Nirvana's story : exploring obsessive compulsive disorder

Abstract

This exploratory study creates a post-modern narrative context for psychotherapy and extends these ideas to an individual living with a psychiatric disorder, namely obsessive-compulsive disorder. The present study explores OCD through the ecosystemic perspective and aims to obtain a holistic understanding of an individual's experience of living with OCD and to describe the recursive connections between OCD and the individual's ecological context. This investigation includes the re-authoring therapy of Michael White and David Epston and the application of their ideas to the individual's life story. A qualitative method within the naturalistic paradigm is employed focussing on the unique experience of the individual, which allows for an understanding of the individual's personal meaning. The dominant narratives, that emerged from the individual's life story, were deconstructed. Significant shifts in attribution of meaning took place.