Life Story Work with Dr. Shoshi Keisari

Twisting the Plot

We all tell stories about our lives, some we make up, and some we inherit.

Through stories, we figure out who we are, where we’ve been, and where we’re headed.

Stories grow as we grow.

Our stories about ourselves as individuals and as a collective, are not static things that once set, never evolve.

In fact, most of us encounter crossroads or thresholds of change where the past, present and the future become unclear. It is during these transitional times that our past stories must be retold, roles transformed, and feelings re-experienced and then reconfigured into a new life script.

In this way, our life story making is not just for our pleasure. It is also our work.

Life Story Work is the process of making meaning and connecting more deeply to ourselves and with others. It is the work of expanding our identities, resolving our traumas, and integrating our losses. It is the creative act of growing, personally and culturally.

It’s hard work, and it’s also the way we evolve.

On Twisting the Plot Podcast, Dr. Shoshi Keisari explains life story work as a therapy, and tells us why it is crucial to our ongoing development, especially as we age.

Take a listen.

Dr. Shoshi Keisari is a drama therapist and a lecturer at the School of Creative Arts Therapies, University of Haifa, Israel. She researches arts participation in aging, clinical gerontology, and the use of drama therapy in grief work and palliative care. Dr. Keisari has published numerous articles and co-authored a book, An Introduction to Psychotherapeutic Playback theatre: Hall of Mirrors on Stage