Absent (but implicit) in Narrative Therapy

I attended a workshop last weekend on Narrative Therapy. Lovely stuff, Narrative . . . it brings out good stories in people. A person’s story is important because that’s how we make sense of ourselves – by the stories we know about our selves and the stories others know about us. A bad story distorts how we and others see us, and when a person comes to counselling, it’s the bad, or problem, story they usually bring with them. One thing that really excited me about last weekend's workshop was learning about the Narrative metaphor, "absent (but implicit)".

The absent (but implicit) story is the one that tells you what a person stands for in life. This story is usually about something a person really values or cares about, which has been threatened or damaged in some way. The absent (but implicit) story will stand in contrast to the problem story. What a person stands for is not the problem story, but the reason that story is a problem.

Let’s look at a common problem story – anger, and let’s say someone who is angry about something comes to see you. As you listen to them talk about the events that led to anger, how angry they are, or what’s been happening as a result of anger, listen also for what they may not be verbalising: their values, dreams, hopes and passions. This is the absent (but implicit) story. One way of bringing this out is to ask, "If this anger was about something you value, and this value was threatened or being damaged in some way - what might that something be?" Possible responses to this question could include:

• “my ability to be independent”
• “respect”
• “my sense of justice”

The absent (but implicit) story becomes the alternate story, and you can guarantee that the person will have other stories in their life around this alternate story. This is the good story, the one they stand for in life. The one that gives them meaning and purpose in life. The best thing about good stories is that they have good effects in the sense of self and in one’s ability to act in relationships.

Stories also act as a guide for our next steps. A problem story will have a path, which includes actions and a destination, that is shaped by the problem. By drawing out the absent but implied story, we make it available as a guide to further actions. As you might guess, the path of anger is very different from the path of independence, respect or a sense of justice.

As a result of this workshop, I find I am listening differently to my clients. I am listening for what is absent (but implied), because underneath a problem story is a story about values, dreams, hopes and passions . . . you know, the good stuff that good stories are made of. This is what makes Narrative Therapy a therapy of literary merit, where the client re-authors their own story, and the counsellor becomes researcher, writer and publisher of good stories.