The healing power of culture stories: what writers can teach psychotherapists.

Abstract

The personal narrative as the shared story of one's life in cultural context is increasingly being viewed by psychotherapists as a useful way to support the work of healing. This article uses the life course narratives of creative writers, especially those who write from outside the margins of the dominant culture, as shared resources for growth. The article focuses on Isabel Allende's book Paula, which tells the story of how the experienced her daughter's death as both a shattering below and a life-expanding opportunity to revisit her lifelong storehouse of relationships and cultural resources. Out of these narratives, she drew new strengths and insights that helped her cope with her loss and create a new relationship with her daughter's spirit. The article suggests how psychotherapists concerned with honoring the complexity of culturally diverse life stories can learn to use personal narratives as resources for healing, for ourselves and with others.