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How society and narratives affect how we see the world | Elliott Reid, Osteopath

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How society and narratives affect how we see the world | Elliott Reid, Osteopath

Do You Notice Your Private Narration of Life?

We all carry an internal narrator — that quiet voice at the back of your mind commenting on your day-to-day life. It’s easy to overlook this narration because it happens automatically, like a film running in the background. But have you ever stopped and thought: Who’s telling this story? What if that narrative isn’t entirely yours, and is shaped by unseen influences — like unconscious beliefs, past experiences, or societal messages?

At Revitalize Clinic in Gravesend, our aim is to bring these stories into the light and show how they affect both your mental and physical well‑being. Recently, I had the privilege of discussing this very topic with the team at John Lewis.

Exploring the Power of Narrative

Working as first a personal trainer and then an Osteopath who specialises in chronic pain, I’ve seen firsthand how stories we tell ourselves influence how we move, think, and feel. Take the client who believes, “I’m never going to get better… I’m seriously harmed” or “I’m just not cut out for fitness”. These aren’t facts — they’re self‑narratives that colour every step, every exercise, every belief.

At Revitalize Clinic, it’s about more than “fixing” symptoms. It’s about discovering your narrative, understanding how it empowers or limits you, and then learning to take control. Because that internal story can either lift you or hold you back.

The Live Demonstration with John Lewis

Earlier this year I was invited to chat with the John Lewis team at Bluewater and they were great.  

We explored mental‑health narratives, how they shape perception and behaviour, and the power that real-time, live demonstration can have.

At first, the team was sceptical. How could a simple story alter the way you see reality? But to their surprise, when we conducted a brief interactive demonstration — narrating an exercise with encouraging language versus critical commentary — their own performance changed instantly. We showed:

  • Optimistic narration and visualisation led to calmness. They could feel the breeze on their face and even taste the foods I was asking them to visualise. Many salivated, for example. 
  • Negative narration led to more distress. Ie if I suddenly introduced negativity into the visualisation, their heart rate and breathing pace increased. 

It was clear: narratives do not just follow experience — they shape it. This real-time feedback blew their expectations. They couldn’t believe how quickly their inner narratives influenced their bodies, mindset, and performance.

How Narratives Can Help or Hinder

Reflecting on this led to some powerful insights:

  1. Empowerment: A supportive narrative gives us permission to explore, grow, and heal.
  2. Inhibition: A limiting narrative can cause hesitation, avoidance, or a negative mindset.
  3. Stuckness: Persistently replaying unhelpful narratives can lead to rumination, anxiety, or chronic stress.
  4. Fixation: When we attach our identity to a story (“I am always injured”), we can stop seeking progress and trap ourselves in that narrative.

At Revitalize Clinic, our job is to help you identify these stories — not to suppress them, but to expose them, examine them, and decide whether they align with your values or hold you back.

The Key: Awareness, Acceptance, and Values

The pivotal moment comes when you realise that these internal stories aren’t absolute truth. They’re just that — stories. Ideas running in your head. So how do we work with them?

  1. Awareness: Notice when your internal narrator takes over. Observe it without judgment.
  2. Acceptance: Acknowledge its presence. These narratives often arise to protect us — fear that we’ll fail, be judged, or disappoint.
  3. Distancing: Once we see them as separate voices, we can decide whether to follow them or let them pass.
  4. Value‑guided action: Instead of reacting to the narrative, we align our actions with what truly matters to us — physical health, mental resilience, freedom from pain, and performance potential.

That’s exactly what we practice at Revitalize Clinic — whether you’re a weekend warrior, a pro athlete, or someone rebuilding after injury. And it’s equally applicable to personal training, osteopathy, or mental‑health counselling.

ACT Strategies: Observing the Narrative

One powerful suite of tools we use is drawn from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). These techniques help you:

  • Observe your thoughts like weather patterns passing through the sky.
  • Defuse from them so they lose their power to dictate your behaviour.
  • Realign with your core values and take meaningful action regardless of what the story says.

ACT Technique: Labelling Thoughts

A simple but effective tool is labelling — saying to yourself “There goes my narrator again,” or noting “Here’s that fear-based story: ‘I’m not strong enough.’”

