Date
5-25-2023
Department
College of Arts and Sciences
Degree
Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing
Chair
Anna Anderson
Keywords
depression, trauma, therapy, healing, writing, memoir, spiritual, journey
Disciplines
Creative Writing
Recommended Citation
Law, Lolita Joyce, "Writing as a Mode of Therapy: The Path to Healing and Selfcare" (2023). Masters Theses. 989.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/masters/989
Abstract
When someone is plunging into a deep depression, they may not know what to do with the next moment in their lives. All they do know is that they would like the pain to stop. There are many modes of therapy used to assist people with healing. However, writing for many has the most rewards. It is an expression that allows the individual writing to dig much deeper than any spoken word could allow. Writing can help clear, evaluate, and purge the mind of negative thoughts before it leads to action. Poetry, journaling, and songwriting are just a few methods to assist in healing from trauma or depression. I started writing to discuss my journey to healing and restoration. This paper will discuss the different reasons writing is beneficial and the other writing types. For this project, I will discuss the spiritual memoir and how to write reflectively to enhance the spiritual memoir writing process. This paper will also include my spiritual memoir, which consists of nonfiction writings from my time at Liberty.
