Studies now support what many of us have learned through experience: writing about physical or mental trauma actually leads toward a diminishing of symptoms or elimination of symptoms.
The stories of trauma are very familiar to those of us who teach memoir and/or writing the personal story. It’s as though nobody escapes life without trauma. At Ashlar, many years ago, we were surprised by the volume of traumatic events that emerged in the writing. We soon learned how common-place the fact of trauma is. We currently offer classes to specifically address working through trauma (which we are also pleased to note, provides another set of self care skills).
Besides the writing as the upfront part of the healing process, we understand the importance of reading the story and how the story is received and held. When listening is done heartfully and with presence, the healing is much deeper. So we now stress and teach heartful listening.
Some of the other themes that emerge in writing about trauma are the specifically unique: traumatic nightmares and intrusive daytime images or memories that break into consciousness. We address those in the same way as we do the original trauma -- with writing.
Another layer of this trauma work is that ritual emerges spontaneously – we are, after all, ritual creating animals. The reading and receiving of stories create a healing ritual through a natural rhythm and often repetition that comes as one reads and responds. One example of how ritual can develop: a writer who read her work to her communities of writers asked them to repeat phrases back to her – a repetition of a short phrase or sentence. Different phrases were given to different parts of the group with a kind of Greek chorus effect. And then, there you have it – a spontaneous theater piece. These pieces -- and each one is different -- have proven to be very powerful for everyone involved.
Come join us, you’ll be glad you did!
Research:
Maxine Hong Kingston, Warrior Writer’s Project (writing with Vietnam vets). Articles in JAMA about writing as diminishing and/or eliminating distressful physical and emotional symptoms. Research exposure therapy.
Read:
Writing as a Way of Healing: Louise DeSalvo.
Bird By Bird, Anne Lamont;
Writing from Within, (Andrea's favorite) and, Writing Your Life Story, both by Bernard Selling
Writing Alone and With Others, Pat Schneider
Writing as a Healing Art, by Laura Cerwinske
The Mind that Changes Itself, Norman Doidge, MD (on plasticity of the brain)
Creation Myths, Marie Louise von Franz (Jungian author on how creation myths also apply to styles of creativity and conditions under which creativity takes place – you have to love Jung and ideas of the collective unconscious to get into this book.)
Google:
Interviews with Dan Siegel, MD on Coherent vs Consistent narratives (stories we tell about our lives).
Anything by or about James Pennebaker.
Feel free to e-mail us for an expanded reading list.
