The Healing Power of Life Review

Finding our path in the woods

Source: Jasmin Tahmaseb McConatha

A new year is a time of contemplation and evaluation. It is also a time to reflect on the past and make plans for the future. This process, referred to as reminiscence or life review, can be therapeutic and healing, particularly for older adults.

First introduced by gerontologist Robert Butler (1974), life review is a powerful therapy that can be used to link past experiences to present realities. In later life, when there is an understanding that time is limited, people may experience despair, anxiety, fear, and regret. Reminiscing about the paths taken, accomplishments, joys, and satisfactions, and even reconsidering old conflicts from the standpoint of present realities, can help boost ego integrity over despair and increase well-being and happiness (Erikson, 1968). Taking the time to contemplate life’s meaning can aid in achieving acceptance of the present.

Creating a coherent life narrative or life story is a crucial late-life developmental task. Like the last days of a holiday, when we contemplate what we have seen and done and what we would still like to do, late-life reflection on the life paths taken and paths that remain can lead to self-acceptance and an understanding of one’s place in the world. The 21st century is a time of turbulence and change, a time of climate crisis and pandemic worries It is also a time when one's sense of self and one's place in the world is repeatedly challenged. It is a time when many families are globally dispersed, people live far from their cultural roots and long for their "real homes," which only live in their memories. Many older adults spend their later years feeling alienated in communities, societies, and countries that are very different from the ones that shaped their early memories and expectations.

Maintaining a sense of satisfaction with life is important at each stage of life. Studies of life satisfaction focus on how individuals experience life as valuable, meaningful, fulfilling, and enjoyable. While satisfaction with life is subjective, it is linked to objective conditions, such as health, economic well-being, work, connections with others, connections with nature, a sense of belonging, and the ability to engage in enjoyable and meaningful activities.

For many years, I have conducted life history interviews with older adults from diverse backgrounds. Over the years, they have shared their life experiences with me. We have had conversations about joys and sorrows, loss and trauma, as well as well-being, happiness, work, sources of meaning, and contentment. These conversations have indicated that even in the face of extreme challenges, personal and societal loss, chronic illness, and grief, people are able to feel positive and a sense of life satisfaction. Life review is one therapeutic practice that can provide comfort during difficult times.

Psychologists (McAdams, 2015; Whitbourne, Sneed, Skultety, 2002) have discussed models of psychological adjustment to change particularly during late-life transitions. According to these models, past assumptions and current expectations are blended into a life-span construct. The construct is made up of a “scenario” of future expectations and hopes, and a “life story,” or autobiography based on past experiences. Life stories help shape plans and goals and articulate how past experiences are understood. Based on memories of previous experiences, the life story is continually constructed and reconstructed to maintain a coherent sense of self. People attempt to deny events that are inconsistent with one’s life story and incorporate experiences that reinforce one’s self-image.

Life review is one process that can address inconsistencies and build coherence in our life stories. Regardless of age, life review can be therapeutic, integrating memories and past expectations to present realities. In my ongoing life review work, I have found that as we review the past, we can address the discrepancy between early life expectations and present circumstances. In late life, people tend to recall a disproportionately large number of memories from early life. These early memories lay the foundation for later-life identity and serve as important anchor points.

In childhood, we envision possible scenarios for our lives; it is a time of magical thinking. Wishes seem like possibilities or probabilities. In late life, an awareness of the diminishing time compels us to re-evaluate our life paths. We may come to the realization that, regardless of what we do, life does not necessarily work out as we anticipated. This realization can make us confront our fears, dependencies, and illusions of mastery and control. Consequently, late life can be a time filled with anxiety and fear. It can also be a time of freedom and growth. A time when one can put aside the "tyranny of the shoulds" as Karen Horney (1950) stated. A time when we can follow our inner desires and wishes.

Life review can be one healing practice that takes us to a place of freedom. It can transcend the present, expand concepts of time, preserve important and meaningful cultural values, and promote self-understanding and acceptance. The practice can increase integrity and self-consistency in a dynamic social and cultural environment. By focusing on one's contributions and place in one's family, culture, society, and historical time and place, life review can lead to greater acceptance.