Restore Your Story

When Dr. Bone says “restore your story,” he’s expressing the central theme that runs through all his work, the idea that illness, pain, or loss can fracture your personal narrative, leaving you feeling disconnected from who you were and uncertain about who you’re becoming. “Restore your story” means reclaiming authorship of that narrative, rebuilding meaning, coherence, and agency even in the face of chronic suffering.

1. Psychological Meaning

From a therapeutic perspective, it’s about narrative repair, recognizing that illness and trauma can shatter one’s sense of self, and that healing involves re-storying life around truth, resilience, and choice. It’s not about erasing pain but integrating it into a fuller, more authentic story.

2. Existential Dimension

Existentially, “restore your story” reflects the idea that meaning isn’t found, it’s made. Illness may strip away certainty, but it can also reveal freedom: the freedom to redefine what matters, and to live a story aligned with your deepest values rather than one dictated by limitation.

3. Creative and Artistic Element

For Dr. Bone, whose work blends psychology, poetry, and guided imagery, “restore your story” is also a creative act, using language, art, and imagination to rebuild a sense of wholeness. The story becomes both therapy and art, where words, images, and metaphors help transform suffering into insight.