About this event
I will offer an experiential exploration of how story shapes the relational field between therapist and client. The workshop invites participants into a dynamic dialogue, drawing on principles from both narrative psychotherapy—which emphasizes healing through co-created stories—and intersubjective psychoanalysis, which foregrounds the shared, evolving “third space” of meaning arising in the therapeutic encounter. The session begins with a brief introduction to each model, highlighting intersubjectivity as the generative realm where clinician and client collaboratively construct novel perspectives. Participants will engage in live demonstrations and brief paired exercises, practicing “deep listening” and reciprocal storytelling methods drawn from Indigenous traditions and narrative psychiatry. Special attention is paid to how personal stories and cultural narratives inform the process of mutual meaning-making, support emotional regulation, and foster a sense of agency. Interactive discussion centers on the practical use of story as both intervention and process—how narrative techniques can enrich psychoanalytic work and how attention to relational dynamics amplifies the effectiveness of narrative therapy. Dr. Mehl-Madrona encourages a playful spirit, with opportunities for case consultation and group reflection. Participants leave equipped with concrete narrative strategies for eliciting transformative stories and cultivating intersubjective alliance, ready to bring new vitality and creativity to their own clinical practice.
Learning Objective Participants Can Expect From This Event
- Participants will identify three elements of a transformative story.
- Participants will list three elements for cultivating better intersubjective alliances.
- Participants will list several steps the brain uses to create a story.
Who is This Workshop Appropriate For?
- The workshop is suitable for clinicians, trainees, and anyone interested in healing through story.
How May This Workshop Impact Your Practice?
- Participants will be more able to generate transformative stories and to engage in improved intersubjective relationships.
RECORDING
This event will be recorded and you can use the ticket function to pre-purchase the recording before the event. This will be useful for colleagues who are not able to attend the event live and also for those who attend the event live and want to watch it again.
ZOOM
This event will be hosted on the Zoom meeting platform where we will use our cameras and microphones to interact with each other as a group.
SELF-SELECT FEE
The self-select fee is a radical inclusion policy to open learning for all colleagues. The guide price for this event is £20.00, however, we appreciate that income varies greatly in different locations and circumstances. Please contribute what you can to help us maintain inclusive professional training.
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Lewis Mehl-Madrona
Lewis Mehl-Madrona, MD, PhD, bridges narrative therapy and intersubjective psychoanalysis through his deep commitment to the healing power of story. Trained in family medicine, psychiatry, and clinical psychology, his work integrates Indigenous healing wisdom, especially from Lakota, Cherokee, and Cree traditions, with contemporary psychotherapeutic models. He views stories as fundamental connectors, integrating individuals suffering into a larger relational field rather than isolating them.
Dr. Mehl-Madrona emphasizes that storytelling is inherently relational and intersubjective: meaning is created collaboratively between therapist and client rather than imposed. His narrative approach fosters agency and transformation, allowing clients’ stories to evolve openly instead of being interpreted or fixed. He combines dialogical narrative practices with psychoanalytic principles to cultivate a “third space” where meaning making is co-created.
Author of multiple influential works including the Coyote trilogy and Narrative Medicine, he demonstrates how story acts as both medicine and method. His clinical work uses storytelling alongside bodywork, dreams, and cultural narrative to promote self-transformation and emotional healing. Dr. Mehl-Madrona’s approach highlights the neuroscience of narrative and its power to rewire brain and body patterns, bridging traditional cultural knowledge with modern psychological science. Through workshops and teaching, he guides clinicians to enrich therapeutic alliance and effectiveness by embracing narrative and intersubjective processes as foundational to healing.
Website | www.mehl-madrona.com
Facebook | Lewis Mehl-Madrona
Instagram | mehlmadrona
LinkedIn | Lewis E Mehl-Madrona