Scriptotherapy: Write about it Part 2

Welcome back my lovelies, I hope you enjoyed, Scriptotherapy: Write about it Part 1, and now here’s part 2.

So a short summary, in my last post I explained how Scriptotherapy is basically defined as “writing for therapy”. There have been numerous studies completed that prove how beneficial writing for therapy can be for many conditions.  How does it work? Well the best explanation I’ve found is from Dr. Sheppard B. Kominars, author of Write for Life: Healing Mind Body and Spirit through Journal Writing:

“You actually change the problem by framing it and moving it into an area of your experience more involved with problem solving”

Where to Start?

You don’t need much to start a pen and a notebook -it’s that simple.  Also, you don’t need to be a prolific writer.  Writing for therapy can be a few sentences, a paragraph or a couple of pages – whatever you need it to be.

Consistency is key to reaping the benefits. Now I write at least 2-3 times a week, not just for when I have bad days, but also to sort through organising and planning where I’m heading, to reflect on where I’ve been or what’s going on in my life, as part of my gratitude ritual and to celebrate the good things that happen. I’ve found that writing regularly keeps me in the present and has increased my own self-awareness.

Here are three types of writing you can try:

In Part 1, I explained free writing which is the form I use the most.   Free writing simply involves writing whatever is on your mind, completely uncensored.  I find this especially cathartic on bad days.  One of my difficulties with my depression is that it’s not okay for me to have negative feelings, and free writing gives me the power to overcome this.  It is a way to acknowledge and accept its okay to feel bad, depressed and anxious.  Once I get out all the negativity, it’s on the page and I’m able to reflect on why I feel this way, providing me an opportunity to overcome and deal with the negativity.

Now, the other two forms I haven’t tried, but I thought I did do a little research for you, my readers.  Just in case free writing isn’t your thing.

Poetry: “Poetry is a natural medicine; it is like a homeopathic tincture derived from the stuff of life itself ––your experience,” writes John Fox in Poetic Medicine: The Healing Art of Poem-Making.  According to GoodTherapy.org, poetry as therapy is beneficial because it can often:

1. Be used as a vehicle for the expression of emotions that might otherwise be difficult to express;

2. Promote self-reflection and exploration, increasing self-awareness and helping individuals make sense of their world;

3. Help individuals redefine their situation by opening up new ways of perceiving reality;

4. Validate emotional experiences and improve group cohesiveness by helping people realize many of their experiences are shared by others.

If poetry is your thing, then I do suggest that you check out The Institute for Poetic Medicine, for more information, courses, community, and resources.

Write A Letter:  In this form of scriptotherapy, you can either write a letter to yourself or someone else.  You can imagine that someone has written to you, asking how you are and you are writing back to them.  You could write a letter to someone whom you have unfinished business with.  These letters are for you to work through what you need or want to overcome.  Simply going through the process of writing the letter can bring some peace and clarity.

I think all in all Julia Cameron author of The Right to Write and The Artist’s Way sums up perfectly why we need to make writing a part of our self-care routine:

We should write because it is human nature to write. Writing claims our world. It makes it directly and specifically our own. We should write because humans are spiritual beings and writing is a powerful form of prayer and meditation, connecting us both to our own insights and to a higher and deeper level of inner guidance as well… We should write because writing is good for the soul…

I hope you’ve enjoyed today’s posts, and I’d love to hear your stories on how writing helps you.