Self-Narrative in a Therapeutic Group Pathway for Cancer Patients: Discussion of the Group Narrative Psychotherapy Intervention Initiated at the Veneto Institute of Oncology: IOV IRCCS of Padua

Abstract

The following article proposes a reflection on the experience of Narrative Therapy of a group of cancer patients, non-homogeneous for sites and stages of disease, participating to a therapeutic writing path, in order to process the trauma reactive to cancer and to reflect on themselves. Taking inspiration from the assumption that “writing helps when people are faced with a stumble”, facilitating the process of distancing from life-events, each writer establishes either context, in a more intimate and true way, or memories and emotions connected to it, in order to express them to the group and to themselves too, and to identify new adaptation styles. The therapeutic path lasted eight meetings, during which some themes were chosen to guide the written reflection, which was carried out at home, and then shared with the group. The therapeutic path is an opportunity to adjust the perspective with which the specialist accompanies patients during the adaptation process to the disease, moving from the “explanation” to “comprehension”; from symptom to “sense”. The group narration is based on a relational perspective of co-construction of the meaning of experiences, highlighting the different roles and relevance of the factors involved.