal.
Start by engaging with a piece of art now. It could be a photograph, a picture, or an object that is currently in your view when you look up from the screen. Perhaps a quote that you have identified has meaning for you or the first book that captures your attention, shelved or stacked nearby. Approach this object or these words with a curious mind:
What do you see?
Where is this situated?
How does it feel (to look at, hold, or consider this)?
Narrative Medicine is about tapping into our anecdotes as antidotes and viewing our biographies as potential remedies. It requires time and practice. I invite you to explore these practices on these pages, through my blogs and newsletters, and in the workshops I offer. These opportunities allow us to use these tools collectively and experience how they can be applied firsthand. When I invite you to write to a prompt, go ahead and give it a try!
From Theory to Practice
Give this a whirl now. Narrative Medicine is more about practice than theory. You experience it more than I can ever tell you about it. I want to allow you to engage actively with the practice, even if only just for 10 minutes or so. I'll share a "text" that we explored during the most recent Narrative Medicine workshop I hosted.
Before I share the details, I’ll offer some context and address any confusion that might arise as you engage with the exercise below. The practice is about listening, and I assure you this practice is flexing a crucial muscle that will serve you in your health journey. As you’ll notice, the “text” below is not about health (although I sincerely believe it is about healing!) So, if you can, take a leap of trust with me and engage with an open mind and heart. You might be surprised at how powerful it is to connect to the fabric of humanity in this way.
Ok, let’s dive in!
Below is a link to a video of the Serbian conceptual artist Marina Abramović, performed at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York in 2010. This piece, part of a retrospective of her work, might be familiar to you, or it may be entirely new. Either way, approach it with curiosity and receptivity.
Engage Deeply: As you watch, I encourage you to observe with your eyes and whole being. Tune into the emotions that arise, the subtleties of interaction, and the power of communication between Marina and her audience.
Watch the Video (<3 min): Watch Marina Abramović’s performance here, and then return to continue your journey into Narrative Medicine with me on this page.
Reflect: After watching, take a moment to let the performance work on you:
What emotions did it evoke for you? Write them down or say them aloud.
What did you notice about the interaction between the individuals? Again, jot these observations down or articulate them.
How did this moment of presence and connection resonate with your own experiences of being present?
Writing Prompt Set-Up: As I remind workshop participants:
We will be writing for only five minutes.
I am not asking you to be a writer or to care about “the writing,” though I am asking you to write.
This exercise is meant to be reflective, not performative. That means, again, it’s not about the writing, the style, the quality, or the prose. It’s merely about reflecting on what comes to mind in response to the prompt and getting those thoughts on paper.
You should approach this exercise with an open mind and a willingness to explore whatever arises. Trust that your initial thoughts and responses are valuable, regardless of how they appear on the page.
Writing Prompt: Set a timer for five minutes and dive into the prompt below:
Reflect on a time you experienced a connection without words.
[5 minutes of writing to prompt]
Share Your Reflections: Please feel free to share your reflections and writings with me at scribe@andreanakayama.com. I look forward to hearing about your insights and experiences.
Embracing Uncertainty
There! You’ve just practiced Narrative Medicine. Narrative Medicine isn’t about having all the answers or “fixing” every ailment—it’s about the process of healing. It encourages embracing the unknown and exploring uncharted territories within ourselves. It allows for a deeper connection to parts of us that remain hidden. In these moments of uncertainty, we can discover insights that may elude us when we seek absolute certainty. This approach is akin to the scientific method, which does not seek to prove our hypotheses right but challenges our assumptions and discovery of new insights.
Embracing uncertainty can be liberating. It opens doors to new perspectives and revelations that remain obscured when we insist on foreknowledge. Narrative Medicine challenges us to listen bravely—not only to comfortable narratives but also to those that push against our preconceptions, including stories from marginalized voices and those traditionally silenced.
We must continue to evolve and challenge ourselves to hear, listen, and embrace more fully. And I encourage you to do this for yourself. Please do not silence the messages from your body, history, or self. Listening to these whispers and shouts can guide you more accurately through your health journey, revealing the interconnectedness of your physical symptoms with your broader life narrative.
A Pathway to Empowerment
Narrative Medicine offers more than a clinical approach–it represents a paradigm shift in understanding and managing our health. By placing your story at the center of your healthcare, Narrative Medicine empowers you to play a more active role in your treatment and overall well-being.
Again, this approach is not intended to replace the traditional medicine modalities you choose but rather to complement and enhance it. It offers a holistic view that recognizes the significance of your experiences and emotions in the healing process. It transforms your patient experience by treating your narrative as a crucial element of your health, not just as a backdrop to the symptoms. You deserve this enriched approach!
The true power of Narrative Medicine lies in its ability to transform the healthcare experience from passive receipt to active participation, allowing you, the patient, to articulate your experiences and be heard. Even if you are the one taking the time to listen to yourself, this shift can be profoundly healing. It helps you to create an environment where you can thrive, recognizing that your stories and experiences significantly influence your health outcomes. They bring the qualitative data that we often overlook.
I believe that as more patients embrace the principles of Narrative Medicine, we can anticipate a healthcare system that values and respects our narrative context. This change promises better health outcomes and more satisfying and empowering healthcare experiences. Isn’t that something to strive for? The journey begins with us. It starts with you.
For now, take a moment to reflect on the power of your own stories and how they have shaped your health. Consider sharing these insights with your healthcare providers or your community. If you say something like: I have always had trouble sleeping, or I’ve always been constipated, or my period has always been painful, or I’ve always been scared to go to the doctor, I invite you to go back in time.
When was the first time you remember experiencing sleep challenges, or constipation, or pain, or fear?
Where were you?
What did it feel like?
What do you remember about that first time you can put memory around the sensation or the knowing that this wasn’t what others felt?
I also invite you to join me the next time I offer an opportunity to delve deeper into this potent healing art through a workshop. Show up curious, and I’ll aim to take you on a journey.
In the meantime, let your story be heard, and let it guide you toward a healthier future.
References:
Charon, R. (2016). Clinical contributions of narrative medicine. Oxford Medicine Online. https://doi.org/10.1093/med/9780199360192.003.0014
Charon, R. (2017). The principles and practice of Narrative Medicine. Oxford University Press.
Kalitzkus, V., & Matthiessen, P. F. (2009). Narrative-based medicine: Potential, pitfalls, and Practice. The Permanente Journal, 13(1), 80–86. https://doi.org/10.7812/tpp/09.996
Littlewood, R. (2003). Why narrative? why now? Anthropology & Medicine, 10(2), 255–261. https://doi.org/10.1080/1364847032000122908
Mahr, G. (2015). Narrative medicine and decision‐making capacity. Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice, 21(3), 503–507. https://doi.org/10.1111/jep.12357
Mezzich, J. E., Appleyard, W. J., Glare, P., Snaedal, J., & Wilson, C. R. (2023). Person centered medicine. Springer International Publishing Springer.
Nettleton, S., Watt, I., O’Malley, L., & Duffey, P. (2005). Understanding the narratives of people who live with medically unexplained illness. Patient Education and Counseling, 56(2), 205–210. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2004.02.010
