Answering to Myself in Writing

Abstract

What is the value, therapeutic or otherwise, of expressive self-writing? What happens when some of those private written thoughts and feelings become material for publication? I was recently reminded of an article I wrote, published in 2009, about dialogical journal writing and compassion-focused therapy. Later, in clearing out cupboards, I found a paper copy of that article (!) and realised that I have a collection of my publications, dating back to 1999 and relevant to the field in which LIRIC has developed. Some of them I'd completely forgotten about writing; some were published in local or obscure journals; some were published in non open access journals and are, frustratingly, now behind a pay wall—even for their author. My intention in this article is to bring together those publications. For anyone who needs or wants a copy, I can supply paper copies but rarely digital ones. Creative therapeutic writing has been a habit I’ve maintained almost since I was old enough to write. Re-reading the thoughts and feelings I catch on the back of flyers, on screens, and occasionally in notebooks helps anchor me, especially at times of transition; helps me to express feelings, make meaning, and clarify my thinking. In a professional life, where talking therapy and then teaching counselling and psychotherapy paid the bills, publishing something became a ‘requirement’ as well as part of an evangelical drive to let other practitioners know about the therapeutic power of writing. This essay aims to capture the ways and various contexts in which the publications about ‘writing for wellbeing’—or whatever we call it—developed.