How do we narrate our life experiences? With which lens do you view your life story? Which role best resonates with your essence – the Warrior, the Healer, the Teacher, or the Visionary? How does one construct a meaningful life narrative? These were some of the topics explored in action at the “Narratives in Action” Workshop this spring. In the workshop, participants explored a variety of action structures and perspectives for reflecting on one’s life journey.

One tool that was demonstrated was a four-chair “Turning Point” activity (adapted from an action structure Cathy learned from Donna Little, MSW, TEP). In this action structure, participants began with creating a personal timeline to highlights different lifetime events, memories, or significant moments. In action, a protagonist or client is then directed to select one event or point on the timeline that signifies a turning point. The director walks the protagonist/client through exploration of the time before the significant event, during, after, and at some point in the future. Each of these perspectives can then be enrolled by auxiliaries or concretized with items/images. Examination of the turning point from the different perspectives helps the protagonist to gain a more expansive and meaningful view of the turning point and helps to put it into the context of a broader life narrative.