Narrate It Until You Become It

Anna Bortolan

doi:10.1017/apa.2020.46

Abstract

AbstractResearch in phenomenology and philosophy of psychiatry has suggested that psychopathological disturbances of experience often involve an alteration of one's ‘sense of possibility’, dependent upon the presence of specific ‘existential feelings’ (Ratcliffe 2012). In this paper I provide an extended account of how the engagement with certain narratives can lead to a transformation of one's sense of possibility by eliciting affective experiences that are not consonant with the person's existential feelings. More precisely, I claim that, even when the experience of some types of emotion is generally precluded by a restricted sense of possibility, such emotions may be aroused by particular self-narratives, and I explore how this dynamic can give rise to enduring and wide-ranging affective changes.

Highlights

In contemporary phenomenology and philosophy of psychiatry it has been claimed that various forms of mental illness involve an alteration of the person’s ‘sense of possibility’ (Ratcliffe : )
Existential feelings are conceived as a particular set of bodily feelings that are not directed at any particular object, but are rather experiences of one’s relationship with the world as a whole, and it is claimed that the sense of possibility fundamentally impinges upon them
The elaboration and modification of certain self-narratives has been seen as a central aspect of treatment and recovery processes (Bortolan a; Pickard ), and as something that may have the power to trigger enduring affective transformations. This is the idea at the core of various narrative approaches to psychotherapy (Angus and Greenberg ; Payne ), where emphasis has been placed on the role played by narratives in self-regulation and on how changes in the way in which one’s life stories are conceived and recounted can have wide-ranging effects on mental health

Summary

Introduction

In contemporary phenomenology and philosophy of psychiatry it has been claimed that various forms of mental illness involve an alteration of the person’s ‘sense of possibility’ (Ratcliffe : ). The elaboration and modification of certain self-narratives has been seen as a central aspect of treatment and recovery processes (Bortolan a; Pickard ), and as something that may have the power to trigger enduring affective transformations This is the idea at the core of various narrative approaches to psychotherapy (Angus and Greenberg ; Payne ), where emphasis has been placed on the role played by narratives in self-regulation and on how changes in the way in which one’s life stories are conceived and recounted can have wide-ranging effects on mental health. I claim that even when a restricted sense of possibility makes it difficult to experience certain emotions in relation to ourselves, the ability to engage affectively with fictional characters may enable the experience of these emotions in response to particular self-narratives, paving the way to broader modifications of one’s existential feelings and sense of possibility. The emphasis on the transformational role of certain practices highlighted by the use of the verb ‘to become’ is what my title aims to echo

NARRATE IT UNTIL YOU BECOME IT

Conclusion