Abstract
The therapeutic value in sharing a personal narrative of hardship can form an important part of an individual's healing process. It is here that growth can be achieved through finding meaning in events, that whilst grounded in the past can be constructively interpreted to influence present opinion and thoughts of the future (Mullet, Akerson, & Turman, 2013). From the perspective of the author, the re-telling of a self-reported account of adversity can help them move forward by making sense of what has happened. Here, the facts of the account do not change, but the way they are reflected on does. In this sense, the story becomes a powerful literary instrument that can help accept past hurts, give a voice to often suppressed aspects of self that are difficult to face and help identify moments of hope and courage that promote resilience (Mullet et al., 2013; Nurser, Rushworth, Shakespeare, & Williams, 2018).