Laurie Buchanan is the author of the Sean McPherson series of thrillers. You can find out more about her on her website, www.lauriebuchanan.com, or by clicking here, read her last post here, and buy her books here.
Before I retired from HolEssence—my private practice where I was a holistic health practitioner—I used a wide variety of healing modalities. One of the most effective therapies is therapeutic writing. When integrated as adjunctive therapy in an overall treatment plan, it can promote psychological healing.
Most of us write alone. It’s a solitary experience. But in the back of our minds, we have the real or imagined reader. Similarly, when we are the reader, we’re alone with the words of another person. That connection is like none other. It only happens in reading and writing.
Following her son’s death, one of my clients started writing him letters to stay connected. She said, “It soothes my soul and helps me process emotions and stay grounded. Writing has been a vital instrument in my healing.”
The mechanics of putting pen to paper to tell our story can bring immense relief. A powerful outlet for difficult emotions, the physical act of taking what’s inside us and transferring it to paper can help us to make meaning of situations. It can help us cope and it can help us thrive.
Writing is an expression of the human spirit. One of my clients shared, “I wrote as a kid because I was so lonely and so beaten down by my peers that I needed to get out of my head and my heart what was happening inside me so I could deal with it.”
Putting our story to paper helps us go back to an experience and explore it. That act can help us to make sense of—or at least explain—what happened. In turn, it can provide relief and help us to move forward on the healing path.
Another of my clients shared, “For me, it’s the ability to think my thoughts—good, bad, ugly—and write them all down. When I sit down to write something, I’m forced to deal with the emotions that I’m feeling.”
In writing our stories, the challenge is how to move through the negative emotions to arrive at authentic expression—something true for us—and then possibly, not always, to share it and put it out into the world.
One of my clients was a Columbine survivor. She and some of the other survivors write handwritten letters to each other regularly. Putting pen to paper, they share the struggles of the past twenty-plus years. This practice helps them to feel understood, less lonely and isolated.
Research reveals that creative expression can improve not just individual health but, through empathy and compassionate connection, society’s general health.
Another of my clients lost one of his limbs while serving in the military in Afghanistan. He said, “When I was in the hospital, the first couple of days, and then weeks after the bombing [in Afghanistan], I kept receiving packages of letters. They’d get posted on the wall in my room. They’d be sitting next to my bed. They’d be in the hallway as I got wheeled to surgery. They were a constant reminder that all of these people were around me. Their words on paper served as a healing balm.”
Some of my clients were emotionally wounded children. With teenagers, their first question was usually, “How do I get past this pain? How do I deal with this pain?” I share that one of the best lines of defense is to write. One said, “That space to reflect [writing] helped me express myself more freely. It was good for me.”
There is tremendous power in allowing a blank page to become a canvas for painting one’s innermost emotions. The physical act of writing is transformative. It promotes self-discovery, self-recovery, and more effective communication. Putting pen to paper helps us offload emotional baggage and focus on the essentials.
It can help us move from surviving to thriving.
Laurie, your post truly resonated with me. When I read a work of long-gone writers such as my favorites Emily and Charlotte Bronte, I am simultaneously amazed and comforted because I believe that authors attain an earthly immortality through their writing. They continue to speak to our hearts and souls across time. While it’s initially their writing, not mine, I can then be rejuvenated and inspired to write, too. That’s healing for me. Thanks for sharing.
Sherrill, this is beautiful! You put into words exactly how connected I feel to authors long gone. I feel a kindred spirit there.
Sherrill — I’m so glad this post resonated with you. Thank you for letting me know.
What a lovely post, Laurie. You’re so right about writing being a healing thing. Thanks for the reminder.
Anne — Thank you for dropping by. I’m glad you enjoyed the post.
Thanks for a great post Laurie. It explains why for many writers (myself included) there is a need to write in order to stay balanced. Even if it is writing stories, it is still an incredibly powerful outlet. Great reminder.
Colleen Winter — Write on (and on, and on, and on) . . .
Thanks Laurie for the validation. I’ve always believed in the power of journaling. When I was a troubled teen I chewed through diaries and blank journals at an amazing rate. I believed that putting it on paper for it out of my head. I still think writing fiction helps me move through personal things. It’s a healthy way to direct my energy, and at least in fiction, there’s always a positive outcome.
Tracey — Amen, siSTAR!
I have also seen therapeutic writing work wonders. And it’s no wonder, really. Writing is the highest form of learning. It requires thinking, ordering, analyzing, evaluating–all the higher level thinking skills. Expression of emotions is uniquely human and incredibly restorative. Thanks, Laurie, for a wonderful post.
Saralyn, I love what you say about writing! I’ll quote you sometime.
Saralyn — yes, Yes, YES! Thank you for articulating that here.
I see your former career infused in the Sean McPherson series!
Laurie — Yes, indeed, my observant friend. Thank you for noticing.
You’ve written something so powerful here. Thank you for the real world examples of the power in writing. I’m humbled by the importance of the written word.
Joy Ann — The power in writing is a marvel that never fails to “Wow!” me.
Well said – I can just imagine the gratitude of all those clients, who learned from you how to heal themselves going forward.
Galit — Those beautiful chapters in my life were a well-traveled two-way street. I learned SO MUCH from my clients and am grateful for the wonderful experience.
Even in fiction I can discover myself through writing. Fiction allows me to synthesize parts of my life and combine it with imagination into something new and with a different meaning.
Carl — You hit the nail square on the head. Thank you for dropping by today.
Wonderful post, Laurie. I started out with Julie Cameron’s Morning Pages, which was very cathartic for me.
Margaret — The Artist’s Way was and continues to be a powerful force in my life.
I love this blog post! Sage advice. I’m currently reading all of the Marc Hamer books–three short books are all memoir but really about the power of becoming a writer and being able to write about the pain of his upbringing and his journey now as a grandfather and gardener-for-hire. His first was How to Catch A Mole, and the latest is Spring Rain, with Seeds and Dust in-between. Marc’s way of writing seems to follow exactly what you prescribe, as if he were one of your clients. He wrote to heal but he also wrote to re-capture joy that should have been there and wasn’t when he was a kid.
Christine — I’ve fallen in love with the titles you listed and have added Marc Hamer’s books to my reading list. Thank you so much for the book recommendation.
This is especially true when the writing is done with pen and paper (although I’m not decrying the keyboard for those who prefer it). Having that physical touch is different from typing, and the line of ink that is produced is truly a picture of the psyche. Research tells us that the brain lights up in more complex areas when writing by hand, and has many benefits.
Right, Sheila. I sat on our school district’s technology committee when I was a teacher. I advocated for continuing to teach cursive writing in the elementary school, despite a great deal of resistance. I handed out copies of articles from brain studies with the same information about how writing by hand aids in learning.
Sheila — Yes! Something about the tactile use of pen and paper (not that the keyboard isn’t effective, too) works magic in the brain, providing a tremendous healing boost.