Teacher Li Ming gave a detailed explanation on the historical origin, core concepts, position in the psychological counseling system, comparison with other schools, and combination with China culture and philosophy. At the same time, he also showed the charm of narrative therapy in many application fields and examples.
First, the basic understanding of narrative therapy
After having a basic overview of the main schools of psychological counseling and the tendencies and concerns of some schools, and then comparing narrative therapy, my basic understanding of narrative therapy is:
Wide range of application scenarios: dialogue and narration in the popular sense is a common scenario and the mainstream form of psychological counseling. "Narrative therapy" has the general meaning of "narrative" and can be widely used.
The foundation of postmodern philosophy: Narrative therapy is different from dialogue and narration in the usual sense, and other counseling methods with dialogue and narration as the main forms. First of all, it lies in its existentialism and post-modern philosophical foundation-emphasizing parenting, individual differences, complexity and integrity, decentralizing and upgrading the periphery, and putting the psychological phenomenon of marginalization and disrespect in the middle.
"Tai Chi Invisible" Technology: Another aspect of the uniqueness of narrative therapy is technical inaction-in narrative therapy, psychological counselors will try their best to vent themselves, not to control visitors, but to make changes with the help of their own strength. Externalization, deconstruction, rewriting and other basic techniques are all realized by the visitors themselves changing the narrative structure.
Second, the comparison between narrative therapy and other schools.
Narrative therapy is compared with three traditional schools and some post-modern schools (the last four in the table) as follows:
Third, the core technology and personal experience
Externalization, deconstruction and rewriting are the core concepts and techniques of narrative therapy, which extend to the fields of trauma therapy and family therapy. There are also specific genealogical charts, life trees, narrative charts, safe islands and other ways to make the concepts and methods of deconstruction more concrete. These technologies need to be mastered and skilled in case practice. Here, I only use the examples I used when I recently contacted the consultant to talk about some experiences.
For example, I answered two questions of a 27-year-old patient with depression in the question-and-answer room of psychological life. The girl talked with me for nearly 50 minutes, which was equivalent to a conversation consultation. I used externalization techniques twice to help her adjust her attitude towards depression itself:
In the question-and-answer hall, she described that she had been with her boyfriend for 10 years and had been accommodating to her boyfriend. When she was depressed for three times, her boyfriend didn't care enough about her. He just played with his friends and went to jail for the crime. After she resigned and returned to China because of the pain of the patient, her boyfriend was also released from prison, and she was still recruiting friends and looking for a girlfriend who resigned without income to pay the bill. In this case, she proposed to break up with her boyfriend, but because of depression and lack of companionship, she really wanted to find another boyfriend. Moreover, I feel desperate about my current depressed state, and feel that my whole life is hopeless.
First of all, in my answer, I compare bad depression to a bad boyfriend, and I can get rid of it if I see through it, instead of carrying it on my back all my life. This is actually externalizing these bad people and things and letting her see the possibility of separation. At the same time, the experience of her family's good conditions, being admitted to a university and being admitted to a civil servant was extracted, which also made her see that she still had so many resources and advantages, laying the foundation for rewriting. It is these responses that make her feel better.
Of course, depression is not so easy to get rid of. Later, when she was uncomfortable, she talked to me once. She mentioned a very interesting understanding of depression. She was treated in the hospital, and the medicine was effective. Now she wants to go to the hospital to relieve the painful situation, but she is worried that it is not a disease, but she is like this. She is like this, "hopeless".
Here, she has two choices. One is to have a disease that can be "externalized" (she also thinks that it can be alleviated by taking medicine, but she is afraid that it is not a "disease" and treatment is useless), and the other is to have a complete self that cannot be "externalized" and be tied to depression and other things. I asked her to review this narrative again, to see clearly that the disease was not born to her, and also reminded her that even other temperament and personality things can be discovered and changed through this disease. We should face up to this disease and solve it. When I was so externalized, the girl understood, changed her cognition, admitted that she still had so much beauty and didn't enjoy it well, and wanted to face and treat the disease well.
Of course, for more serious depression, the idea of internalizing negative things such as symptoms will sprout, and this externalization needs to be continuously strengthened. This process can be combined with drugs and some rehabilitation actions, so that such self-help visitors can gradually gain experience and change.