Creative Writing For Healing

This session will primarily focus on discussing what creative writing is, why it is beneficial to practice, and the different options that we will be exploring throughout the entirety of this course. It begins with the poem ‘Obsession,’ then moves onto a talk on the slow, non-linear, and often confusing nature of healing from trauma and neglect. From there, it goes into depth on how creative writing can assist in our healing process. This session ends with an introduction to creative writing in the form of free-flowing and playing with rhymes.

This session explores how trauma and neglect can diminish our thinking and speaking capacity and highlights the many ways that creative writing can help to counteract their impacts. It begins with the poem ‘Can’t Quite Express,’ then moves onto a discussion on how flashbacks and triggering moments can, at times, completely stifle our ability to communicate our needs in those moments of inner crisis. This session ends with a word association game, designed to get us comfortable and able to quickly respond to positive, neutral, and potentially negative concepts. We also look at developing a short statement that could be used when we are unable to express ourselves fully.

This session explores the ways that our upbringings can distort and confuse our feelings. It begins with the poem ‘Love Is,' then moves onto a discussion on attachment theory and how the way adults in our childhoods treat us can have a lasting impact on how we view relationships in later life, as well as our outlook on the world at large. We also discuss some strategies to overcome potentially disparaging, negative, and externally fearful self-talk, whilst also ensuring we remain safe and secure in our relationships. This session ends with a free writing activity, designed to simply get us flowing and writing on some deep topics.

This session will highlight the need to establish boundaries that are based on a knowledge of ourselves, our values, and our true desires. It begins with the poem ‘Rejection,’ then moves onto a discussion of the problem with acting in order to fit in, of accepting relationships that are not right for us, and of the need to say no to things we simply don’t want. It highlights the importance of mindfulness meditation and creative writing as a tool to gain self-awareness. The session ends with a freewriting activity, where we will learn to recognize our thought patterns, and then to commit them to paper in real-time.

This session looks at dissociation, both as a potential defense mechanism against trauma and neglect, as well as a potentially overactive hindrance to functionality and true connection. It begins with the poem ‘Trippin,’ then moves onto a discussion of the subjective nature of dissociation, highlighting the impact that it can have on relationships, work, and life. From there, we look at the various ways that creative writing can ground us, and through the careful selection and placement of words, return us to the present moment. This session ends with an introspection, followed by some free-form poetry designed to express our findings.

This session takes a close look at trauma and neglect, focusing on the importance of acknowledging and accepting our pasts as a vital component of healing. It begins with the poem ‘Flashback,’ then moves onto an analogy that compares the act of creative writing with the measured releasing of tension from an overflowing water dam; writing too much too soon is just as dangerous as taking no action. This session will gently encourage you to turn and face your inner world, and to take the small steps necessary for recovery. The session ends with an introduction to structured poetry, highlighting its ability to frame potentially challenging topics and concepts around particular forms, thus enabling you to focus more on word choice.

This session dives into the issue of perfectionism, both in the context of creative writing, but also with our lives in general. It begins with the poem ‘The Fear Of Imperfection,’ then moves onto a discussion of how trauma and neglect can lead to the overactive desire to control our small universes. We discuss the importance of looking at the larger picture, and how a micro-focus on perfection can cause the larger projects to fail. The session ends with an exercise in editing and revision, that will give you some constructive ways that you can review your work. It also highlights the limits of effective revision, demonstrating how to recognize when your work is good enough, and when you should move on.

This session dives into the concept of life as change, as well as our strong desires to keep things as they are. It begins with the poem ‘I Am Constant Change,’ then moves onto a discussion of the concept of our lives being more akin to a process as opposed to a stationary unchanging entity. It highlights how our current mental states can reshape our memories and opinions of the past, suggesting that we need to take our shifting perspectives into account when making plans. The session ends with an introduction of journaling as a form of writing therapy, providing us with a tool to both express ourselves in the moment, as well as to reflect on the changing nature of our mental states over long periods of time.

This session explores how our fortunes can change for the better, as well as the importance of living in the moment enough to recognize it occurring. It begins with the poem ‘Two Leaves,’ then continues with the discussion on how our moods can shape our perceptions of the past and present. We will learn how to recognize when we are applying our current moods unfairly onto all the events of our pasts, as well as ways to counteract this process. The session ends with a return to the journaling activity from the previous session, with a focus on recognizing and correcting any untruths or generalizations, with the goal of shaping our journaling piece into a truer representation of our reality.

This session will bring together all the techniques, tools, concepts, and ideas from the entirety of this course into one cohesive practice; highlighting how to use them all to establish a consistent creative writing practice in our lives. It begins with the poem ‘The Darkness Fuels Them,’ then continues onto a discussion on how creative writing is both grounding and therapeutic. It discusses the nature of our inner demons, namely their aversion to attention and acceptance, and how by writing we shine the light of consciousness upon them and heal. It ends with a creative writing activity of free form writing. You will be reminded of all the different options available to you and given free rein to express yourself in whatever way you see fit.