Article Summary by Liam Butchart and Shabnam Parsa

In the medical humanities, narrative medicine—the academic field that uses the study of patient and provider stories to better understand illness experiences and to heal—has become a dominant school of thought. “Narrative Medicine Theory and Practice: The Double Helix Model” critically examines this approach. Whereas the current consensus, led by thinkers from Columbia University, emphasizes close reading for approaching texts and patient narratives, we propose that a broader understanding of the relationship between the reader and the text, the physician and the patient, is more effective at illustrating the unconscious mechanics at play in the creation of the narrative and for understanding the interplay between larger society, the patient, and the physician. Instead of being two distinct entities, the physician and patient unconsciously merge to create the illness narrative; this is the result of a complex and multidirectional flow of information between the two parties. We propose the Double Helix Model as a way to conceptualize this interaction, modeled on the helical structure of DNA and the mechanisms of DNA repair and epigenetic modification. We suggest that by adopting this more critical narrative medicine perspective, the field of the medical humanities may move beyond simple applications to education and literature and instead may use the experiences of the sciences to inform the humanities, leading to a more fruitful interdisciplinary dialogue.

Listen to the author’s summary of the article below:

Read the full article on the Medical Humanities journal website.

Liam Butchart, MD, MA received his medical degree from the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, and his MA in Medical Humanities, Compassionate Care, and Bioethics from Stony Brook University. He is currently a resident physician in psychiatry at the Icahn School of Medicine – Mount Sinai Morningside/West program. His research interests include psychoanalysis, literary theory, bioethics, and the intersection of literature and medicine.

Shabnam Parsa, BA, is currently training for her MD at the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University. She is simultaneously pursuing an MA in Medical Humanities, Compassionate Care, and Bioethics at Stony Brook University. Her research interests include narrative medicine, the concept of the wounded healer, and mental health initiatives for healthcare students and professionals.