Digital Narratives for Self-Therapy

Abstract

Trauma exposure, whether caused by external events or internal struggles, is experienced by many individuals around the world, leaving them in need for emotional healing. This process has been studied by psychologists throughout many years, but today, it is something that should be pursued more strongly than ever before. With COVID-19, social isolation has become a norm and has illuminated the need for accessible and everyday methods of emotional growth and healing. Digital products are a promising solution to making self-therapy methods more accessible and flexible to individuals’ lifestyles.

This thesis explores the application of digital narratives in encouraging emotional healing and self-therapy. Storytelling has been a significant means of growth and learning throughout all of human history and across all cultures. The potential for reading personal stories to become a popular means of emotional support has already been experienced, such as through the success of the “Chicken Soup for the Soul” book series. Turning personal, moving stories — such as those in the book series — into digital experiences opens the opportunity to enrich them with audio, visual, animated, and interactive elements. It also makes possible a scalable and flexible system for lightweight self-therapy that can be accessed by many people around the world, at any time or location that fits into each individual’s lifestyle. This thesis project is proposed as a case study that can be expanded in the future to create a robust system for self-therapy through digital storytelling.