Writing Therapy

How writing can help the treatment of mental health issues

by Valerio Vagnoni

“Writing the right thing will not mean that there will never be painful or even intensely distressing parts of your writing. There will be. There should be. Unfortunately, these will be the right things at that time. All of us have memories, fears and horrors buried inside which cause problems either some of or much of the time. We can choose to live with these issues, and the problems they create, for the rest of our lives and not face the pain of examining them. Or we an choose to undertake an exercise like therapeutic writing.” (The Therapeutic Potential of Creative Writing: Writing Myself - Dr. Gillie Bolton, Therapeutic Writing specialist).

The use of artistic activities for therapeutic purposes is nothing new: painting, drawing or dancing are only a few examples. The reason behind the success of these practices lies in the catharsis that can be achieved through the expression of our artistic soul. Our minds are focused on something different than our problems, helping us to reach a better mental balance.

A probably less known kind of therapy which does not require any special skills is the so-called Writing Therapy. This is, in other words, the use of writing to overcome traumas and other psychological issues. The therapy can be administered by a therapist during an either collective or individual session, and, in that case, the patient will be instructed regarding the themes and topics he could write about. Alternatively, we can do it by ourselves in complete anonymity. It is not necessary to be a good writer or to worry too much about the style or even the correct grammar: what is most important is simply to put your feelings and emotions on paper, especially when they relate to a specific traumatic event.

When performed individually there are no specific rules to follow. You can just grab a pen and a notebook and start writing about anything that pops up on your mind, releasing a free stream of consciousness. Nevertheless, there are some important things that should be kept in mind.

First of all, it is essential to be completely sincere in the writing process: it is indeed a unique opportunity to express feelings and emotions in a way that we might have never felt comfortable to do before, and it cannot be wasted lying to ourselves. We should not put any limitation or boundary to our narration, leaving it free of judgment or prejudices.

A call to write

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Furthermore, we should be consistent and try to write at least for 10-15 minutes every day. It may be hard to be able to keep such a pace, but it can be useful to train our willpower and commitment.

It is also very important to have a positive attitude in the exposition: we will naturally be tempted to write about our worst experiences in a negative way, but we should always try to find the silver lining and approach our feelings optimistically, in order to find solutions and acceptance instead of just complaining about our bad luck.

Writing to sooth your soul

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Lastly, we should carefully choose the right environment in which to write. It has to be a place that inspires us, that makes us feel creative and at ease.

It must be said that the therapy is about writing, and writing only: it is not necessary for anybody to read the content of it, not even ourselves. The aim of the process is to write about our traumas and what causes us pain in order to overcome it and move on, so to read it again in a later moment may not be useful for us. We can choose to do so only after the end of the process if we feel like we are truly able to face our past feelings with a clear mind and a more mature approach.

It is needless to say that to give shape on paper to what it is inside of us can only bring us great benefits. It can help us to better understand ourselves and the situations we happened to live, coping with the pain of the past and finally finding some closure. Writing therapy can indeed be effective for many conditions, including post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression and low self-esteem.

After all, countless writers and poets have poured their souls into their work since ancient times. All that we need is a piece of paper and a pen: open up your mind, relax, and let your words flow.