Narratives, mindfulness, and the implicit audience

We argue that the self-directed attention involved in narrative writing may heighten awareness in a manner similar to other mindfulness methods. Further, narrative writing may help to transform implicit, unconscious thoughts, memories, perceptions, and emotions into more explicit and conscious processes. This transformation is facilitated by the integration of language with experience and by the connections made between different aspects of experience and identity. We also note that the question of for whom one is writing - in other words, the implicit audience - may play a contributing role in the effectiveness of the narrative task. We offer suggestions for future research to explore our ideas.