“Art helps us know what it is to be alive.”

 

The name was coined by Rita Charon M.D., founder and Director of the Program in Narrative Medicine. Dr. Charon’s manifesto can be found in her book “Narrative Medicine: Honoring the Stories of Illness.” You can meet her online at: http://tedxtalks.ted.com/video/TEDxAtlanta-Dr-Rita-Charon-Hono

 

Narrative medicine is part of the health humanities and draws on scholarship in literary theory, phenomenology, ethics, social science, and the creative arts. It promotes “narrative competency” - the ability to respect, listen and respond to stories of illness and healing. Top medical schools in the U.S. and abroad have embraced it as a necessary complement to scientific education.

 

Narrative medicine enriches the “art” of medicine through creative and reflective practices that counterbalance the impersonal and reductive forces shaping contemporary healthcare.

Research shows that narrative competency can improve listening skills, encourage creative thinking, and build cultural awareness, resulting in greater patient compliance and better outcomes.

 

Participants read, write and listen together, exploring their experiences as givers or receivers of care. The facilitator brings a selected narrative in the form of personal narrative, literature, art or film to share with the group as a focus for reflection and inspiration.