The power of listening: a new book speaks to narrative rather than normative approaches to health care. From the review:

John Launer brings in the concept of Tao when mentioning how to integrate a normative conversation (which tends to ignore patient’s words, and after having understood the problem, provides a prescription for what patients have to do), with a narrative approach, which is undoubtedly more respectful to the client, and allows people to talk more freely. Both approaches are warranted, but can be used in a balanced situation of Yin and Yang, to form the Tao, the Way. In the health care context today, in particular, we too often allow the normative approach to dominate, which pushes the narrative method into a corner.

Defensive medicine, failures of health care systems, and the fatigue of health care providers are before our very eyes: if we choose to seed the narrative approach, the health care that eventually sprouts and blossoms will be more beautiful, easier to live with, and more nourishing for both carers and patients.

The book is Narrative-Based Practice in Health and Social Care: Conversations Inviting Change

For other posts on narrative medicine, see here.