Dr. Klauser's book WITH PEN IN HAND: THE HEALING POWER OF WRITING is another winner for me. I've always known that writing is valuable and important in general, but it's great to read when an "authority" confirms and validates the fact that writing is also a powerful and important tool when it comes to healing. I am not going to say a lot about this book myself; I'm going to let Dr. Klauser's words speak since they already do such an eloquent job. Following are some of the quotes/lines from the book that really spoke to me, personally:
"healing writing. . . .[is] about the power of the written word to soothe our souls and ease the anguish" (ix).
"Writing goes right to the place that hurts, and writing heals" (x).
"Ask yourself, What is the obstacle to my healing, and am I ready to let go? Answer in writing until you get to something real" (xv).
"You cannot skirt the pain when your life is shattered by an event you never expected.
You must go through the mountain, not around it, not over it, and confront the snarling beasts and demons" (1).
"Writing brings you face-to-face with your own truth and reality" (3).
"Facing the sad emotions in your life tenderizes you to appreciate fully all the good that is there, too. Grief is not meant to shut you down, but to point to what is important.
. . .'If you block your grief, you block your joy. They go together. The depth of joy can only be measured by your willingness to go to your depth of sadness. What you discover is how deep you are'" (8).
"Writing is part of the process that gets you to the other side. You may not feel like writing. Do it anyway" (32).
". . .grief piles up if you don't hand it head-on" (48).
"Sometimes what makes you sad has a message for you, if you will be patient enough to listen for it" (73).
"Writing is a perfect way of getting both your thoughts and your feelings into the light.
When you write your thoughts and feelings, there is something deep and primal happening. . . .
If I keep it inside of me, it never becomes reality--but if I speak it out, if I proclaim it, if I yell into the void, or if I write it onto the paper, it takes on life. It I don't get it out on the page, it's not born. If I can put it down, I can feel it. I can let it flow out of me into the world. I'm talking about discovering what's going on inside me. I let it go out of me so that it can be reflected.
Writing brings a fullness to ideas which holding them in your mind alone will never accomplish. Because when you write something down, it speaks back to you" (86).
"The ability to put your thoughts on paper is yours, and nobody can ever take that way from you" (112).
"You have to do what hurts if you ever want to get to those answers. You have to walk through the pain. You have to go through the dark scary place" (176).
"Writing is an end in itself. It doesn't take away the ache, it simply acknowledge it.
'When you write, there doesn't have to be any kind of result. The pain doesn't have to go away; it may not even get better. You may cros to the other side, or you may not, or it may take awhile. Writing is a way to just BE with it, be with your pain, or your sorrow, or whatever it is. It is okay to hurt, to feel sad" (235).
"Find a color that is your spirit. Find what moves you when you write. Paste in photos and quotes from others. Be creative in journal writing, whatever that creative process is. It doesn't have to be perfect" (237).
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