Concepts Used Throughout the Project
We recognize that the interview process may be challenging for some interviewees depending on the content of their stories. Therefore, we actively incorporate the principles of Narrative Medicine to make the process as comfortable and safe as possible.
We will create a “safe space”
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We recognize that interviewing can be a vulnerable process, so we strive to create a safe space so you can share your stories as comfortably as possible. A safe space is exactly what it sounds like: it is a safe, non-judgmental, empathetic and compassionate environment that will meet you where you feel comfortable. Our approach is drawn from various trauma research and studies which illustrate that a space of physical and emotional safety is vital to communicate effectively and process the depth of your experience(s) (Bessel Van der Kolk).
Fear worlds
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We recognize fear is an inherent component of disclosing personal struggles when participating in an interview. A fear world is a term coined by Lisa Stevenson to refer to the mental landscape an individual holds for her fears. It also serves as an avenue for another person to acknowledge and understand your fears according to your experience. We understand acknowledging your fears can help validate your fears as you experience them in your body and thereby help you feel safe and heard during the encounter. Therefore in your interview, your interviewer will engage with your fear worlds, acknowledging your fears as real, learn how they affect your life and how you move through the world. We realize that understanding your fears is integral to representing your story, through art, in a way that is true to your lived experience (Stevenson 2019).
Narrative Humility
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Your interviewer will practice narrative humility, which is acknowledging that your stories are not objects that can be fully comprehended or mastered — but rather dynamic entities with which she engages. Your interviewer will remain open to ambiguity and contradictions, and commit herself to non-judgmentally learning, receiving, and co-creating your stories with you as you kindly allow her to witness them. Additionally, recognizing the hierarchical imbalance inherent in any interviewer-interviewee relationships, your interviewer will strive to place herself in a position of some transparency by sharing a part of herself — so that the interaction supports and nourishes both you and your interviewer, enabling a deeper and more fruitful human-to-human relationship (DasGupta, 2008).
Empathetic intersubjective process
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We recognize that an interview involves a component of vulnerability where the interviewer’s reaction can greatly influence how one feels about disclosing their experience. To help make the process more comfortable for you as you share your experience, your interviewer will practice empathetic communication with you. Your interviewer will engage with your narrative by imagining your experience as you describe it in order to enter into your world with open ears and an open heart. Empathy will underlie all of your interactions with your interviewer, that is both throughout the interview and the artwork creation process in the context of an ongoing dialogue. Throughout the process, your interviewer will strive to acknowledge, validate, and support your experiences and feelings around them (Hollan 2008).
Attention, Representation and Affiliation
The three concepts of “Attention, Representation, and Affiliation” work together to invoke action through connection and experience. According to Narrative Medicine, attention is “the emptying of self so as to become an instrument for receiving the meaning of another’s (experience)” (Charon 132). Your interviewer will “empty (her)self” to absorb your actions and words and learn your stories. Upon receiving your narratives, your interviewer will represent them artistically. Finally, from attending to and representing your experiences, your interviewer and those who view your artistic artifact will affiliate with your narrative. Through engaging with the artworks, the audience’s knowledge will be enriched to help them develop into change agents (Charon 2016).
Co-authoring
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We acknowledge that you are the primary author of your own narratives. As you share them with your interviewer, we also recognize that your narratives carry the potential to be seen and/or transformed in another light since your interviewer may inevitably bring her own system of values and understanding to the interview. Throughout the process of ongoing dialogue about your experience, your narratives will become co-authored with your interviewer. Subsequently, these co-authored narratives may help illuminate new insights to your experiences and alternative ways to connect with them. Ultimately, co-authoring can introduce different avenues to remember and carry your experiences throughout your healing journey (Knox 2015).
