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I can see the appeal of narrative therapy, but I think it has some limits that aren’t always acknowledged. Arthur Frank explains that narrative therapy empowers people by focusing on “sparkling moments” and externalizing problems (Frank 555). That sounds good in theory, but it can also feel like it oversimplifies real struggles. Just rewriting a story doesn’t fix structural problems like poverty, racism, or unequal access to care.

For instance, John Sharp’s TEDx talk argues that people can “change their life by changing their story.” While inspiring, it puts the responsibility on individuals rather than addressing the systems that shape their realities. This critique came up in the Inclusive Healthcare and Social Justice podcast, which pointed out that narrative medicine has to go hand-in-hand with systemic change if we want to tackle racial health inequalities (Apple Podcasts).

I also struggled with the heavy emphasis on coherence. Diana Moreno’s TEDxUF talk suggests that creating a personal narrative helps us map our identity, but what about people whose lives don’t fit neatly into a coherent story? Frank himself admits that some experiences resist narrative (560), so why push people to frame them that way?

Finally, I’m skeptical of therapeutic letters. In the session video, the idea is that the therapist writes to empower the client, but it still reflects the therapist’s interpretation. That makes me wonder if it actually shifts power back to the therapist, instead of fully letting people tell their own stories.

So while narrative therapy can definitely help people reframe experiences, I think it risks romanticizing storytelling and sometimes glossing over the bigger picture.

Works Cited

Frank, Arthur W. “What is Narrative Therapy and How Can it Help Health Humanities?” Journal of Medical Humanities, vol. 39, 2018, pp. 553–563.

Moreno, Diana. Real Talk: Mapping Our Identities Through Personal Narrative. TEDxUF, 2019, www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Uqy_pZxtIY.

Sharp, John. Change Your Story, Transform Your Life. TEDxBeaconStreet, 2015, www.youtube.com/watch?v=MN_zmzKT2Wk.

“Inclusive Healthcare and Social Justice: Disrupting Racial Inequalities Through Narrative Medicine.” The Nocturnists Podcast, Apple Podcasts, 2019, podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/inclusive-healthcare-and-social-justice-disrupting/id1456643447?i=1000445540298.

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The illustrator plays the role of someone who identifies the most relevant

and persuasive examples. This role can help the group strengthen its

overall argument

One of the relevant and persuasive examples that narrative therapy is useful in health humanities is externalizing a problem from the person and externalizing it. I also think that it's notable that this does not in any way easier or less harmful to the patient. “Externalizing the problem is a first step in rejecting a narrative of failure and humiliation” (Frank 558). I think this new perspective of an illness or problem that we have is also by medicine to be implied that it is a part of our identity. Like we have an inherent flaw and that it is our fault in part. It helps discipline them on who they are and who they can be while living with an illness. This new perspective on therapy and how we view our problems almost in isolation can be useful to map out modalities and understand better patient individuality.

Another example is how narrative therapy can shift the language we use when externalizing to gradually change how someone views themselves and their problems. Using language, we can make habits or mannerisms of someone with illness into a kind of disempowering of the illness. “She has obsessive-compulsive disorder; it becomes an aspect of her identity and her very being” (Frank 555). By using that language we don’t differentiate the problem and the solution to that problem is that the person must be changed and not that the problems or actions caused by it. Using language, we can inversely use actions in narrative therapy to then come to understandings of the problem. Using language therapist can reappropriate a person’s self on narrative line that are closer to what their desired narratives for their life.

These two ideas are good examples that narrative therapy can be used to better health humanities in therapy. It makes it more positive and less humiliating for patients to talk about their issues and can give them tools to understand better and gain new perspective of their actions and problems.

Works Cited

Frank, A.W. "What is Narrative Therapy and How Can it Help Health Humanities" 2018, Journal of Medical Humanities, 39, pp.553-563

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Proponent- Antonio Osuna Garcia:

In "Narrative Therapy Session" I believe it is meant to assist people but I also believe it lacks the actual support some people may need. Not every issue can be broken down to easy to fix problems. Although externalizing the problem may seem easy, it does not fix the issue at hand unless their is actual corrective action.

In "Real Talk: Mapping our Identities Through Personal Narrative | Diana Moreno | TEDxUF" Diana points out that we must overcome ourselves to reach a better understanding of ourselves and to assist others in speaking out for themselves. If we are extroverts we must step back and allow those more introvert their moment to speak about their experiences, the extroverts must listen and hear others speak so we can understand and connect with others. Creating a personal narrative and being unafraid to speak about it can assist us in achieving more personal growth.

In "Change Your Story, Transform Your Life | John Sharp | TEDxBeaconStreet" John tells us about how easy it is for one to blame themselves for causing an issue because for our minds its the easiest way to soothe and resolve the issue, additionally if we are only "nurtured" to dismiss achievements then we will not care about achieving our goals in life, if we are used to disappointment then we will always expect disappointment and not try to achieve anything. We must fix our narrative and use our "spoon" to fix our narrative to a more positive method. Using our "knife" we will achieve our goals and cut through the fake scenarios we create in our heads.

In "What Is Narrative Therapy And How Can it help health humanities" tells us about story telling in therapy such as in the sleep thief, it glosses over the real issues at hand. Patients need actual therapy not being told to create a fun story.

