EXPRESSIVE
WRITING FOR STRENGTH, GROWTH, AND HEALING
FINDING
MEANING THROUGH IMAGINATION
"The spirit always finds a pathway." —Black Elk
Words
can touch us to the core. Some words can make us feel as though we’ve
been turned inside out and poured into a larger wholeness, like a river
washing into a sea. Such words can calm us and awaken us to new understanding,
new perceptions, and a new way of being in the world. Writing therapy
invites this kind of transformative interplay of creativity and spiritual
renewal, this reconnection of self and soul with the world.
Words
are an expression of spirit
like
tracks in snow that can help us find our bearings and discover new vistas.
The word spirit, from the Latin word spiritus, means breath.
In the Inuit language, the word for breath and poem is the same. Writing
provides an opening into those layers between the known and unknown in
our inner core where imagination resides. Writing can heal.
"If
I write what my soul thinks it will be visible, and the words will be
its body." —
Helen Keller
Linda's expressive writing programs provide structures and safety in which to explore the intentional use of reflective and expressive writing for witness and wellness. Each session meets the individual at his or her level of life experience. Can't spell? No problem! Don't know grammar? It doesn't matter! No special writing or art skills are necessary to enjoy and benefit from this kind of writing experience.
"Anything
that is the truth will come up out of anything."
—Dizzy Gillespie
Creative activity is a life-affirming process that combats anxiety and inspires a sense of hope. Linda's expressive writing programs feature imaginative props and prompts that act as catalysts to help people draw from within themselves a way to transform their life experiences into moments of insight and radiance.
"A
hand moves, and the fire's whirling takes different shapes. All things
change when we do."
— Kukai (774-835)
Words can open our hearts and bring the inner mystery of life to real
expression. Words can transform. Words can heal.
"What
if imagination and art are not frosting at all, but the fountainhead of
human experience?"
— Rollo May, The Courage to Create (Norton,
1975)
Expressive
writing can help you...
01.
Relieve stress
02.
Clarify choices
03.
Give voice to difficult interpersonal issues
04.
Reminisce through life review
05.
Hear yourself think
06.
Bear witness to what you feel and see
07.
Express strong emotions in a supported way
08.
Develop alternatives to self-defeating behaviors
09.
Boost self esteem and psychological integration
10.
Become more spontaneous and creative
11.
Generate original material for personal projects
12.
Celebrate the dance of life with renewed hope
13.
Restore emotional equilibrium
14.
Affirm and validate your individuality
15.
Alter moods and release pain
16.
Complete some of life's unfinished business
17. Find more joy and satisfaction in life
18. Experience inner peace
"There
is always a sheet of paper. There is always a pen. There is always a way
out."
—H. L. Mencken
Payment
options:
Click
on hummingbird to view
Linda's flexible payment options
visit: www.poetrytherapy.org
Sept. 3-7, Goddard College, Plainfield, VT
Explore how we can use our words — written, spoken or sung — to make community, deepen healing, and foster empowerment and transformation in wide range of workshops, plus special tracks in Narrative Medicine, Right Livelihood and Social Change.
Beautiful setting, reasonable conference fees, room and board available on campus, work-study positions and scholarships available, including the Roxanne-Florence Scholarship for people of color.
For more information, contact: coordinator@TLANetwork.org or visit the website: www.TLANetwork.org
All material, images, and text on this site are copyright of Linda Lanza ©1981-2009 and may not be reproduced without expressed written permission.
Thank you for visiting Inkwings!
Linda
Lanza
Expressive Arts Consultant
P. O. Box 1473
Highland Park · NJ 08904 · USA
linda@inkwings.com