Journal May 2026 Release_Full Edition - Flipbook - Page 55
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far as ecosystems go, a testimony to the diversity of life hidden away in the
shadows of the forest overstory above.
Discoveries that make a difference
Discoveries like the one James made are rare. But when they are stumbled upon,
they have the power to rewrite the story of what is possible. In the case of the
discovery of Excastra Albopilosa, or “from the camp”, the story of what’s possible
for how beetles camouflage themselves and blend into their environments has
been fundamentally altered. Discoveries like these in the context of narrative
therapy, where unique systems of knowledge and skill might be mapped, are
entered into through what Michael White called unique outcomes.
But unique outcomes, like Excastra, often blend into their surroundings. They are
a part of ordinary life and are too easily overlooked. At first blush, they are takenfor-granted details, obscured by their sameness. But when a therapist doing
narrative therapy asks about a unique outcome embedded in the story of a
problem wreaking havoc in a person’s life, the potential for a discovery is made
available to be investigated, and the “bird dropping” is given a second look.
The difference, however, between noticing a new species of beetle covered in
white wispy hair and investigating the details of a problem story as a unique
outcome comes down to how attention is drawn to the details of the unique
outcome.
Questions that call attention to interesting experiences must themselves be
interesting things
David Epston has long made a career of asking remarkable questions. I once
quipped with David at a workshop that the way he asks questions is not dissimilar
to how a comedian delivers a good punch line: build tension with the setup and
turn sharply into the absurd, unusual, and unexpected.
Narrative questions, to my way of thinking, are questions that are doing
something special. Though narrative therapy certainly doesn’t have a monopoly
Animative Descriptions and Vivifying Discovery: Inviting Clients Into The Marvel Of Their Understory
Journal of Contemporary Narrative Therapy, May 2026 Release, p. 52-79.
www.journalnft.com
