Journal October 2026 Special DISPUK Release_Full Version - Flipbook - Page 114
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Afterword: What Is the Spirit of Narrative Practice?
Lasse Offenberg, DISPUK
The seven articles we have presented in this special issue of JCNT showcase
various examples of written narrative practices. In this afterword, I will examine
some of what these practices may have in common—a set of presuppositions that
shape a particular perspective and a specific way of viewing people. It is a set of
presuppositions that manifests itself in the written practices presented here but
can also be brought into play in countless other ways. And perhaps it can say
something about the spirit of our narrative practices?
To examine these presuppositions more closely, I will introduce Hilde Lindemann
Nelson9s concept of morally degrading identities. Using this concept as a starting
point, I will examine some of the practices described in the other articles and
highlight how they—perhaps precisely as a hallmark of narrative practices—seek
to avoid the assignment of degrading identities that seem to happen routinely in a
lot of everyday practices. Instead, they insist on viewing people as moral agents.
But first, I want to tell you about a meeting with a massage therapist.
Many years ago, I had an uneventful experience that I nevertheless keep
returning to. At a time when I was also dealing with several other problems in my
life, I struggled for quite some time with back pain, so I sought out a massage
therapist to do something about it. True to a frugal attitude of mine, I ended up
booking an appointment with a therapist who was relatively newly trained but
worked under the supervision of more experienced therapists. Even though I had
high hopes that the treatment would do me good, it would also be nice if it didn9t
cost too much.
The day of the first treatment arrived. I lay down on the table, and the treatment
began. The therapist quickly identified significant tension around my neck and
Afterword: What Is the Spirit of Narrative Practice?
Journal of Contemporary Narrative Therapy, October 2026 Special Release, p. 113-130
www.journalcnt.com
