Sennett, John Gordon/Sennett, Natasha (Hrsg.) The Joseph Conrad Program in Narrative Processing

Research and Results from Zhytomyr Polytechnic State University

The Joseph Conrad Narrative Processing Programme documents one of the most innovative psychosocial initiatives to emerge from the crucible of the Russian-Ukrainian war. Developed in a unique collaboration between a group of authors and the Scientific Institute of Mental Health at Zhytomyr National Polytechnic University, the programme explores how structured writing, storytelling and guided narrative reflection can help people endure, reinterpret and ultimately transform the psychological effects of trauma. Based on the latest research and direct experience in the field, this volume presents the origins, theory and initial results of Narrative Processing (NP) an evolving therapeutic method that combines creative writing, case study-based bibliotherapy and elements from established narrative and exposure therapies. Through a combination of scholarly essays, personal reflections, participant writings, and empirical data, the book demonstrates the profound ways in which people affected by warveterans, students, psychologists, internally displaced persons, and civiliansuse narratives to regain coherence, agency, and meaning. The chapters examine the psychological mechanisms of storytelling, the role of identity reconstruction, the neuroscience underlying narrative integration, and the challenge of providing trauma-informed education in an active war zone. The empirical section contains diagnostic findings from the programme's first cohorts and offers rare insights into the dynamics of anxiety, coping strategies, and emerging post-traumatic growth among participants. Interwoven with these analyses are deeply human stories written by Ukrainians themselvesintimate accounts of loss, resilience, fear, love, and the everyday heroism of survival. The Joseph Conrad Narrative Processing Programme combines scientific rigour with emotional immediacy and is both a foundational text for future clinical development and a testament to the power of storytelling to illuminate, connect, and heal, even in the darkest of times.