Altered Book Making as a Form of Art Therapy: A Narrative Approach

Altered book making is a form of art in which people alter an existing book using a variety of materials. In narrative therapy the primary objective is to help clients find stories in their lives that allow them to gain flexibility and insight in their ability to resolve challenges. We show how altered book making can help clients explore their lives for alternative narratives. Clients who engage in the art form are to use the pages in the book to represent narratives in their lives. The exercise of reauthoring a book that already exists symbolizes the parallel possibilities that clients have to reauthor their own lives. The altered book making process also helps therapists facilitate narrative conversations that are otherwise static. Using dominant stories, externalization, and unique outcomes, the therapist may help clients penetrate stories that generate new meaning and alternative stories that clients may then use to resolve their dilemmas.