Narrative Medicine

What It Means, What It's Meant To Me

In today’s post, I’m going to present to you a practice called “Narrative Medicine”. Before you look at me sideways, I’ll explain what it is, how it works, and how it can be applied in our daily lives as humans in the community and working in a Healthcare environment. I will also share what Narrative Medicine has meant to me, including why I think this vital tool should be implemented in the care of Healthcare Workers, Teachers, Police/EMS, and so on. I’ll include some links throughout so you can dive deeper if you’re interested, that way we don’t get lost in the weeds and can stick to the good stuff. If you’re interested, I’ve recorded myself narrating this post and you can listen as you read by clicking the button above. Hope you enjoy!

Fun Terms for today:

Doctor — a qualified practitioner of medicine

Medicine, the practice of — the applying of medical or surgical agencies for the purpose of preventing, relieving, or curing disease, or aiding natural functions, or modifying or removing the results of physical injury (University of Michigan School of Law, 1906)

Continuing Education — learning activities to maintain and elevate practice for doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and other professionals

Narrative Medicine — the incorporation of writing and the arts to tell a story, helping to shine a light on the personhood of an individual

Delight — a great pleasure

Family Time - What a delight!

Lifelong Learners

A succinct way to summarize what a doctor does is called the “practice of medicine”. Depending on their interest and expertise, doctors may specialize in different practices (Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, nephrology, etc.).

Once they’ve completed school, internships, residencies, or fellowships, doctors and other healthcare workers maintain their scientific knowledge and update their practice every year by obtaining Continuing Education credits/hours. They/we do this by reading medical journals and attending webinars/conferences on various evidence-based topics and many states require us to obtain a certain number of Continuing Education credits/hours very few years.

(At this point, dear reader, you’re probably wondering why the heck I’m talking about all this doctor stuff. Worry not, I’m coming around to my point currently).

The auditorium

Yesterday, I attended the 9th Annual Narrative Medicine Conference. It was hosted in the hospital where I was born as a human and raised as a nurse (also where 2/3 of my kids were born). They offered Continuing Education hours for doctors and nurses, and though anyone could’ve attended, I was mostly surrounded Healthcare professionals and students. Thanks to the pandemic, I haven’t been to a conference in a long while and it was lovely to be immersed in fascinating new people and topics of interest. People stew! It was delightful!!!

We spent the day learning, exercising, and sharing our experiences around the practice/concept of Narrative Medicine. One session from The Art Institute of Chicago got us thinking about first looks, interpretations, descriptions, and understanding when we tell stories (or look upon pieces of art). We learned and practiced Mindful Eating right before lunch, and really took our time considering our food, its origins, the purpose of eating, and the nourishing practice of meal time for our bodies and spirits. We heard a panel of individuals from across the Healthcare spectrum sharing how their lived stories say so much more about them than their titles or medical records. We learned about journalism from a medical perspective. We listened, wrote, pondered, and connected with other humans and their experiences. (The conference was offered in-person and virtually, and I was fortunate to attend in real life).

It was a lovely experience.

Ramona Donovan, RD — leading us through the practice of Mindful Eating

Narrative Medicine

I’m going to try my best to summarize NM as succinctly as possible: Narrative Medicine is the use of writing, the arts, and storytelling to connect patients and Healthcare Workers (doctors, nurses, therapists, etc.) on a deeper level, helping them develop meaningful connections in a rushed and often disconnected world.

The article I’m linking here is written by Dr. Rita Charon, who originated Narrative Medicine as an intervention to support patients and the doctors who serve them. In it, she describes the practical application of Narrative Medicine in bridging the gap between doctors and patients.

Pause for a second and consider your relationship with your own doctor/provider. What do they know about you? Not your history, diagnosis, or medication list. You, the person that you are. What do you know about them? Not their title, degree, or specialty. Them — the human experience unfolding in front of you.

How can we get to know each other better — patients and Healthcare Workers, Teachers and Students, parents and children?

Three Minutes to Spare

The concept of Narrative Medicine might seem difficult to incorporate in our hurried daily lives, but the fantastic, brilliant, and kind pediatric cardiologist, Dr. David Thoele, has boiled it down to a practice he calls “The Three-Minute Mental Makeover” (or 3MMM, for short). You can read about it in the link here or the video below.

The Fun Part

The 3MMM could be done independently, on your own, for your own information. I think the real magic happens in small groups, maybe 2-4 individuals, who spend time writing and then come together to share what they wrote. Dr. Thoele and team offer 3MMM sessions on the first and third Tuesday of every month (the list of dates can be found here). Unfortunately, I’m almost always working and unable to attend these sessions, but when I do, it’s absolutely delightful. It’s the human connection I was missing through the pandemic, as well as ongoing as a hybrid/remote worker. I want to emphasize here: these 3MMM are for all humans. Regardless of education, profession, location — these are for anyone.

Action Items

The conference yesterday got me all jazzed up. Energized! Excited about writing, sharing, and human connection. I’ve written before about the importance of storytelling in healing and thriving, and I believe Narrative Medicine is in the same vein. In addition to conversations/storytelling around human care, I’ve also considered ways of incorporating Narrative Medicine into the care of our homebound patients, people in hospice, and within teams of Healthcare Workers. I’m also thinking about how to develop a 3MMM practice in our schools — especially for the teachers and staff. I wonder about this exercise in churches and nursing homes. It almost feels like an informal support group, with no defined “topic” or “problem”. I’m interested to know if anyone else is intrigued by this.

My question to you: Does the 3MMM interest you? Had you ever heard of Narrative Medicine before? Can you think of ways that writing, the arts, and/or human connection have enriched your life?

In the comments below, or next time we connect in real life, I’d love to hear your thoughts on what I’ve shared today.

Take good care!

Love,

Jessie

PS: While I was “home”, I visited my old unit. I thought I’d go through as a non-player character and just leave unnoticed, but I ran into some former colleagues and spent a little time catching up. To say it was a delight is an understatement. The feeling of family on my first nursing unit is one that’s been unmatched throughout my entire career. Even now, 14 years later, I have not found that feeling again. To be known is the greatest gift we can give another. 10 Tower knows me. Thank goodness.

Thank you for supporting my work. For those who are paid subscribers — like a tip jar, your contribution is not expected but so appreciated. Here’s a song I recorded in reflecting on Arrivals and Departures. I am an amateur recording musician, so please disregard the… roughness of this recording :) Hope you enjoy!

Arriving Or Departing - Jessie Hammersmith