I’ve discovered that scientists have been studying this topic for a long time, and their findings are compelling. The research of psychiatrists, psychologists, and social scientists consistently shows an increase in life satisfaction and psychological well-being in those older adults who participate in some form of life review, whether it is telling their life story to another person or spending time alone reflecting and writing about their life. Dr. Robert Butler (1927 – 2010), a world-renowned gerontologist and psychiatrist, was one of the first physicians to write about the life review process, a process he defined as “the tendency of older people towards self-reflection.” (1) He determined that as we age, we naturally gravitate towards this process, with the goal of giving meaning to our lives. By remembering and reflecting on the past, the life review process fosters understanding and allows us to come to peace with the past and the present.
I recently watched a powerful TEDx talk by Susan Bosak, a social researcher and educator who founded the Legacy Project, an independent organization focused on connecting generations and helping us look at our lives and our world in a multi-generational context.
When I reflect on what my first client had to say about the process of working with me to create her memoir, I see how perfectly her response fits with what I’ve learned about the value of life review. She said, “The experience of looking back over my life was profound. Telling my story out loud, then having a skilled writer turn it into a coherent narrative, has been an amazing experience. I can see in the written pages and photographs from my life a kind of sense and structure that is vastly comforting.” Whether an older adult captures their life story in a book, a video, an audio recording, or simply talks about their life to someone who will listen deeply, the act of going through the life review process can make a powerful difference in their understanding of themselves, their past, and their legacy. There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you. ~Maya Angelou (1) Aging and Mental Health, by Robert N. Butler and Myrna I. Lewis
(2) LA Times
2 Comments
Russell Davie
3/20/2017 11:59:43 pm
Sitting with my Mom while she sifts through the stories and memories of her life is a privilege. It is deeply humbling, like I'm standing on sacred ground. What a powerful, tender time...
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Kathy Englert
3/21/2017 08:07:17 am
What beautiful words! I'm so glad that you've become deeply involved in the creation of your mother's memoir.
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Author Hi. My name is Kathryn Elizabeth Wilson Englert. People call me Kathy. I live in Seattle, Washington with my husband and daughter, but our daughter is all grown up now and attends Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington. We miss her. Although I live in the Pacific Northwest and absolutely love it here, my roots are in North Carolina. There are things I miss about the South (a warm ocean, the sound of cicadas, dramatic thunderstorms, BBQ and sweet iced tea, and, of course, my family) and I get to enjoy all of these when I visit each summer. But the Pacific Northwest is home to me now. Its mountains, rivers, evergreens, wild coast, progressive ideals, and people have endeared me to this place. I think I'll stay a while. I hope you enjoy my blog. In keeping with the theme of personal history, I write about the importance of story and why it matters that we capture the thoughts and memories of our loved ones. ArchivesCategories |
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