How Writing Helps Us Heal

A pen can be an instrument for healing or it can be a tool to promote either conflict or creativity. Of course, many of us believe that we are here on earth to Create. The role conflict plays in creativity is not immediately obvious, though. One reason we may find conflict so fascinating is that friction and intrigue stimulate creative thinking and expression which leads to solving problems creatively!

Melissa Tydell says that “Conflict is a necessary ingredient for creating an intriguing story. And conflict is an inevitable part of life. Disappointment, sadness, sickness, and death plague us at different points in time and in different ways.”

We all have methods of coping with what we don’t understand, of dealing with painful situations in our lives. One therapeutic technique that helps us heal in times of confusion, broken hearts, and deepest loss is simple but so very powerful—writing.

The Healing Power of Writing

1. Writing allows us to make sense of things.

When we don’t know what to do, putting words on paper feels tangible. It’s black and white in an otherwise grey time. When we don’t feel like talking, writing lets us speak in a solitary way. The page is a never-ending space for depositing our concerns and fears and hopes.

2. Writing helps us to let go and accept that we may never find answers.

Exploring our emotions via writing keeps all our questions and possible answers accessible. We make concrete progress over time, reviewing and reworking, and eventually moving beyond whatever we’re working to process. Awakening begins!

3. Writing improves our mental and physical health.

Research has shown that writing about troubling issues boosts our immune system and improves our emotional health, which in turn benefits our lives in many ways. Writing gives us a space to channel, process, and release negative emotions.

4. Writing changes our outlook.

Journaling may be a popular form of therapeutic writing, but anyone who has gotten lost in a novel knows that stories can transport us. We can evolve our viewpoint by writing a fictional version of an event—perhaps with an alternative ending or from a new perspective—or by crafting a story based on a specific emotion but with an entirely different set of circumstances.

How has writing helped you heal? Email me, if you like-  co*****@ju********.com

 PRACTICE

Write about something that bothers you for fifteen minutes—an event or emotion. Feel free to fictionalize it or change the circumstances to feel comfortable sharing your practice. Peer into the truth of the conflict. How much of it was created by mistaken beliefs?

You can easily- remove your self-limiting beliefs about writing and restore the confidence of your Inner Writer. Please find out more about joining one of our writing groups HERE!

Shed your lead, unleash your gold!

By the way, Melissa Tydell is a freelance writer, content consultant, and guest blogger here at Igniting Your Writing. Melissa enjoys sharing her love of the written word with others. You can connect on her website, blog, or on Twitter.