The Story and the Storyteller: How Narrative Therapy Shapes Identity

• 00:00 — Slowing down and connecting to the body
  How therapy works in small, manageable moments rather than overwhelm.

• 01:26 — Introduction to Tessa Priest
  Narrative therapist integrating storytelling, expressive arts, and somatic work.

• 02:10 — Tessa’s background and journey into narrative therapy
  From performing arts to therapy and meaning-making.

• 05:49 — When stories don’t support us
  How dominant and inherited narratives shape identity.

• 06:07 — Deconstructing harmful narratives
  Understanding societal, cultural, and personal influences on our story.

• 10:33 — The role of creativity and play
  Why expression (drawing, writing, movement) is central to healing.

• 12:10 — Rewriting identity through lived experience
  How small shifts create new possibilities.

• 15:48 — How stories evolve over time
  The difference between past and present interpretations of the same event.

• 18:10 — Live therapy exploration begins
  Somatic awareness, emotion, and memory emerge in real time.

• 21:28 — Compassion for the younger self
  Rewriting internal narratives through care and understanding.

• 23:25 — The role of community and support
  How relationships shape healing.

• 27:31 — Writing back to your younger self
  A powerful narrative therapy technique.

• 31:07 — Trusting the body and therapy process
  Why safety and presence matter.

• 33:22 — Multiple versions of the self
  Understanding identity as layered and non-linear.

• 37:31 — Fear of revisiting the past
  How therapy avoids overwhelm through “titration.”

• 40:46 — The importance of therapist-client fit
  Why depth depends on relational safety.

• 43:41 — Therapy beyond the room
  Collaborative and community-based healing approaches.

• 48:00 — Therapy in unconventional spaces
  Nature, movement, and environment as part of healing.

• 50:52 — Story + body integration
  Why slowing down deepens meaning.

• 53:27 — Future self perspective
  How imagining your future self changes present decisions.

• 55:58 — Boundaries and “no”
  The importance of limits in identity and healing.

• 57:47 — Life is not linear
  Stories as loops, spirals, and evolving narratives.

• 59:09 — Embodied therapy vs cognitive insight
  Why the body reveals more than the mind alone.

• 1:00:04 — Power, culture, and identity
  How societal structures influence personal narratives.

• 1:05:01 — Consistency, identity, and purpose
  Following what feels deeply aligned.

• 00:00 — Opening

Tessa: What happens in therapy is often very simple — “How do you feel? What’s happening in your body right now?”

That idea of titration—it’s like drip, drip, drip. Little parts. Little moments.

We’re training ourselves to reconnect with our bodies—these incredible vessels that carry our lives.

If we can slow down into feeling, there’s so much information there.

• 01:26 — Introduction

Laura: Today I’m joined by Tessa Priest, a narrative therapist who explores the relationship between the story and the storyteller—the map and the map maker.

Tessa integrates narrative practice with expressive arts, mindfulness, and somatic psychotherapy.

You’re listening to The Right Therapist, where we demystify therapy.

• 02:10 — Tessa’s Work

Tessa: Narrative therapy came to me through the Dulwich Centre in Adelaide.

My background was in the performing arts—drama, poetry, storytelling—so story has always been central to my life.

Narrative therapy allowed me to bring those passions into therapeutic work.

We talk about helping people connect with their preferred identities—ways of being that feel more aligned, more true.

Later, I trained in Hakomi psychotherapy, which brought in the body.

So now my work sits between story and embodiment.

• 05:49 — When Stories Don’t Help Us

Laura: Many of us carry stories that don’t support us.

Tessa: Yes—and narrative therapy sees identity as multi-storied.

There are dominant cultural narratives—ideas about who we should be. These can be deeply limiting.

So we begin by deconstructing those stories:

• Gender
• Culture
• Economics
• Trauma

These aren’t just ideas—they become embodied.

• 10:33 — Creativity & Expression

Tessa: Creativity is essential.

Drawing, writing, movement, music—these are not extras. They are ways of accessing deeper meaning.

When we’re playful and curious, something new can emerge.

• 15:48 — Stories Change Over Time

Laura: The story I told at 23 is very different to the story I tell now.

Tessa: Exactly. The story doesn’t disappear—but the relationship to it changes.

• 18:10 — Live Therapy Moment

Laura begins to reconnect with a past experience of illness and emotional overwhelm.

Tessa guides:

• Noticing sensations (chest, jaw, eyes)
• Staying present while exploring memory
• Moving between past and present

• 21:28 — Compassion for the Younger Self

Laura: I feel compassion for her… she was so lost.

Tessa: What did she need to hear?

Laura: “That something important is happening… not just something bad.”

• 27:31 — Writing Back to Yourself

Tessa: If you could write a letter to her—what would you say?

Laura: You’re not alone.

This is hard—but it’s not all bad.

What comes from this… is actually better.

• 33:22 — Multiple Selves

Tessa: We’re not linear.

We’re layered:

• Younger self
• Present self
• Future self

All of them exist now.

• 37:31 — Fear of Going Back

Laura: People are scared to revisit the past—they worry they’ll get stuck.

Tessa: That’s where titration comes in.

Small pieces.

Staying connected to the present.

Always with support.

• 40:46 — Therapist Fit

Laura: Depth only happens when the therapist can hold it.

Tessa: Yes—therapy is relational.

It’s about safety, presence, trust.

• 48:00 — Therapy Beyond the Room

Tessa: Therapy doesn’t have to be in a room.

It can be:

• Nature
• Movement
• Creative spaces

Healing is not confined.

• 50:52 — Body + Story

Tessa: The body holds the story.

But the story also shapes the body.

Slowing down allows both to speak.

• 53:27 — Future Self Perspective

Laura: I think about what my future self would say to me now.

Tessa: That’s powerful.

It brings us back to:

What do we say yes to?

What do we say no to?

• 57:47 — Not Linear

Tessa: Life isn’t a straight line.

It’s a spiral. A loop. A dance.

• 1:00:04 — Power & Culture

Tessa: We must also look at power:

• Who gets to tell the story?
• Who is silenced?

Narrative therapy brings awareness to this.

• 1:05:01 — Alignment

Laura: Some things I quit easily—but this work, I can’t.

Tessa: That’s alignment.

That’s the story you’re choosing.

• Closing Reflection

This conversation reminds us that healing isn’t about erasing the past—it’s about changing our relationship to it.

Through story, body, and connection, we can begin to author a life that feels more like our own.