By explicitly naming it:

  • You observe it: “There’s the thought: ‘I’m going to fail.’”
  • You distance from it: “Ah, that’s my mind talking; it’s not you.”
  • You choose whether to follow it or let it drift by.

It shifts unhelpful thoughts from being “True” to being just “Thoughts”.

Other ACT Methods

  • Defusion metaphors: Imagine thoughts written on a leaf floating down a stream — you watch but you don’t grab them.
  • Mindfulness exercises: Notice the narrative, the body sensations, and let them coexist without becoming tied to each other.
  • Values clarification: Ask, “What kind of person do I want to be?” and use that to guide your actions — not the story in your head.
  • Committed action: Take small steps in line with your values — even when the narrative says otherwise. Over time, your story changes because your body and mind adapt to your actions.

Why This Matters

  • Mental health: Increasing awareness and acceptance of the stories we tell ourselves can reduce anxiety, depression, and stress.
  • Physical recovery: A positive narrative encourages movement, confidence, and resilience.
  • Performance: Elite athletes rely on mental strategies just as much as physical training. A resilient narrative delivers that edge.
  • Daily life: Whether in relationships, work, or personal goals, noticing and working with your narrative can improve your consistency and wellbeing.

How Revitalize Clinic Can Help

At Revitalize, we combine:

  • Osteopathic treatment to address the physical strain and tension in your body.
  • Personal training to build strength, mobility, and confidence.
  • Counselling and ACT techniques to help you understand and reframe your narratives — so that mental blocks no longer hinder your goals.

If you’ve tried training or therapy before but felt held back by your own mind, we can help you uncover the stories that are keeping you small and guide you to live in alignment with your values — free, confident, and pain‑free.

We don’t just want to “fix” you. We want to help you harness your narrative, know when it helps, and be able to set it aside when it doesn’t — so you remain in control.

Meet Your Guide: Elliott Reid

I’m Elliott Reid — clinic lead, Osteopath, personal trainer, and counsellor. My passion for the human body began in boxing and weightlifting and grew into a mission: to make physical therapy and fitness more effective through honest, research-based methods.

My work with elite strongmen, powerlifters, and semi‑pro footballers taught me how powerful mental narratives can be — and how valuable it is to become aware of and manage them. As an elected councillor at the Institute of Osteopathy, I also work to promote high‑quality standards across the profession.

At Revitalize Clinic, I combine:

  • Individualised assessment — we treat you, not a diagnosis.
  • Science‑based treatment — rooted in research, not gimmicks.
  • Whole person care — addressing body, mind, and performance.

Our practice in Gravesend has helped over 10,000 people become mentally well, physically fit, and pain‑free. And our approach is the same whether you’re seeking better posture, recovering from injury, or preparing for peak performance.

Invitation to Watch the Video

I recently shared this approach with the team at John Lewis — demonstrating live how narrative shapes physical performance and mental wellbeing. You’ll see:

  • The difference in movement and posture based on how we narrate ourselves.
  • How spotting the narrative offers new freedom.
  • Why awareness is the first step toward real change.

The John Lewis team were astonished — and you’ll be too. Watch the video to experience it for yourself.

ACT Summary: A Method for Managing Unhelpful Narratives

At the end of each session, I like to offer a simple ACT-based takeaway — one you can practise anytime you notice your internal narrator running the show:

  1. Notice and Label
    When an unhelpful story arises (“I’m no good at this,” “I can’t cope”), pause and name it:
    “Here’s a story: ‘I’m not strong enough.’”
  2. Observe and Distance
    Briefly sit with it without reacting — watch it like a sentence on a page, or a leaf floating by.
  3. Reconnect with Values
    Ask yourself: “What matters to me right now? Being present with my body? Improving my health? Building confidence?”
    Keep that front of mind.
  4. Choose Meaningful Action
    Do one small step in line with your values — even if the story says “Stop.”
    Over time, powerful narratives follow powerful action.

By repeating this process, you train your mind to see its own stories as just that — narratives, not truths — and choose to live more fully in line with your values.

How to Get Started with Revitalize Clinic

If this blog has resonated, here’s how you can begin working with us in Gravesend:

We look forward to supporting you on your journey to clearer narratives, stronger bodies, and a healthier mindset.

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