Cathartic Writing - Can Letting It All Pour Out Heal Your Heart And Mind? (Guest Blogger Luke Casey)

Writers are often seen as tortured souls and many have admitted to using their writing to help them face their demons with prime examples of this being Virginia Woolf and William Syron. Questions have been asked when it comes to writing as to whether or not it is the act of writing that releases tension and allows the writer to find peace, or is it opening up about the past that brings back bad memories and causes the depression in the first place. This is not purely fanciful thinking but has been the subject of research by Susan Nolen-Hoeksema, a Yale Psychologist.

When Writing About Experiences Leads To A Best Seller

Many fans of Stephen King found that his books changed after he had been involved in a road accident and at one stage he considered not writing anymore. Only he knows for sure how much writing helped him get through the dark times he faced, but he has certainly portrayed a similar incident to his own in Misery. Could he have been showing how his life could have ended up if he had not been able to contact the authorities to come and help him?

Some psychiatrists will recommend that people write down their fears as a way of facing them. For some this will work, but for others there will be a greater fear as they cannot bear to see what scares them laid out in black and white. For people with sick members of the family there is the continual fear that the life of the person will end soon and no amount of writing about it can take their fear away. It often helps if they write about them after the event and whether this is a eulogy for the funeral service or a full book paying tribute to their life it can give a sense of closure.

I Know It Can Work

I have found that writing down my feelings can prevent a row and lift a lot of tension. Many times I have been able to turn on the computer – or take out the pen and paper in the pre computer days – and write a letter to someone telling them exactly how I feel. I can honestly say that I have never sent any of these letters, but by the time I have faced the other person, a lot of the anger has been diluted and I have been able to put my point across in a calm and collected manner. The click of a button or the striking of a match is all that was needed to make sure I was the only person who ever knew my real anger or hurt.

Be Accurate and Be Prepared To Be Challenged

Other people have done the same sort of thing, but in much more detail and have actually published what they have written. Sometimes there are family disputes caused and fairly recent books “Angela’s Ashes” by Frank McCourt and “A Child Called It” by Dave Pelzer have led to there being criticisms regarding the accuracy of the events described. For Dave Pelzer in particular there have been further problems as the abuse as he remembers it has been disputed by siblings.

Beating Addiction

Writing about life events is also a big issue for people who are undergoing treatment for addiction and the belief is that once they can confront the problems of their past they will not retrace them. Writing can be cathartic for some people so on the next occasion you face difficult times, see if it works for you.

The author, Luke Casey, is a popular freelance writer and a serial blogger. He writes articles on a multitude of topics. He says if you ever need to get an essay written then essayjedi.com is the best place to go.