Confronting the Monster: A Storytelling arc for Disability Advocacy
Storytelling, when done right, moves beyond mere words and facts, forging deep emotional connections and spurring meaningful action. Disability advocacy services have a number of narrative arc choices. We’ve explored “The Hero’s Journey” and “Journey & Return”. We now dive into “Confronting The Monster”.
The Confronting the Monster storytelling arc narrows the focus of the story to one, usually, key element in an individual’s life. The “monster” can be a fear, a situation, a family member or even a bureaucracy. It highlights the possibility of change when the major roadblock to growth has been identified.
Understanding confronting the Monster
The “Confronting the Monster” storytelling arc follows a protagonist who faces a formidable challenge or threat and ultimately emerges victorious. The nature of “victorious” can be open to interpretation. As we are dealing with real people and their lived experience, the “victory” must be defined by the individual your service has supported. This structure is familiar to people, as we’ve all been through this to greater or lesser extents. This storytelling arc connects through emotional empathy and the listeners own lived experience.
The key stages of the Confronting the Monster narrative include:
- The Threat Emerges/Is identified: The hero becomes aware of a looming challenge or obstacle.
- The Call to Action: The hero is motivated to take action to confront the threat.
- Preparation and Struggle: The hero faces obstacles and gathers the strength or resources needed to fight back.
- The Climax: The hero confronts the monster head-on in a decisive moment.
- The Victory: The hero’s efforts succeed, leading to a transformative outcome.
Why Confronting the Monster works for Disability Advocacy Services
- It Illuminates Challenges By personifying challenges as the “monster,” this framework makes real issues—like discrimination, facing childhood trauma or an unconscionable NDIS decision—tangible and understandable to others. Listeners can clearly grasp the magnitude of the struggles faced by the hero of the story.
- It Highlights the Impact of Your Service You show work as you act as a guide for the hero of the tale. The importance of the guide, in fiction, think Merlin, Obi Won, Gandalf, in reality, your service is the guide that points, provides support and encouragement but it is the hero, your client, who confronts the monster because of their inner strength.
Crafting Confronting the Monster Narratives for Your Service
Define the Monster
The “monster” represents the central challenge being addressed. Let’s make this a little more real by using a real story. In this case I’m changing the names to protect the privacy of a now deceased former client. In this case the monster was childhood sexual assault. A trauma that had been glanced at in the past and was now to be confronted by Cheryl.
Introduce the Hero
Center the narrative on an individual, Cheryl in this case. Cheryl would tell her story, piece by piece. Foster homes, institutions, questionable past supported accommodation providers all fill out her back story. The monster, though, had followed Cheryl throughout all these phases of her life.
Describe the Struggle
The heart of the story lies in the hero’s journey to overcome the monster. In Cheryl’s story she had tried to confront her monster, she had been ignored, fobbed off or been told not to tell tales or lies. Finally, Cheryl found a support worker who listened and believed. In a sense this was almost enough as a first step. However Cheryl went to find professional help with the guidance of the support worker, who was not qualified to provide that help and to be fair was forced to face their own monster as result of Cheryl’s disclosure. The revelation of her past took great courage and that courage rippled outward from her act of asking for help and to be believed.
Celebrate the Victory
The climax is the moment when the hero triumphs over the monster. In Cheryl’s case the monster was not so much vanquished as relieved of its power over her. She began the healing journey back to herself, to be made whole again by her own efforts with a new guide. It was the advocacy role of the support worker, acting as a listener and guide that allowed Cheryl to confront the monster.
Show the Transformation
The resolution highlights the lasting change resulting from the victory. Cheryl became more self assertive, better able to advocate for herself whilst still requiring support on an ongoing basis. Within that framework she healed and blossomed.
This is a somewhat extreme yet unfortunately not uncommon story. In its presentation Cheryl would tell both her story and the story of the support worker’s service through her lived experience. A powerful story of growth and healing that had ripple effects for the good and continues to do so. This storytelling arc is not for every story but for the right story it provides a framework for authenticity and resolution.
Conclusion
The “Confronting the Monster” framework is a specific storytelling arc—a powerful tool to illustrate the resilience of individuals and the impact of your service’s work. For disability advocacy services, this arc humanises issues, inspires emotional connection and shows, not tells the lasting change you bring to individuals.
If you or your service are ready to start your podcast. Drop me an email jm@jmps.au.That email is in the show notes. And we can begin the process of bringing your stories to life.