The Metastory Journey
Why tell your story?
Because one talks to you more than you do, telling your story to a loving person heals your brain, and finding meaning in your life experiences produces the character you need to flourish.
The Metastory Journey is an eight-week intensive that helps you discover and make meaning out of your life experiences; past, present, and future.
Origin – Who you were uniquely made to be (Strengths / Gifts / Dreams)
When we look at your story, it is sometimes tempting to begin with symptomology. After all, our symptoms are often the reason we finally seek out help in the first place. A focus on symptoms or pathology puts us to work immediately so that we can get busy finding solutions to our biggest problems.
This impulse is understandable. However, before we can diagnose or attend to symptoms, we must first establish a baseline for what is good in your life. Whatever plagues you today, that wasn't always the case. There is a "you" that existed before that. You were born with certain strengths, unique attributes, and gifts that make you who you are at your core. At some point, you had dreams and ambitions. You were unencumbered by the challenges of life.
In this eight-week intensive, we will spend time getting acquainted (or re-acquainted) with your core self. From there, we can begin to ascertain together what may have gone wrong that set you on a path away from the true self.
Fracture – What barriers stand in your way (Regrets / Wounds / Circumstances)
Each of us has experienced a measure of brokenness in our story, to a greater or lesser extent. Fracture is a way of articulating and making meaning out of each of the adverse experiences in our lives.
There are three categories that we use to frame this reality: regrets, wounds, and circumstances. Regrets are those aspects of our brokenness that are ours to take responsibility for.
They are choices we have made that have caused us and others harm. It is important for each of us to identify and acknowledge things we have said and done that have harmed people in our life and in turn have caused us heartache. Otherwise, we will never be able to move forward to a life of flourishing. Regrets, however, are not the only source of our hurts. We also have wounds; words and behaviors that others have committed against us that have deeply harmed us. Many of us were hurt by those closest to us, and in a position of authority. Thirdly, through no fault of our own, and through no fault of anyone else in particular, we have experienced circumstances that have negatively affected us; the death of a loved one, the loss of a job, etc... At Metastory, we focus on all three of these aspects of the human condition equally. Once we are able to name these hurts, we are able to begin making sense of them so that we can find healing.
Pilgrimage – Solutions you have tried (Traps / Defeat / Displacement)
As humans, we have a fighting spirit. We do not take our pain lying down. Our brains have a built-in mechanism to help us with this called our fight/flight/freeze response. In the case of any pain, wounds, or trauma we have experienced, we have each done our best to overcome, to push back, and to make a way for ourselves. Our natural response to the fracture in our stories is to spend our lives working out solutions; a journey we call pilgrimage.
Often we come to a point where the attempted solutions just aren't producing the intended results. At Metastory, we use three categories to describe the types of challenges we encounter on our journey; traps, defeat, and displacement. Where do you find yourself getting stuck over and over? Where do you notice feelings of defeat and despair? Which parts of yourself have you had to cut off or ignore in order to survive? Together, we will explore failed strategies so that we can identify a new pathway forward.
Transformation – Discovering a new identity (Freedom / Grace / Homecoming)
Most victims struggle to either over-identify with or deny their pain altogether. The purpose of the Metastory model is to help clients acknowledge their hurts and hangups, but not continue to give away their power by remaining in a victim stance. Finding a greater sense of meaning for your story is one key component of this process.
When your story is caught up in a bigger narrative, you are able to experience freedom from your adverse experiences. In this process, you are forming a new identity and taking back the reigns of leadership over your life. This process requires you to receive grace rather than rules, freedom from unwanted patterns, and a sense of homecoming within yourself. Together, we will help empower you to re-discover the true self, so that you can experience transformation and healing.
Flourishing – What resources you need to reach your potential (Practices / People / Priorities)
It can often feel like enough to simply have a mountain-top experience. When we experience epiphany, transformation, and a new identity, we often feel like we are on top of the world. We see ourselves and our circumstances in a new light. Perhaps for the first time, we are receiving grace and love within ourselves that we never thought possible.
These are wonderful experiences, however, life will continue to bring us challenges. In order to maintain the health and growth of our transformation journey will require us to put resources in place to keep us on the new path. We will work together to determine lifestyle practices such as deep breathing, meditation, and nutrition. We will identify a life team to walk alongside and support you. Studies show that relationships are a key component of a life of flourishing. It is tempting to try to go it alone, especially if we struggle to trust people, but it is important to press through that. We will also need to identify priorities. In order to maintain health, we will have to say no to certain good things in our life.
Legacy – The culmination of your life’s purpose (Goals / Plans / Sacrifice)
In this final movement of the Metastory model, we look together at your desired outcome for your life. What kind of legacy do you hope to leave in your life? We will work toward setting goals, making plans to achieve those goals, and evaluate together what sacrifices and costs you must pay in order to achieve your desired results.
This process is a reverse-engineering of your story. What do you want to be true of you long after you are gone? How are you preparing for the end of your life? What choices are you making today that reinforces the goals that you have? Often times we float through life with very little sense of our trajectory. Together, we will work to help you create a pathway that will leave you deeply satisfied with all that you have accomplished.