It would be a mistake to underestimate the power of writing as a point of therapy. Most writers are aware of the therapeutic nature of writing, but most may be less willing to admit that writing therapy can be personally beneficial.

Sometimes, the writing that helps us the most on a personal and emotional level is the one that we do not want published. It is very personal, but it can help us understand something about ourselves.

Leslie Ridgeway and Dale Griffith have seen firsthand the benefits of using writing as therapy among inmates at the York Correctional Institute in Connecticut.

These two people worked with the women at YCI. They encouraged inmates to write down their innermost thoughts without the threat of conviction. They found that there was a sense of healing that took place when these women admitted their injuries in writing.

According to their 2002 report entitled “Struggles: Writing as Healing”, Ridgeway and Griffith admit that “many women had reached the limit of their coping skills … educational staff were concerned about the physical and mental health of women and argued ways to help them cope. ” . A safe harbor was needed in the emotional storm. “

The ‘Luchas’ program focused on using words to capture their memories of the violence in their lives.

One inmate wrote: “As children we are taught to respect and obey our parents. I usually covered myself with my hands up to protect my face and head. A reaction that I am sure is a survival defense mechanism. No I hurt my mother, but my physically defensive behavior of pushing her away from me brought her back to reality. The beatings finally stopped and I was left with the question why she hadn’t reacted to her actions years before. “

As we seek to identify with the pain the author feels, we also gain a sense of the release she feels as she finally says in print what has been repressed within her for so long.

An anonymous woman who participated in the inmate’s writing exercise reported: “Seeing our violent experiences in writing is more personal and real, especially when we read them aloud. When I listen to myself aloud, I am telling my experience to someone else. and emotional feelings, which have often been suppressed, hit me. “

As a focused writer, it may be helpful for you to take regular time to write something that is simply therapeutic. None of us came from perfect situations in life. By writing about your past, you can discover a sense of personal freedom and greater freedom to pursue your writing career with less baggage.