Chronic Illness and Storytelling

"As E.M. Forster, the celebrated British author, once noted: 'The king died and then the queen died' is a story. 'The king died and then the queen died of grief ' is a plot... That is, the narrative stories that we most enjoy don't just tell us what happened; they attempt to explain to us the connections between past, present and future events."

"Memories are the vehicle through which we have access to our past. Memories are powerful: To recall a pleasant memory causes pleasure; to recall a painful memory causes discomfort. For many people living with chronic illness, the onset of illness is a painful memory. There is a belief that illness tore one's life story in two pieces: life before illness and life with illness. It's not uncommon for people with illness to avoid thinking about their pre-illness lives because it"

Human beings create meaning through stories that connect past, present, and future, producing a felt sense of deep meaning. Life stories are unique to each person and are embedded in time as cohesive senses of past, present, and future. Memories provide access to the past and evoke pleasure or discomfort depending on content. The onset of chronic illness often becomes a painful memory that people experience as a rupture separating life before and after illness. Present narratives often encompass more than illness alone. Cultivating hope for the future and reworking plot twists can deepen life stories and increase meaning despite loss.

Read at Psychology Today