Writing as a Way of Healing by Chen-ou Liu

Book Review of Writing as a Way of Healing: How Telling Our stories Transforms Our Lives by Louise DeSalvo Paperback: 226 pages Publisher: Beacon Press Da e: !arch "#$ 2%%% &ri ing is a for' of herapy( so'e i'es ) won*er how all hose$ who *o no wri e$ co'pose$ or pain can 'anage o escape he 'a*ness$ he 'elancholia$ he panic fear$ which is inheren in a hu'an con*i ion+ -- ,raha' ,reene

Louise DeSalvo$ professor of -nglish an* Crea ive &ri ing a .un er College in /ew 0ork an* 1irginia &oolf scholar$ brings wen y years of wri ing e2perience o her work en i le* Writing as a Way of Healing: How Telling Our Stories Transforms Our Lives$ in which she reco''en*s wri ing in spare 'o'en s$ uncensore*$ an* sugges s ha wri ing links feelings of pain$ grief$ an* loss o an even an* ha i will spee* up he healing process+ 3s an e2perience* lec urer in he fiel* of crea ive wri ing$ Louise DeSalvo asks her s u*en s o wri e five pages per week an* o wri e

every *e ail as a repor er o 'ove beyon* a rau'a+ She sugges s ha wri ing abou *ifficul ies enables one o *iscover he wholeness of hings$ he connec e*ness of hu'an e2perience+ &ha she e'phasi4es is he nee* o 'ake a cons an connec ion be ween feelings an* even s for a healing process o ake place+ -2pressing oneself hrough wri ing can es ablish one5s connec ion wi h o hers an* wi h he worl*+ 6hroughou her book$ he 'os fre7uen ly use* 'e aphor for wri ing ha she e'ploys is a 8fi2er9+ 3s DeSalvo clai's$ I use my writing as a way of fixing things, of making them better, of healing myself. where I&m going... transformation. s a !om"asslike way of taking a #fix$ on my life %% to see where I am, where I&ve been, an' fter twenty minutes of writing, though I baker frien' of mine !alls it feeling #yeasty$ was still sa', my feelings ha' un'ergone a subtle but real %% alive an' growing an' !hanging. That&s what I often feel after I write. (easty. :sing her own wri ing e2periences an* hose of he s u*en s she has augh for wen y years$ DeSalvo has e'pirically es e* Dr+ Pennebaker;s research abou how wri ing benefi s a wri er;s heal h$ an* she has aken his sugges ions one s ep fur her$ arguing ha when wri ing abou pas rau'a ic even s$ he wri er 'us connec he' o he feelings of he pas an* of he presen $ an* ha hrough he linking of wri ing an* feeling he wri er can bring abou effec ive progress owar* wri ing an* healing+ She also pu s a special e'phasis on al erna ive purposes for wri ing:

We write not to !reate works of art, but to buil' !hara!ter, 'evelo" integrity, 'is!i"line, )u'gment, balan!e, or'er, restraint, an' other value' inner attributes. Through writing, we 'evelo" self%mastery, whi!h !ontributes to our emotional an' s"iritual growth. Writing, then, be!omes the tea!her. DeSalvo5s concep of <wri ing as a way of healing9 re7uires a 8healing narra ive9$ *e'an*ing he ru hful *escrip ion of rau'a ic or *is ressing even s in *e ail an* of how one fel abou hose even s hen an* feels abou he' now+ =or her$ he healing narra ive is a balance* narra ive con aining nega ive an* posi ive wor*s an*$ crucially$ a richness of *e ail+ 6his is analogous o Sig'un* =reu*5s conclusion ha he vivi* *rea's of he vic i's of shell shock in he =irs &orl* &ar represen e* an unconscious a e'p a healing hrough revisi ing he or urous e2periences in all heir co'ple2i y+ Pu ing healing narra ives asi*e$ DeSalvo also places e'phasis on sharing one5s wri ing+ She con en*s ha having e'pa hic lis eners is cri ical o healing an* ha hey can help reflec wha he wri er has sai*$ where here 'igh be gaps in he narra ive$ areas where hey woul* like o hear 'ore$ an* 'ay even uncover pa erns in he narra ive ha he wri er hasn; seen+ 6hrough wri ing an* sharing$ wri ing abou pas rau'a ic even s no only can heal he wri er$ bu also can help he rea*er an* he cul ure( i beco'es far 'ore han an in*ivi*ual wri er;s nee*$ bu i crea es a ripple-effec wi hin socie y$ resul ing in a re>ec ion of rau'as an* violence co''i e* agains i s 'e'bers+ 6herefore$ he wri ing i self an* 'aking i public beco'e a poli ical ac $ which will spee* up social progress+

3ccor*ing o DeSalvo;s concep ion of wri ing as a way of healing$ in he ac of e2pressing yourself$ here is a healing power$ a power o heal he woun*e* soul+ =or in he work of ar you crea e$ hough you co'e o know *espair -- ha he *ark nigh of he soul hrough which you have o pass -- you fin* ha by giving i e2pression you can be heale* an* know he >oy of recovery an* crea ion+ 3s hese linke* e2periences of pain$ recovery$ an* crea ion are a**e* one o ano her$ layer upon layer$ no only is your work enriche* bu o hers share i s benefi s+ 6o wri e abou a painful issue is o revisi he or'en ing

e2perience$ he *arkes unnel of 'e'ory+ ) re7uires no only courage an* *e er'ina ion bu also fai h -- fai h ha here will be ligh a he o her en* of he unnel+ 6he hope of healing is such a ligh $ an* he hope of being rea* is ano her( he wo are ine2 ricably linke*+

Shor Biography:
Born in 6aipei$ 6aiwan$ Chen-ou Liu ? @ e'igra e* o Cana*a in 2%%2 an* se le* in a suburb of 6oron o$ where he con inues o s ruggle wi h a life in ransi ion an* ransla ion+ =ea ure* in *ew +esonan!e ,: -merging .oi!es in -nglish%Language Haiku$ Chen-ou Liu is he au hor of hree books: +i""les from a S"lash: /olle!tion of Haiku -ssays with war'%Winning Haiku$ 0ollowing the 1oon to the 1a"le Lan' ?for hco'ing in Ac ober 2%""@$ an* 2roken32reaking -nglish: Sele!te' Short 4oems ?for hco'ing in Dece'ber 2%""@+ .is anka an* haiku have been honore* wi h 22 awar*s$ inclu*ing =irs Pri4e in he 2%"" .aiku Pi2 Chapbook Con es + Rea* 'ore of his poe's a 4oetry in the 1oment$ h p:BBchenouliu+blogspo +co'B