The Meanings of Narratives Told During Psychotherapy: The Fruits of a New Observational Unit

It is the new definition of relationship narratives in psychotherapy that has led to the 14 observations about them in our review and to recognition of their meaning for the process of psychotherapy. Among the most significant externally descriptive observations about relationship narratives were, their identifiability by trained judges, their frequency in almost all sessions and their focus on recent events in intimate relationships. Internal observations came from the Core Conflictual Relationship Theme (CCRT) method applied to the narratives, including: a high frequency of wishes for closeness as well as for independence, a high frequency of negative expectations of responses from others and self, a high pervasiveness of wishes both early and late in therapy, and an increase in positive responses from others and of self as patients improved in psychotherapy.