Works Cited

Frank, Arthur W. “What is Narrative Therapy and How Can it Help Health Humanities?” Journal of Medical Humanities, vol. 39, 2018, pp. 553–563.

Moreno, Diana. Real Talk: Mapping Our Identities Through Personal Narrative. TEDxUF, 2019, www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Uqy_pZxtIY.

Sharp, John. Change Your Story, Transform Your Life. TEDxBeaconStreet, 2015, www.youtube.com/watch?v=MN_zmzKT2Wk.

“Inclusive Healthcare and Social Justice: Disrupting Racial Inequalities Through Narrative Medicine.” The Nocturnists Podcast, Apple Podcasts, 2019, podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/inclusive-healthcare-and-social-justice-disrupting/id1456643447?i=1000445540298.

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When learning about narrative therapy, I think it’s important to ask some deeper questions about its limits as well as its strengths. Arthur W. Frank talks about how people can “re story” their lives by reshaping experiences into more meaningful narratives. That sounds powerful, but I wonder how realistic it always is. If someone rewrites their story in a way that feels too idealized, does it risk avoiding important truths? Can creating a new story sometimes become a way of escaping problems rather than dealing with them?

In the therapy session video, I noticed how the therapist encouraged the client to externalize their problem, treating it as separate from their identity. While that can make people feel less defined by their struggles, I question whether it might also oversimplify things. For example, if someone frames addiction or trauma as an outside “enemy,” does that make it harder to take responsibility for choices that still belong to them?

The TED talks raised more questions for me. Diana Moreno emphasized how stories connect us to culture and community, but what happens if someone’s personal story doesn’t fit with the larger cultural story around them? Can narrative therapy really help people balance those conflicts, or does it focus too much on the individual? John Sharp’s idea of “changing your story, changing your life” was inspiring, but it also made me think about privilege. Not everyone has the same freedom to reshape their story when they face systemic barriers like racism, poverty, or inequality.

Overall, I’m not doubting the value of narrative therapy, but I think it’s worth asking whether it sometimes puts too much faith in storytelling alone. How do we make sure it stays grounded in reality while still offering people hope?

Frank, Arthur W. “What Is Narrative Therapy and How Can It Help Health Humanities?” Journal of Medical Humanities, vol. 39, no. 4, 2018, pp. 553–563. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10912-018-9531-6

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“ Narrative Therapy Session.” YouTube, uploaded by Michael White Archive, 7 Apr. 2014, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tL6wtIj4fyA

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Moreno, Diana. Real Talk: Mapping Our Identities Through Personal Narrative. TEDxUF, Apr. 2016. YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Uqy_pZxtIY

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Sharp, John. Change Your Story, Transform Your Life. TEDxBeaconStreet, Dec. 2013. YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MN_zmzKT2Wk

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“Inclusive Healthcare and Social Justice: Disrupting Racial Inequalities Through Narrative Medicine.” Inclusive Healthcare and Social Justice, podcast audio, Apple Podcasts, 25 July 2019, https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/inclusive-healthcare-and-social-justice-disrupting/id1456643447?i=1000445540298

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Summarizer - Adam Solares

Our group’s discussion of narrative therapy and narrative medicine highlighted the complexity of these approaches, with each role identifying distinct strengths and limitations.

The Proponent noted that narrative therapy enables individuals to externalize problems and reshape their stories, supporting personal growth and self-understanding. Diana Moreno's TED talk illustrated how sharing personal narratives allows people to connect across differences. While John Sharp argued that changing our story can transform our life paths. These perspectives highlight the therapeutic value of storytelling.

The Illustrator offered clear examples of how language shapes experience and can empower. By externalizing illness, narrative therapy reduces stigma and helps patients distinguish their identity from their condition. For example, reframing the illness as something a person has, rather than is, can empower patients to challenge negative self-perceptions and encourage new possibilities for healing.

The Critic and Skeptic raised important concerns. They pointed out that while storytelling has true value, it can oversimplify challenges or place undue responsibility on individuals without addressing structural issues such as racism, poverty, or unequal access to care. The Inclusive Healthcare and Social Justice podcast reinforced that narrative medicine must go hand-in-hand with systemic change to address racial health disparities. Additional concerns included the risk that not every life fits neatly into a story and that therapeutic letters may unintentionally shift j power back to the therapist, rather than centering the client’s voice.

Conclusion

Our group's perspectives show that narrative therapy is both powerful and limited. It provides individuals with tools to reframe their experiences and reclaim agency, but it cannot, by itself, solve systemic inequities. The challenge and the opportunity is to use narrative practices alongside broader social and structural change. This means honoring the dignity of each person's story while also pushing for justice in the systems that shape those stories.

Work Cited

Frank, Arthur W. "What Is Narrative Therapy and How Can It Help Health Humanities?" Journal of Medical Humanities, vol. 39, 2018,

Moreno, Diana. Real Talk: Mapping Our Identities Through Personal Narrative. TEDUF, 2019, www.youtube.com/watch?

Sharp, John. Change Your Story, Transform Your Life.

TEDxBeaconStreet, 2015, www.youtube.com/watch?

"Inclusive Healthcare and Social

Justice: Disrupting Racial

Inequalities Through Narrative

Medicine." The Nocturnists

Podcast, Apple Podcasts, 2019, podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/ inclusive-healthcare-and-social-justice-disrupting/id1456643447? i=1000445540298.