The Healing Power of Creative Writing and Other Forms of Self-Expression

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The Healing Power of Creative Writing and Other
Forms of Self-Expression

• Danny Pettry, MS, CTRS
• Recreational Therapist

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Presented at the

• Healing Through Creativity Festival
• http//www.healingthroughcreativity.org/
• West Virginia State University
• Oct. 16, 2008
• 600 p.m.

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Icebreaker Name Game

• What is your name?
• What do you expect to get from this session?

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Course Goal

• This course is designed to teach survivors of
  abuse and professionals who provide services for
  survivors about the healing benefits for creative
  writing and other forms of self-expression. The
  focus will be on stress management and overall
  health promotion.
• I hope youll find a collection of good ideas
  today.

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Course Objectives

• By the end of this session, youll be able to
• Identify at least 5 benefits for expressing
  emotions through the use of creative writing and
  other self-expressive arts.
• Identify at least 5 forms of self-expression that
  could be used to promote health and well-being.

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A little bit about myself

• I am Danny Pettry. I grew up in Beckley.
• M.S. Rec Therapy, Indiana University
• Ive provided recreational therapy services at a
  residential treatment program for children
  between ages 7 and 13 who are in treatment for
  sexual, physical, and or emotional abuse for the
  last six years.
• I enjoy the work I do and want to help.

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My hobbies include

• Reading and writing mostly.
• I am empathetic and collect books by survivors.
• I like to watch basketball. I like walking, and
  enjoying nature, especially during the Autumn
  months. I also enjoy spending time with my family
  and going to the movies.

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Who Wants Understood?

• Sean Covey (1998) said the deepest need of the
  human heart is to be understood in his book The 7
  Habits of Highly Effective Teens.
• The focus of this session is to teach you ways to
  express yourself so that youll feel understood
  and if not by others, at least youll have a good
  self-concept, which is beneficial.

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First, Keep a Journal

• Journaling although not a term in the dictionary,
  it is the act of writing about ones thoughts
  and feelings.
• Journal according to Websters dictionary is
  record (as in diary) of daily happenings.
• Diary according to Websters dictionary is a
  record especially for personal experiences and
  thoughts. A book.

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Is Journaling a Leisure Activity?

• Leisure is living in relative freedom from
  external forces in order to act from internal
  ways that are pleasing, worthwhile, and provide a
  basis for faith (Goodale Godby, 1985).
• Journaling could be leisure if the person is not
  being externally forced to write and it enjoyed.
  If a person does not prefer writing, there are
  other forms to be discussed soon.

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Aristotle viewed writing as leisure

• Two types of education according to Aristotle
• Instruction on how to use leisure honorably
• Reading/ writing, gymnastics, music and art.
• Instruction to develop occupational skills
• Math/ money making, household management,
  politics and sciences.

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Writing is a Creative Art

• Pressfield (2002) in his book The War of Art
  argues that writing is a form of creative art.
  Pressfields book discusses how to use leisure
  time productively to perfect ones craft at
  writing.
• Pressfield had used the same creative techniques
  to write the novel The Legend of Bagger Vance.

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Journaling and gender

• Some people argue that journaling is an activity
  for women. This has been very true based on my
  personal experiences having provided services for
  adolescent males in the past.
• Fact that I use Former U.S. President Ronald
  Reagan kept one of the most detailed dairies
  among all Presidents in history.

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Benefit Increase Longevity

• Dr. Maoshing Ni (2006), in his book Secrets of
  Longevity Hundreds of Ways to Live to be 100
  argued that
• Mental stimulating activities (learning and
  writing) can stimulate brain cells and in some
  cases grow new brain pathways
• Suggests that it is good for health to express
  ones mind opposed to holding feelings inside.

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Benefit Increase Longevity

• Ni (2006) compares a mental dump with a bowel
  movement. Ni argues that a person should solve
  this mental constipation with the use of
  journaling, which could add years to the
  lifespan.
• Interesting fact Reagan, had written diaries,
  short fiction, sport stories, numerous letters,
  and poetry. He was the eldest person to serve as
  President, serving from 69 to 77.
• Could writing be a factor to his longevity?

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Bibliotherapy

• Bibliotherapy (wikipedia, 2007) is an expressive
  therapy that uses an individuals relationship to
  the book, poetry, or other written words as
  therapy.
• Bibliotherapy is most often combined with writing
  therapy.
• You may want to read some of the books suggested
  in this session.

