The Benefits of the Narrative Approach

The Narrative approach in solution-focused coaching facilitates self-discovery by helping you explore and reexamine the narratives that have shaped you long before you were born. Naturally, it is based on the foundational concepts of Narrative Therapy, a therapeutic and psychological approach that reveals a timeless truth on what it means to be human:

Essentially, every single one of us has come to Earth to write and live meaningful stories, but many of us get sidetracked, distracted, or destroyed by archetypal forces (i.e. jealousy, abuse, envy, hatred, violence, etc.) that interrupt our stories in cyclical ways and prevent us from moving forward. So, in order to find healing, it is important to understand our story and to recover our agency so we can reclaim our birthright of living meaningful lives on Earth. Indeed, in our modern era, much of our suffering stems from the fact that we have been disconnected and alienated from our personal, intergenerational, cultural, spiritual, traditional, and historical stories, which means that we struggle to know who we are, where we come from, and where we are going. What is the ultimate goal of the human species on Earth? Why are we here? What are we supposed to strive for? What’s the point of everything we experience on Earth? In the absence of meaningful answers, we fall in deep chasms of despair, spinning further and further away into chaos and existential nihilism. In truth, we have forgotten how we should tend to the roots of the Ancestral Tree all humans sprang from, and as a result, we continue to suffer through unimaginable atrocities, wars, conflicts, and violence on an individual, national, and international scale.

Narrative Therapy suggests that all of life is a story, and all humans write and live their stories, not in a vacuum, disconnected from themselves or their environment, but in a seamless symbiotic relationship with All Life. As such, if we can learn to understand and reclaim our authentic voice within our own stories, and if we can find the path back to our True Authentic Selves, we will contribute to healing the world. By finding the answers to the existential questions that plague our individual lives, we can cultivate hope, transmute our despair into meaningful action, and serve our communities as conscious, global citizens of the world.

Ancestral Narratives

For instance, before the emergence of modern systems of thought among many Indigenous populations, these communities had developed sophisticated and deeply spiritual health systems that addressed the deeper realities that affect or disturb human life and balance on earth. For example, in the majority of Indigenous cultures around the world, oral traditions and Ancestral narratives are shared and passed down through generations to contribute to the instruction, elevation, and restoration of the spirit. The Narrative Approach is, therefore, a modern adaptation of holistic wellbeing modalities and oral traditions that have existed for millennia. Through vulnerable encounters, deep sharing, writing exercises, and inspiring readings, the narrative approach explores the many stories that shape our existence: significant memories, family and cultural influences, as well as the difficult chapters we wish to transform. It draws upon the words, stories, poems, songs, proverbs, and wisdom of countless griots, prophets, healers, sages, elders, and ancestors who have passed down transcendental knowledge through writings, chants, and sacred texts—enabling us to overcome the challenges and obstacles on our path.

By attending to our own stories and the stories of our ancestors that we carry deep in our bodies, our blood, and our genes, we open up new portals of time, where we can once again re-experience the oral storytelling traditions of the past: sitting at the feet of the wise—those who came before us and those still living—to listen, learn, and be transformed through their stories. In so doing, the Narrative Approach offers us the possibility to travel through time, deepen our understanding, reclaim our collective memory, and dismantle the lies and distortions that have long warped our history. By reconnecting with these ancient and powerful voices, the narrative approach helps us regain our inner strength, heal our invisible wounds, soothe our suffering, repair what has been broken, restore our integrity, and find balance—so that we may move forward toward a more rooted and conscious existence.

(Hi)stories as Sacred Sanctuaries for the Soul

The elders of many Indigenous cultures around the world also understood that it is impossible to cultivate mental, physical, spiritual, emotional, familial, and relational well-being without knowing oneself. And it is simply not possible to know oneself without knowing one’s history. Hence the importance and necessity of stories, oral traditions, and the narrative approach. Humans all over the world, from all nations, cultures, and tribes, have been severed from their cultural, traditional, and ancestral stories, but many are starting to remember—and with that remembrance comes a profound, restless question echoing in the souls of all Honest Seekers: Who are we, really? Without a doubt, we are witnessing a pivotal moment in history—a humanist revolution—which is unfolding all around us. People are searching for answers about who they truly are and what they need to live a meaningful. They seek a profound understanding of their identity, existence, and place in the universe.