Another article review, this one “The Healing Power of Storytelling” by Richard C. Senelick, M.D. written for Huffington Post.
In this article, Dr. Senelick advocates doctors using storytelling as a way to give advice and as an important part of understanding the patient’s condition. In his words, “Storytelling is a two-way street. Illnesses unfold as stories, and physicians need to learn how to listen to those stories. The same is true of giving advice, for if good advice is given in the wrong way (a listing of individual facts), the patient will not follow it.” To illustrate the importance of listening to patients, Dr. Senelick cites his time with an elderly Scandinavian ship captain, or an immigrant woman struggling in her new land, and how hearing these stories - and the stories of other patients - teaches him while allowing him to know the full context of a patients condition. He then compares this to the experience of taking his 95 year old mother to the doctor, and emotionlessly answering the required questions dictated by the appointed medical assistant. As he explains his criticism, “We might as well have been answering a robot, for when he was done, he knew no more about my mother than when we first sat down.” After recognizing the interpersonal benefit of stories being shared by patients, Senelick continues by citing specific ways and examples of how and why storytelling is an effective tool when doctors are providing information, primarily focusing on how a person is more likely to remember and apply a story as opposed to a listing of fact or processes.
Put simply, I love this article and it supports much of what I am coming to understand about storytelling as a medical tool. I particularly appreciate how Dr. Senelick acknowledges that a doctor must both listen to and share stories to make using storytelling as a tool fully effective. The previous article I reviewed (“The Healing Power of Story”) discussed using literature studies to practice listening to a patient, but this article emphasizes focusing on the patient’s story - studies of metaphor aren’t needed when discussing what actually happened to a person. Dr. Suzanne Koven (from the previous article) suggested that using literary examples makes it easier to discuss difficult topics with patients - that may be true, but I believe that if one is able to move beyond discomfort and listen to what’s actually happening without judgement, it provides an clearer picture of what’s occurring. Granted, some people may be hesitant to share personal information, and literary examples may help to provide comfort by making the reality of what’s happening more abstract, but in my experience, more often than not, people love to share stories if a listener shows genuine interest in what is being shared. From the tone of his article, it seems that Dr. Senelick is pushing for the doctors not to listen to patients because “they are required to” or “it’s part of the procedure”, but because there is a genuine interest in gathering more information. To make this interest genuine and not merely “put on” is, perhaps, the trickiest part, but I suggest that once a doctor is willing to truly listen, he or she will quickly see improvements in both his or her professional and personal life thus continuing this practice for reasons of enjoyment and self-improvement. This provides a departure from the methodic, banal procedures that might plague routine visits. Again, Senelick, “As we careen into the digital age…Storytelling, in its various forms, may be one way to connect more meaningfully with our patients, to both help us get to know them individually and help them understand their physical condition.”
Despite the praise I am heaping upon this article, there are questions that remain. First, Does a busy doctor have time to create a personal connection with every patient who comes through the office door? When Senelick describes hearing the stories of his sea captain patient, he says, in his words, “I always asked my office to block out twice the usual amount of time so I could get a double dose of his spellbinding stories.” This is wonderful if time allows, but as I understand it, many doctors are already overworked and taxed for time. Scheduling extra time to spend with someone because they are a natural storyteller is a privilege that many practitioners may not have. How does one deal with the limits of an 8 hour, or even 12 hour shift?
There is also the question of personal investment in a patient - by creating the personal relationship that naturally develops by sharing stories, could a doctor risk providing less sound medical advice because of personal feelings toward a patient? While I, admittedly, have never worked or received training as a medical practitioner, as I understand things, a doctor is expected to keep emotions out of the medical equation - would personal story sharing create emotions that could potentially cloud professional judgement?
I do not raise these questions as a nonbeliever in Dr. Senelick’s article, but as a critical reader. While my gut agrees whole heartedly with the ideas expressed in the article, I promised myself and readers of this blog that I would carefully examine everything read and posted - my goal is to find a truth about any benefits and share information, not to adhere to a dogmatic belief in the miracles of storytelling.
That said, my favorite part of Senelick’s article is when he backs up his claims and observances with facts. In 2011, the “Annals of Internal Medicine” published a study that looked at whether storytelling could improve the blood pressure of people with hypertension. In this study, two groups of African-Americans with high blood pressure were observed, one group heard stories from peers about how to deal with high blood pressure while the other group received different materials, and the results are what would be expected from reading his article. In Senelick’s words, “The group that watched stories related by peers who shared their problem were more successful in lowering their blood pressure than the other half. A story told by a friend or peer is most effective in creating a lasting memory.” While this is only one example, and can in no way provide proof of the power of storytelling, it is some does provide information that gives even more weight to the argument.
Those are my thoughts, but what do you think? Can anyone provide more examples of studies concerning the benefits or lack there of when using storytelling? Does anyone have any stories they would like to share?
Article: Richard C. Senelick, M.D. “The Healing Power of Storytelling.” Published April 9th, 2012 in Huffington Post. Accessed January 17th, 2016. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/richard-c-senelick-md/patient-care_b_1410115.html
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