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Bibliotherapy

• The use of Bibliotherapy is also discussed in Dr.
  David Austins (2003) Therapeutic Recreation
  Process and Techniques. 5th edition. Sagamore
  Publishing.
• It could be beneficial to read famous journals by
  people who have suffered similar incidents and to
  keep a journal about their own personal issues.

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Use of journaling in schools

• Teacher Erin Gruwell a.k.a. Mrs. G. taught at
  Woodrow Wilson High School, Long Beach,
  California
• Being the new teacher, she was given the worst of
  the worst.
• Children in her class were involved in gangs,
  drugs, racial wars, and had experienced loss from
  shoots in the hood.

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Erin Gruewells Strategy

• Erin Gruewell realized that her students needed
  more than just English.
• She used bibliotherapy and writing therapy in the
  classroom to help her students to build esteem,
  confidence, acceptance of others, how to cope
  with issues in life, and so much more beyond the
  basic education curriculum of high school.
• She went the extra mile and was criticized by
  other teachers because teachers felt she was
  making them look bad.

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Newspapers argue the benefits

• Cathartic writing course records students pain.
• Writing to heal teenagers explore their problems
  through writing.
• Literature transforms at-risk students.
• Teacher stronger than fiction troubled teens
  find hope.
• Education teacher Erin Gruewell used the
  Holocaust to teach students about tolerance.
  Students fill book about horrors of their own.

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Diary Entry 56

• I was getting everything off my chest and it felt
  damn good. I continued to tell the class that my
  father had molested my sister and how angry I was
  that my mother didnt do anything when she found
  out about it.
• (Freedom Writers Diary)
• Comment demonstrates benefit felt good

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Diary Entry 136

• I write quotes, poems, journal entries, and
  stories everyday so that I can escape reality
  because sometimes it is unbearable.
• (Freedom Writers Diary)
• Benefit shows a healthy escape opposed to
  negative coping strategies drugs, drinking,
  violence, etc

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Healthy escape in moderation

• I recommend using leisure activities for health
  escape in moderation.
• In example, writing, photography, visual imagery/
  day dreaming, relaxing and other activities are
  beneficial.
• They could become bad if a person uses them to
  avoid responsibility, i.e. day dreaming and
  writing creating stories about fantasy all day
  opposed to solving personal problems.

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Another Benefit for Journaling

• Peter Mass, a journalist for the New York Times
  encouraged and inspired students to continue to
  use writing as a form of empowerment rather then
  using violence.
• (Freedom Writers Diary)
• Overall, I (Danny P.) highly recommend the book
  The Freedom Writers.

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Survivors Youre not alone.

• There is probably a book/ published journal,
  biography for any situation your patient may be
  suffering.

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War, Suffering, Discrimination

• Zlata Filipovic
• Zlatas Diary

She was 12 y.o. when her country Sarajevo was
under attack. She kept a journal prior to the
war until she was able to leave the country as a
refugee.
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Zlata's experiences

• Having no food, water, electricity, and gas for
  over one-year and during the harsh winter.
• Not being able to go to school and play with her
  friends
• The death of close friends, school mates, and
  family from snipers and bombs.
• Having to live in a musty basement to stay alive.
  

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Was journaling therapeutic?

• Zlata said writing was her salvation during the
  war and that it kept her sane. She suggested that
  writing might be one of the best vehicles for
  some of Mrs. Gruewells students to escape their
  horrific environments and personal demons.
• (Freedom Writers Diary, 1999).

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Zlata on journaling

• If I had a bad day, or I felt sad about
  something, and as soon as I was sad, bothered or
  worried, I knew where to turn to first the
  diary.
• Zlata is my age 28. She had written her diary in
  1992 at the age of 12. I dont imagine many of us
  in here have suffered the fate that she had.

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Zlata today

• Her diary, once published allowed her an
  opportunity to leave the country.
• She graduated in 2001 with a B.A. in human
  sciences from the University of Oxford. She lives
  in Ireland and works to promote human rights.

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Physical Disability

• Bethany Hamilton.
• Soul Surfer

• Bethany was a teenage surfer living in Hawaii.
  She grew up in the ocean. Both of her parents
  were surfers.
• Her arm was bitten off in a rare shark attack,
  first recorded in the location in Hawaii.

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Was her book therapeutic?

• She had written her book with a spiritual advisor
  and an author.
• Bethany poured her heart out to her spiritual
  advisor and pastor.
• There are scientific studies that prove the
  healing benefits for pouring emotions, which we
  will cover later today.

