The Power of Storytelling in the Experience of Illness

Falling ill means feeling assailed by an illness that unexpectedly erupts into our lives, interrupting the normal ow of an established existence. In this painful condition, the sick person feels inadequate and almost no longer up to the standards or expectations they previously managed to easily meet. As a result, they risk losing a positive outlook on themselves, and in some cases, they no longer feel worthy of the esteem due to a “healthy” person. Through narrative practice, space and opportunities for self-reconstruction are created. Narration in- volves a movement that involves reassembling the past in preparation for the acceptance and meaning of future events. In the therapeutic context, narrative becomes particularly e ective in making people more aware of their illness experience. Patients identify the time preceding the onset of the illness very well, nostalgically perceiving its richness, and being able to de ne with equal clarity the transformations brought about by the onset of pain and the associated su ering. In telling their stories, as they gradually enrich their narrative with further details, they can reconstruct the various phases, from the rst symptom to the various and progressive manifestations of the illness’s progression. Narrative work proves particularly rich and fruitful for personal experience because it is practiced in relationships with others, through which one’s own experience, including that of illness, is shared. Through encounters, discussions, and dialogue with others, previously unknown meanings can emerge, allowing one to perceive one’s own experience of illness di erently and discover unexpected resources of meaning.