The narrative labyrinth of violent dying.
This essay outlines the dynamics of retelling the violent death of a loved one and the narrative "dilemma" of vulnerable family members fixated on retelling. To counter this fixation, the author presents a mythic retelling of violent death (the Myth of Theseus) as narrative basis for developing a restorative retelling. The essay begins by exploring the deformed and deforming structure of the violent dying story, then details the dynamics of its retelling and concludes by presenting a restorative retelling model for family members who cannot release themselves from the story for months or years after the violent dying.
Rynearson
E K
EK
University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA. ted@rynearson.com
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D001601:Bereavement; D003643:Death; D006801:Humans; D009229:Mythology / Q000523:psychology*; D033262:Narration; D014481:United States; D014754:Violence / Q000523:psychology*