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Bethany today

• Bethany continues to surf today. Bethany was also
  featured in Logan Magazine, which is a magazine
  that profiles successful young people with
  disabilities.
• Logan Magazine could be great for bibliotherapy.

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Logan Olson comments

• I (Danny P.) had a friend request on myspace from
  Logan Olson, the Creative Director of Logan
  Magazine. I was shocked she found me because I
  had recently read the book Soul Surfer.
• Logan posted this comment I sustained a brain
  injury in 2001, My RT always played UNO with me
  to get my hands working again. I loved my PT, OT
  and ST but I had a blast with my RT.Love, Logan
• Logan said that she is living her dream by
  writing, creating and directing her magazine!

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Dysfunctional Family

• Jeanette Walls
• The Glass Castle

• Jeanette grew up with parents who did not have
  their priorities correct. They would not work.
  Father left child with known abuser. They would
  flee and move when bills piled up, yet they owned
  valuable property.

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Was writing therapeutic?

• Jeanette Walls stated Writing the book was
  hugely therapeutic on so many levels.
• (MSNBC Interview, 2005).

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Substance Abuse

• Go Ask Alice
• Anonymous
• Book could offer therapeutic benefits from people
  in rehab trying to quit drugs/ drinking.

• Alice kept a journal during her youth. It kept a
  detailed record of her thoughts and feelings and
  the time which she began to experiment with
  drugs. Ultimately, she died from an overdose.

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What you need to start?

• A journal, notebook, legal pad, or paper
• Pencil, ink pens, colored ink pens work well with
  children and young teens, based on my personal
  experience.
• A place to write.
• Time to write.
• It is that easy.

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Use a timer

• Roberta Allen (2002) suggests using a timer to
  help a person to concentrate/ focus her or his
  energy.
• Set it for 10, 15, or 30 minutes and write
  non-stop regardless until the timer buzzes.
• She argues that writing freely, leisurely, and
  spontaneously allows ones true voice can be
  found. (Self-discovery).

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Other Forms of Self-Expression

• What if you do not like writing? Good news, there
  are other forms of self-expression that you can
  use!
• According to the definition of Goodale Godby,
  (1985) it is not leisure if it is forced.
• According to Allen (2002) one finds their true
  voice (self-concept) through free, leisurely
  writing.

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Motivation Techniques

• Deci Flaste (1995) Why we do what we do the
  dynamics of personal autonomy have a four-step
  process for developing internal motivation.
• Provide a rationale for the behavior, in this
  case writing.
• Acknowledge the persons feelings
• Invite them to try
• Allow them to make the choice.

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Internal vs. External Motivation

• Deci Flaste (1995) are opposed to rewarding a
  person for completing an appropriate behavior
  because this puts the focus on the external
  getting a reward opposed to the internal
  enjoying the behavior in this case writing.
• The behavior, writing, in this case should be the
  real reward.

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The Real Reward

• Anne Lamott (1994) in her book Bird-by-bird
  some instructions on writing and life argues that
  a person should enjoy the process of writing
  (internal motivation) opposed to being focused on
  getting published (external reward) because those
  who write for the money often create work that is
  phony to the reader. The reader wants a real
  piece of creative art, which can only be created
  by one who loves to write.

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But I have too much to tell.

• What if youve had many experiences, too much bad
  to write?
• Use the bird-by-bird technique by Lamott (1994).
• She had to write a report on birds and her father
  told her Anne, just do it bird-by-bird, in other
  words, one at a time.
• Use baby-steps from what about Bob movie.

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Activity 1

• Lets play a little game.
• First, I want to give thanks to Hal Urban for
  special written permission to re-use this
  activity.
• Select any 3 words from the sheet.
• Use each of the 3 words in a different sentence
  at the bottom of the sheet.
• How do these words make you feel?

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Activity 2

• Complete the same process with these words.
• Select any 3 words from the list
• Use the 3 words, each in a different sentence at
  the bottom of your paper.
• Were these sentences more positive?

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The purpose of this activity?

• To understand the positive effects of words in
  our life.
• It does not matter if you say think about it or
  dont think about it, the fact that the word
  crosses your mind, you have thought about it.
• Focus on the positive.
• Keep a gratitude journal to help you focus on the
  positive!

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Positive words mean

• An increase in the number of positive words in a
  persons journal could demonstrate an increase in
  a more positive attitude.

