As I discussed in this earlier post, writing helps heal the depression that dominated decades of my life. That post reviewed James Pennebaker’s research, as summarized in Opening Up, but said little about how I go about writing to confront the most powerful feelings and maintain the progress I’ve made in recovery. For writing is […]
Writing
Why Writing Can Help Heal Depression – 1
The subtitle of Storied Mind used to be Writing to Recover Life from Depression, and I’ve often wondered why it is specifically that writing can help heal depression, especially when so many other approaches to treatment have failed me. When I was just starting this blog, I wrote about the fear of writing or even […]
Why I Write Storied Mind
Writing Storied Mind is one of the most important things I do to stay well, but it’s not easy. I struggle with writing and I thrive on it. I need to write and I long to get away from it. I discover what I’m all about by writing, and I get lost and confused in […]
New Series of Personal Stories at Recover Life from Depression
You shouldn’t miss this first in a series of personal stories at Recover Life from Depression. The series will be a major feature of the new site in order to show you the many forms recovery can take. In this initial post, Donna-1 recounts the turning points in her lifelong struggle with depression. As she […]
Writing to Heal – 2: Getting Started
In the first post of this series (and I urge you to read it if you haven’t done so), I talked about the healing potential of writing and a few do’s and don’ts to make it as helpful as possible. That’s important to know, but the general concepts don’t tell you how to get started. […]
Delay, Fear and Perfectionism Out – Recover Life Unlocked
As you may have figured out by now, I’ve had a hard time launching Recover Life from Depression, but I’ve finally opened it up. “Unlocking” seems like a better word since I’ve struggled for months to break through a hard resistance to getting it done. I was slow to grasp what was going on, but […]
Writing to Heal – 1
Writing about depression can be an important self-healing technique, and you don’t have to have great ambitions about being a writer to benefit from it. As a form of therapy, keeping journals and diaries has been popular for years.
But there are pitfalls in this approach, and it’s important to know what they are and why they prevent writing from helping with recovery.
The psychologist James Pennebaker has come up with useful explanations about why this approach can work and how it can go wrong.
Writing, Creativity and Healing – 2
Thanks again to isabella at moritherapy and her post about Mental Health Camp, I’ve been reading Louise DeSalvo’s Writing as a Way of Healing. She discusses at length not only the healing power of the writing process but also the need for a writer to care for the creative self. Her own breakthrough in becoming […]
