Creativity & Healing By Writing

 “….or it was I, a bell awakened,
and what I heard was my whole self
saying and singing what I knew: I can

by Denise Levertov

Facing Issues - I want to provide you with writing ideas that not only help you face issues but also feed your personal creativity.

“Courage Faces Fear and thereby Masters it.” Martin Luther King

Writing and Poem-making have been proven to bring emotional stability and inspiration.

• If you are dealing with a crisis, writing 15 minutes several times a week for 3-4 weeks about the event but also about your feelings has proven to effectively lower anxiety and depression [James Pennebaker] Try to write nonstop in your journal. Set your timer and go.
  
• Finish these stems (then write about one of them in more detail):
  When I feel hurt I ………
  • When I feel angry I ………

Feed your Personal Creativity - Writing affirms what is important to you.

To Help you journal about feelings:

• Character Sketch about your feeling(s). Describe the feeling as a person, animal, its physical characteristics, it's message to the world, it's wishes, what it's life is like…
• Give the feeling a voice and dialogue with it.
  Kay Adams, The Way of the Journal

Poetic Possibilites - In this section, I post a new poem or writing with pondering or writing prompts to help your climb to meaningful change.  Try it.

Tree in the Window

Tree at my window, window tree,
My sash is lowered when night comes on;
But let there never be curtain drawn
Between you and me.

Vague dream-head lifted out of the ground.
And thing next most diffuse to cloud,
Not all your light tongues talking aloud
Could be profound.

But, tree, I have seen you taken and tossed,
And if you have seen me when I slept,
You have seen me when I was taken and swept
And all but lost.

That day she put our heads together,
Fate had her imagination about her,
You had so much concern with outer,
Mine with inner, weather.

Robert Frost

Frost connects with a tree by personifying it so he can talk out his difficulties with ‘her’, thereby, helping himself. Fate had her imagination about her…”, using your imagination either through memory or go outside to a tree and answer these writing questions to help you incorporate your own personal meaning of this poem.

Writing Questions:

• What memory(s) do you have with a tree?
• Imagine yourself sitting under a tree or on a branch and telling the tree your troubles, dreams, joys.
• Address the writing to the tree in a journal or poem about your outer weather (event) and inner weather (thoughts, feelings related to that event).
• Write about how the qualities that trees possess that would be helpful to you?

With these poems you might: *memorize them during the day, *post in a place you will see it, *journal upon 1 of the questions everyday, *share with a friend, *take a line from the poem and journal or create your own poem. Make it fun and creative.

Calendar of Events

* Poetry & Rhythm of the Seasons Workshops:
   Fall Harvest:  Taking Stock

“I was surprised about my peacefulness in listening to words and the
freedom I felt in writing my own words.”… D. Workshop attendee



* Calm, Compassion & the Inner Critic Workshop:
   Managing your anxiety as the internal critical voices arise during your creative project.  This workshop will give you an understanding and step-by step plan to overcome the anxiety associated with creating.

 *  For More Information About My Workshops or Services, Please Call Me at (919) 469-2992 or Use the “Please Contact Me!” form found on each page.