Narrative Therapy

Abstract

The benefits of exercise and sport extend far beyond the physical and emotional to the socio-psychological, metaphysical, global, and historical. One way to introduce and maintain sport as a therapeutic tool is to do so metaphorically, using narrative-sport therapy. That is, in addition to the introduction of physical interventions, a narrative approach to therapy is well suited to stretch exercise to its fullest meanings. Exercise and sport are powerful possibilities for women in therapy. A woman's story of herself as sporting can also be a powerful language for transformative (therapeutic) experience. In this article, some of the major tenets of narrative therapy are explained using stories from women's lacrosse specifically, and for women who exercise in general. This article uses the concepts of history-making, boundaries, reflecting, and networking to illustrate only a few of the many possible productive intersections of sport and narrative therapy.