Re-Dreaming Healing through Narrative & Story - Visiting Scholar Catherine Olweny

Bringing with her the traditional Aboriginal practices of dadirri—a sacred practice of deep listening, reflection, stillness, and connection to the land—and yarning—a conversational practice used by indigenous Australians to share knowledge, stories, and culture—Catherine Olweny talks about ways that art and narrative techniques allow difficult experiences to be shared. Catherine has been using narrative therapy with doctors and other healthcare workers to help them describe the unique experiences and challenges faced in remaining empathetic and whole-person focused in today’s healthcare system. In this workshop, Catherine will share the work she is discovering and building upon during a 45-minute lecture. Following that, she leads us in a short experience of narrative therapy, in which we can begin to explore and repair our own stories of illness and healthcare. Find out more about Catherine and her residency at Commonweal New School on our website: tns.commonweal.org.

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