Writing for your LIfe - How to Begin Healing through Words
By Jan Bowers, Naturopathic Practitioner
This article was first published in the June 2009 issue of Fusion.
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Writing is a method of healing prescribed by holistic healthcare professionals, doctors, and mothers around the world. Starting at only $5, the journal is an adaptable gift frequently bestowed upon young adults, college graduates, and men and women moving toward retirement. Many recipients, however, report feeling intimidated by the challenge of writing. They say that they do not know where to begin, or express worry about the quality of their writing. They struggle to overcome a fear of criticism, or repress the errant thought that somewhere, somehow, someday, some way, someone might see something that they wrote and dispense judgment. They do not know how beneficial the act of writing can be to your health.
Writing can be an effective, private way to carve away pieces of your inner workings, of your mind and
spirit, and hold them up for intense examination. The process can reveal new insights about the writer’s belief
systems, values, moral compass, and relationships that are often surprising to them. Forming words on a page
allows the writer to pause and sit with a situation or thought, examining it from all angles; perception can change
mightily when an experience is allowed to cast back impressions from so many angles that the core experience
glitters and glares. By writing, an individual consciously frees themselves to explore different paths than the one
they walk in “real life;” the give their imaginations, intuition, and insight free reign. This intellectual, creative
freedom is stimulating to our emotional health because creativity by its very nature demands that the creator
explore and push new boundaries. Growth is a good thing, whether the writer is growing past an old wound or
hurt that they experienced, or simply exploring higher realms beyond their immediate sphere of influence.
Writing
is also an easy way to preserve stimulating experiences like dreams, classes, or encounters for study at a later time.
I use the term “writing” instead of “journaling” consciously. Most people feel that to say that they “keep a
journal” implies a certain amount of regularity, and we are all hesitant to add yet another obligation to our day.
The term “journaling” conjures images of overwrought teenagers hunched over elaborately decorated tomes,
laboriously copying the dramas of their days. Many adults feel that they should be beyond such things, and
therefore, beyond writing. Who has the time, anyway?
I would argue that how frequently you write is irrelevant; what matters is that you do. Regardless of where
you are in your personal journey of healing and self-discovery, I guarantee that undertaking the challenge of
writing will yield results that may amaze you, arouse your curiosity, soothe anger and old wounds, make you cry, or
maybe all of the above. Whether you want to fill a journal, a blog, a book, or simply want to compose something
to an ex-lover worth burning in a fit of healing release, break through your blocks and get started by answering the
following questions, then check out the prompts on the facing page for inspiration and let the words flow:
Why will you write? What event or thought prompted you to consider writing? How did that occurrence
make you feel—are you excited about writing, or dreading it? Have you ever tried to write as a form of healing
before? Did you have a positive experience? The beauty of writing for yourself is that your choice of words
and phrases should be based entirely on what makes the most sense to you. Write without ceasing, letting your
creative spirit flow forth, and cherish what you build. Articulate people who consider themselves “not creative”
are often surprised when I laugh at them. The way a person speaks is often highly indicative of their ability
to write. Writing is, after all, nothing more than a method of communication, just as speaking is. Your intended
audience when you write as a means of introspection is the self; you ommunicate best with yourself
when you write the way you speak.
How will you write? Will you transcribe your thoughts into a book, type them out then fit printed pages into
a scrapbook, or keep your records electronically? The computer has a very different feel than words scratched
into a journal, which in turn may feel different than scrawling on a bright yellow legal pad. The answer will
depend in part on your objectives. For instance, the tone of my writing tends
to become more technical when I compose on a computer. If I sit down to a
writing exercise designed to develop me emotionally, I insist on writing with
pen and paper. These tools force me to move more slowly. The physical act of
writing relaxes me. Soon, I am chin-deep in “deep thoughts” and completely
lost in my mind. I become separated from my physical environment, and focus
fully on the self. Find the method that works for you.
Where will you write? Much like the “how” question, the “where” is a
technical consideration. In general, I prefer to write outside, surrounded by
the growing, living spirits that are my greatest inspiration. If I am writing
specifically as a way to work through trauma, however, I will snuggle into a
warm blanket in my home; the odds are good that I will cry, feel great
anger, or great agitation at some point during the exercise, and I cannot
allow myself to give free reign to those emotions unless I am alone. Do
you fall asleep in warm rooms, or find yourself unable to relax in cold ones?
Does noise or bright light disturb you? Take a few minutes to think about
what you respond best to, and create that environment in which to write.
When will you write? Writing is like anything else more refined on the
hierarchy of needs than oxygen, food, and shelter—if you do not make time
to do it, you won’t. Take a look at a typical day or week, and identify times
in your schedule that could easily be slated for writing. Pay close attention
to when you feel most creatively inclined—are you a “morning person”
who could spend 10-30 minutes with a cup of coffee in one hand and pen
in the other while your house sleeps on, or are you a multi-tasker who
thrives on stimulating challenges and feels a creative spark while seated in a
park for your lunch break?
What will you write? This question will answer itself once you work
through the “why, how, where, and when.” If you create the right environment
and cultivate the right state of mind, the words will certainly pour
forth. Take a deep breath, trust yourself, and pick up your pen. If the
words do not come? Reexamine your answers to the first four questions,
and experiment with different locations, methods, and motivations. Note
how you feel, think about why you feel that way, and you will begin to learn
what surroundings are best for the creative you. Remember that depending
on the nature of your work, you may respond well to different situations at
various times. I include a coffee shop, several local parks, the San Diego
Zoo, and the desk in my home office as “never fail” locations.
Although discouraging, writers block is nothing more than a misalignment between energy and environment; with a little work, it is a block that can be broken. So pick up your pen and see what else you can work out when you heal through words.
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Also in the June 2009 issue of Fusion:
Writing for your Life: How to Begin Healing through Words
Shamanic Healing with Katie Weatherup
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