Date of Award

Spring 2024

Document Type

Thesis

College

School of Unrestricted Education

Primary Advisor

Dr. Grace Veach

Abstract

Humans are storytelling creatures. We use stories to communicate ideas in a memorable and engaging way, inspire people to believe in the best version of themselves, find truth in our legal system, empathize with experiences different than our own, and entertain ourselves for hours on end. Recent neuroscience proposes that the human mind thinks through stories. Narrative is the technical and broad term for story, defined as a series of actions and events that unfold over time according to proper cause and effect. Narrative practice is an emerging field comprising of storytelling treatments in therapy and medicine, usually focusing on having the individual create their autobiography and continually retell it to derive themes and purpose from it. It is based on the even more radical idea that the human mind heals through narratives. Acquired Brain Injury, abbreviated as ABI, includes any brain injury after birth, the most common of which is a concussion. ABIs cause impairments, permanent disability, and death in multiple millions of people in the United States alone, affecting more than breast cancer and HIV/AIDs. Despite its prevalence, current ABI treatments have fallen short because brain injuries are experienced differently by every individual and often cause severe problems that are not physically apparent. These four main “invisible problems” include: 1) a dysfunction in time perception, memory, and executive functions, 2) a loss of self-identity, 3) emotional and mental health issues, and 4) social isolation. This thesis argues that narrative practices are the answer for treating these issues because narratives by their nature are time-organizers, meaning-makers, emotion-stimulators, and community-connectors. Each point is proven on the foundation of neurology, by connecting areas of the brain an ABI damages to brain areas that narratives activate and potentially heal. Then, this thesis shows that the research studying narrative practices and these issues proves it is an effective treatment option and suggests that future research will confirm they remain effective

3 for many ABI patients experiencing these same problems. Narrative practices may not be the answer for every individual because brain injuries are such a personal issue, but for their adaptable nature makes them effective for that very reason. This effectiveness would likely increase when combined with currently used neurological and therapeutic treatments. Millions of people are suffering silently from the ramifications of an ABI. Narrative practices have the power to write them a happy ending.

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