Writing for Therapy: Transforming Pain Through Therapeutic Writing

In this episode, Wendy explores writing for therapy, and how putting pen to paper can help you process an upsetting event or to feel more grounded or to be able to move forward in your life. So, I'm going to go through a step-by-step process to write about a difficult experience and then how to reframe what has happened so that the pain is less, and also how to use affirmations that really work for you. She also shares tools to use if you hit writer's block.

Writing about painful memories can stir very strong feelings. If anything, if it becomes too much here, you can pause, ground yourself and use some self-soothing techniques.  If you are in crisis or risk harm, please contact your GP, NHS, 111, or the Samaritans on 116123, in the UK.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

·  Research shows using writing therapy for as little as 20 minutes a day can, over time, greatly improve your mental health.

·  Writing therapy is a structured way to organise your thoughts and get to grips with what is distressing you.

·  Grounding before you start makes the session more effective. The benefits tend to take place over days and weeks as the brain kind of processes the experience.

·  Wendy takes you through the questions you need to ask yourself to guide your sessions.

·  Affirmations are powerful, but it is really important to use the right ones. Wendy shares how to craft them.

·  Research suggests that writing by hand is better for you. It slows you down so that you can fully process things.

BEST MOMENTS

“Writing about painful memories can stir very strong feelings. So, if anything here becomes too much, pause, ground yourself and work on some self-soothing techniques.”

“When guided, writing can be a really good tool to help you to process trauma.”

“What's really important is that the space that you use is your space. It's private, it's secure. It's where you can express yourself.”

“Before you start writing, do a grounding technique.”

“Write about what happened, when and where, who was there, quite factual. Then, write down what feelings came up.”

“It is not sugar coating. It's called cognitive reappraisal - stepping back to see the event in a fuller way.”

“You're not approving the event; you're recognising the skills or the values that emerged from the event.”

VALUABLE RESOURCES

www.wendycastelino.com

https://www.instagram.com/wendycastelino/

https://www.youtube.com/@wendycastelino798

https://twitter.com/WendyCastelino

ABOUT THE HOST

Wendy Castelino has been working as a psychotherapist for over thirty-five years. As an accredited CBT and EMDR practitioner, she is committed to upholding the rigorous standards required for these accreditations and helping thousands of people reach their full potential.

Wendy currently runs a private practice where her focus is on CBT. Therapy is constantly evolving into developing new techniques, so she studies hard to integrate them into her therapy, to provide a rich and effective experience.

Wendy is aware that working in one-to-one therapy limits the number of people she can see. She has, therefore, created a range of online resources. These resources are designed to be easy to follow and provide clear, step-by-step instructions. This can help the individual to master skills and gain confidence, therefore optimising the therapy sessions. They are also suitable to be used on their own.

Further details are available at: WendyCastelino.com.

This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/