Subtle and Significant Shifts—The Transformational Effects of Therapeutic Writing

Abstract

This paper looks at the transformational effects of therapeutic creative writing by re-examining aspects of previous research titled The Great Unreality – An Autoethnographic Exploration of Depersonalisation in Adolescent Journals Using Therapeutic Writing. The original research identified both a past psychiatric disorder of depersonalisation–derealisation and a lifelong recovery process. Therapeutic insights brought about significant shifts of perspective using creative writing coupled with compassion and underpinned with psychological understanding informed by the MSc course Creative Writing for Therapeutic Purposes. This paper revisits some of these key moments of the research. Whilst acknowledging the risks of self-research, I suggest therapeutic writing may enhance self-discovery and self-compassion, generating a fresh narrative for a troubled past.