Changing the Narrative

It is a stark, emotionally charged and cruel image, captured by a photographer during the Viet Nam War. The chief of police in Saigon is holding a gun to the head of a suspected member of the Vietcong at the very moment of summary execution.

 Then fast-forward several decades to the Bansky graffiti-print take on the moment. It is the same image but the gun has been exchanged for a bouquet of flowers. Retrospectively Bansky changes the narrative. Of course the execution of the suspect remains a historical fact. But Bansky’s image is nonetheless hopeful and asks the question: ‘can we ever change entrenched narratives that we habitually spin out of our habitual patterns of war and conflict?’. This is an immense challenge at the level of international politics and behaviour: but it is also a challenge at the micro level of our own experiences.

 One of the insights of MBCBT (Mindfulness Based Cognitive Behavioural Therapy), especially when applied to patients suffering from depression, concerns the role played by rumination – rehearsing narratives in our heads over and over again – in keeping people trapped in the kinds of stories that are carbonic acid to our well-being.

 What stories do we continually tell ourselves about our past, our treatment by others, who the culprits are in our lives, who to blame, our relationships, our ‘flaws’ etc.? Not that there are no ‘truths’ in these narratives but it is a matter of how we spin them for ourselves or allow them to become traps that impede more constructive ways of engaging with others – and ourselves.

 In the last book of C.S. Lewis’s Narnia Chronicles, ‘The Last Battle’, you may recall a scene from its closing chapter as a group of dwarves huddle together in a dark and dank shed, hiding and full of fear. At least that is what was happening from their perspective. Those looking on from the outside running ‘upward and onwards’ in the direction of Aslan’s kingdom just saw the strange group of elves sitting in the sunlight under a blue sky, huddled and impervious to their calls to get up and join them in their upward journey. They were trapped inside their own narrative of fear, resentment and angst and could see neither blue sky nor sunlight.

 The wellbeing goal here is to enlarge the inner space in such a way that we can not only be aware of the narratives we spin for ourselves but have room for critical distance that allows us to interrogate these realities in a way that can be liberating and open up fresh possibilities for retelling our stories.

 Here are three quick and practical suggestions that might help us when unhealthily caught up in the negative spin of our own narratives:

1. Talk it through with someone who does not have a vested interest in keeping those stories alive but by dint of their relationship or skill, do have an interest in our wellbeing. Perhaps someone unrelated to the situation producing the narrative in the first instance can bring some air and sunshine into the dark dank shed.

2. Mindfulness practice may also be helpful. I do not think that mindfulness is a panacea for all that ails you but the practice can help. My stepson, a theoretical physics graduate, once explained entropy to me with the metaphor of a glass of water. (He did not think my ‘humanities brain’ could cope with too sophisticated an explanation!) If you drop a handful of dirt in the water the glass become murky and loses its clarity. But if you drop the same amount of dirt in a large vat or pool of water it barely affects its lucid quality. The ‘energy’ is attenuated. Mindfulness practice does not eliminate the sludge life drops into our lives at times but it does enlarge our inner space and enhances our capacity to engage with it all in a such a way that we are less likely to be overwhelmed or suffocated by the spun narratives. Taking up a seat – or a cushion or yoga mat - in a mindfulness meditation session will certainly not hurt.

3. Physical exercise. Build habits of physical activity and exercise into your life. Maybe get a bike. A bit of physical exertion, aerobic exercise or a walk can go a long way in helping us get perspective. It goes without saying, if it applies, check in with your GP and get advice on what kind of exercise is right for you.

 So, in brief, have a chat, take a seat, or go for a run. Crawl out of the shed and change the narrative.