The absent but implicit: a map to support therapeutic enquiry.

This paper describes recent developments in the use of the "absent but implicit" in narrative therapy. Michael White used the term "absent but implicit" to convey the understanding that in the expression of any experience of life, there is a discernment we make between the expressed experience and other experiences that have already been given meaning and provide a contrasting backdrop, which "shapes" the expression being foregrounded. In therapeutic conversations, we can use the concept of the "absent but implicit" to enquire into the stories of self that lie beyond the problem story. We review as a foundation for appreciating this particular practice the ways in which narrative therapy supports an exploration of the accounts of life that lie "outside of" the problem story. We follow this by a more specific description of how the concept and practice of the "absent but implicit" offer further possibilities for bringing forward these often neglected territories of life. This description includes the presentation of an "absent but implicit" map of narrative practice, which reflects the authors' shared understandings of Michael White's most recent explorations and teachings.