| Abstract: | Holding the Man (Conigrave, 1995), chronicles a fifteen-year relationship between Timothy Conigrave and his partner, John, and the process of their coping with John's impending death from AIDS related illness. In this article I discuss the autobiography as a naturalistic example of the therapeutic method of life review. What result would have emerged if a narrative therapist had assisted in the writing of the book? Based on my friendship with the protagonists, I would have argued for a less negative picture of the author, but Tim's aim seems to have been to represent the relationship in a dramatic form, with the author embracing his own pathology, and the imbalances and unfairness in their relationship. I suggest that employing methods which externalise pathology to elicit ‘the heroic 2 narrative’ may have disregarded these goals. I highlight the need to recognise and understand individual pattern and context, and raise alternative, less interventionist positions as appropriate for clients involved in such reviews of their lives. |
