Facing Death: Family Therapy Narratives and Intergenerational Echoes

Abstract

This paper reflects on the nuanced way in which the therapeutic dialogue establishes a safe space for families to address and give meaning to mortality and the different ways in which they hear, understand, and communicate about impending death. Intergenerational patterns of families responding to and navigating a terminal diagnosis are also considered. Language, the therapist’s own narrative and experience, familial and intergenerational experiences as well as meanings of life-threatening illness are explored. The concept of impending death as haunting is introduced and explored. Adding this ‘existential’ haunting into the formula allows us to consider that impending death offers as an opportunity to ‘unblock’ communication between and within families and at the same time to identify ‘blocked’ communication patterns, thus providing a deeper understanding through an elucidation of rifts between family members and/or developing unexpected possibilities for movement and reconciliation.