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Elderly and the power of words

• Experiment Willing people who are elder were
  randomly selected and sent to one of two rooms to
  learn instructions for test.
• In room 1 the instructor used words like weak,
  puny, fragile, forgetful.
• In room 2 the instructor used words like smart,
  experienced, strong willed, etc.
• They were told to walk down hall to a different
  room to complete activity.

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The real test

• There was not a major activity in the room down
  the hall.
• They timed how long it took for the person who
  was elder to walk down the hall.
• Which group do you think walked minutes faster?
• Naturally, those who had the instructor who used
  positive words.

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To increase positive attitude

• I have my patients to keep a Grateful Journal.
  One x per week.
• It is a scrapbook, which they keep pictures,
  drawings, stickers, quotes, and items that they
  are grateful for.
• They can open their book anytime to increase
  positive feeling of being grateful.
• Technique is great for psych facilities.

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Positive Reflections Journal Entry

• According to (Pennebaker, 1990) an increase in
  positive words is an indicator of an increase in
  health.
• A moderate number of negative words is an
  indicator of good health.
• Very high and very low levels of negative words
  is an indicator of poor health. Low because
  person is avoiding truth.

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Adaptive Techniques

• Poor grip Use a pencil grip, or get a small nerf
  ball and push the pencil/ ink pen through the
  middle to allow the person a better grip.
• Use a tape recorder. Expressing emotions via
  speaking can be beneficial as well.

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The use of drawing

• At the facility I work, I had a little boy who
  refused to speak about his abuse issues with his
  individual counselor.
• I am pleased to acknowledge that it was the
  recreation therapist who helped him to open up
  and start talking about his abuse through a
  creative arts project, which they designed their
  own life comic book.

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The backwards comic

• He drew amazing pictures, but his comic was
  backwards.
• He had written and drew pictures about his mother
  being on crack, the men who would sexually abuse
  them at the crack house, and picking up cans on
  I-64 to recycle in order to buy food for self and
  younger brother.

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Manga Technique

• The boy told me that he was making his comic
  correct and that I (Danny P.) did not know
  anything about comics.
• I grew up with Batman, Spiderman.
• He grew up with Manga and Japanese art.
• He introduced his book to me. His book was
  interesting that it read Property of
  such-and-such county public library.

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Is drawing therapeutic?

• The story of Sparky
• by Earl Nightingale
• Nightingale is also the author of
• The Strangest Secret Recording
• And is considered to be the founder of
• The self-help field.

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Who was Sparky?

• Charles Shultz.

Creator of Charlie Brown, Snoopy, the Peanuts.
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Research on journaling

• The majority of research on the topic of
  journaling and the healing power of expressing
  emotions had been completed by James Pennebaker,
  PhD.

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Pennebaker studied

• People who have lost jobs
• Had spouse to recently die
• Survivors of Holocaust
• Rape victims
• New mothers
• Students from grade school to med

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Benefits for writing or art

• Writing about upsetting events provides both
  physical and psychological benefits.
• Writing about an issue allows a person to resolve
  a difficult problem divorce, death of a loved
  one, war, financial ruin, disability, public
  humiliation, etc.
• It is a basic need to express one self, rather
  visual arts, dance, etc. Von Gough had twisted
  visions or art. Hank Williams Jr. has conflicting
  musical themes. Writing is just one creative art
  for expression, like other master pieces.

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Pennebaker on Benefits

• Clears the mind
• Resolves traumas
• Improves memory
• Increase problem-solving skills
• Increases ability to cope
• Increase creativity
• Writing is preventative maintenance/ health
  promotion.

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Evidence suggests

• Writing can improve affect/ mood
• Improve immune system/ improve health.
• One study by Pennebaker and Ball revealed based
  on blood samples taken shortly after writing,
  that those who had written about deepest thoughts
  and feelings had increase immune cells compared
  to those who had written about superficial
  topics.

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Activity 3

• Thoughts, Feelings, Solutions Journal Entry

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Door Prize

• Look on back of Danny Pettrys business card for
  your lucky number.

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Challenge

• Create something to express the real you so
  youll be understood or so that you can simply
  understand yourself more.
• You have free choice write a book, create a
  painting, a collection of paintings or doodle art
  in a journal. Create anything.
• Present it next year at this conference.

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Door Prizes!
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• Earn Continuing Education Online
• Danny Pettry Rec Therapy CEUs
• Online www.DannyPettry.Com
• Contact Information
• Email Danny_at_dannypettry.com