 |
| Source: Wellsphere.com |
In its most simplified forms, the first type of knowledge is borne from study, books and classrooms. The second is more nuanced and comes from within, from the cultivation of emotional experience, reflection and discussion of transformative events.
These narrative are epiphanies, confessions and expressions of stories of self and stories of others.
Every patient has a story. Listening is not an easy skill to develop and maintain, yet it is critically necessary. Of importance, however, is that these stories be shared, either in writing or in conversation, allowing for reflection, transformation and a better understanding of the human condition.
As we become more technically savvy in medicine and are increasingly pressed for time, the power of narrative may be our saving grace.
