We're wondering how many of you Steemsouls are using Steemit as a form of healing and wellness, writing to explore your emotional life and connect to others? In this second interview with @crescendoofpeace (you can find her water kefir interview here) by the unstoppable @thetreeoflife, both Natural Medicine writers chat about how writing, or journalling, can be a valid and therapeutic tool for health.

TOL: Ahh, @crescendoofpeace, so nice to chat with you about a topic near and dear to me and many others in the @naturalmedicine community, journaling for wellness. Can't wait to dig into some healing stuff. You mentioned in our chat on the channel the other day that you've used Journaling as a healing practice and it helped you even to avoid medications for depression. Where did that inspiration come from? To write to heal?

COP: It just sort of happened. In 1997 I went on my first dive trip to the Florida Keys, and even though I'd been reading about the ongoing devastation of our coral reefs, it was the first time I had seen it live and in person. And 1997 was an El Nino year, and a damaging tropical storm had moved through the area a short time before, so the difference between the vibrancy of the protected reefs and the rest was pretty stark.

Long story short, I came home and signed up for an online course in short nonfiction writing, figuring that I could do the most good by writing articles, and and my mind immediately switched into lyric poetry mode, lol! And no, I'm not kidding. I started writing poetry like a madwoman, which I had not done in years, often six and eight poems in a night. And, slowly, I realized that I was working through my frustration and upset through my poems, which began expanding into other areas of my life, and accelerated as I began to share my poems with others.

That was my first inkling of using writing to heal.

*TOL: Like a switch turned on in your mind! I believe it. I find that being exposed to new experiences, such as travel or engaging in a new hobby (and diving sounds both incredible and terrifying) especially those experiences that have a major impact on us and our feelings, can really act as a catalyst to opening that part of us that needs to create to express, or process. So I'm totally not surprised that such an impactful experience opened that door. It activates empathy, don't you think? And purpose.

Can I ask, as you started writing, when did you start to realize that you were on more of a healing journey? I would guess that most writers experience healing through writing. I can also attest to that. But was there a point where you said, wow this is something else? Also, I love hearing that as you shared, you experienced even further healing. How do you feel sharing your work helped accelerate the process?*

COP: I've actually written a couple of posts about that period, one for a Jerry Banfield's Spiritual Writing Challenge (or whatever it was called), which tells you how long ago it was. The short version is that I experienced the deaths of three people close to me in just over a year, with the Sept 11th attacks sandwiched in-between; first my dad, then my mother-in-law, to whom I was close, and then the man I consider my first real soulmate, with whom I'd remained close friends for over twenty years. When my dad died I was mostly coping, them Mae died, and my then-husband and I both got bad cases of flu while attending her funeral in Richmond, and his turned into pneumonia. Then September 1tth knocked the whole country off its axis, and the floodgates opened . . . I suddenly couldn't stop crying. But when Ted died, all bets were off. I ceased to be able to fully function, and as I wrote at the time, I considered my body a traitor for continuing to breathe.

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TOL: So much loss in such a short time, that must have been incredibly difficult.

COP: Luckily, during this period, I was already writing a great deal of poetry, and sharing my poems with my meditation group was one of the few things keeping me grounded. I might not be here had it not been for their support.
Then, shortly after his death I signed up for a second course in short nonfiction writing, with the same instructor, and that was a godsend . . . and in a convoluted way, that's what got me back into journaling. Around the same time, I started grief counseling, which I had been offered when my dad died, but hadn't taken them up on.

When Ted died, it was clear even to me that I needed help, and the woman who was my counselor was a gem. And she encouraged me to continue writing, and it became an adjunct to our counseling process, allowing me to come to insights I likely wouldn't have had had I not been journaling.

TOL: Wow. It must have felt... I don't even know. Like life coming at you from all sides? I feel like anybody in that situation would be in crisis mode. It sounds like 911 for you was kind of like opening the floodgates. I remember the day of 9/11 and just thinking that I've never felt anything so pregnant with silence and fear. Just devastatingly quiet.

I find it really amazing to see things that people reach for in times of devastation in their lives. Everything from exercise or alcohol to sex to actual healing tools, like writing. Or meditation. It's really fortunate that you already had those tools under your belt, although I'm sure it would have been easy to reach for something that maybe would not have served as well , or turned out to be as much of a Lifeline for you. It's almost like your Spirit or your past self was looking out for you :-) that's and encouraging thought.

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It's interesting that you mentioned needing to feel grounded during this process. I've heard that from many many people . Have you read some of the works of Pema Chodron? She actually mentions this concept A lot. There are those moments in our lives where everything falls apart. When we are in crisis mode, or survival mode, at Ground Zero. It's that feeling of empty ground beneath your feet, of nothing to hold on to. I think we experienced this on a smaller scale frequently, probably every day if we were to look at our lives and thought processes. But it's especially profound during times of crisis. Deep pain. And grief. Pema Chodron calls it positive groundlessness, because it's also a Time that's full of potential for healing and growth. Like an opportunity.

One of my favorite quotes from her is:

“Only to the extent that we expose ourselves over and over to annihilation can that which is indestructible in us be found.”

I know you didn't exactly choose those circumstances, but it sounds like you did find the part of you that survives, the part that heals. I think that's really beautiful. Can you share your process a little bit with us? Do you do a lot of free-form writing, or is it mostly poetry? Or is it more like having conversation with yourself?

COP: In any case, as evidenced by my post last night, writing still brings me to a better frame of mind, whether journaling, posting, or sometimes even just making lists. My journaling is almost always freewriting, stream-of-consciousness without engaging my internal editor, or as I usually refer to her, my inner school marm. She can be a serious pain at times. ;-) But part of journaling to me is the notion of privacy, the knowledge that I am writing for myself, and that whatever results will be shared with others only when and if I choose to do so.

And I think that is important for many of us, especially today, when even a simple email or text can be taken out of context and used against us. It is important and meaningful to have a space within which we can Express what we need most to express without fear of retribution, and journaling provides that for me. Occasionally my journaling also takes the form of writing as if for my best friend, which is also the voice I tend to use in my posts, as it is easy for me to fall into, and helps to keep the school marm at bay.

TOL: I totally get what you mean when you say: "It is important and meaningful to have a space within which we can Express what we need most to express without fear of retribution". So glad you shared that. We live in a world of judgment for sure. I think... Many times judgment is a good thing, as it helps us be discerning. But when we are judged for our emotions, our pains, and our own ways of healing from those things, its a real struggle. Sometimes, we are our own worst critics as well. That's where I have found journaling to also be really effective for me. It's a totally non-judgemental space (the journal itself) to let out whatever I need to let out, and the only person that's there to judge it is myself. Which let's face it everyone does plenty of haha but I think too, going back and reading sometimes helps me to be less judgemental of myself because it gives me a baseline. Kind of like, oh that's where I was but I've grown and changed and it was just my path, there's nothing to judge there, just to appreciate. And sometimes that can be really helpful too.

So, as a healing modality or a tool for mindfulness and expression, do you have any suggestions for someone just starting a Journaling practice? Sometimes those blank pages can be daunting, if it's something you aren't used to! I'd love to hear your thoughts on this.

COP: For anyone just starting a journaling practice, my number one piece of advice is to be kind to yourself. No one is great at everything right out of the box, and it's okay to suck at it for a while, which most of us have at some point while finding our stride. Give yourself permission to just go with the flow. If you feel like doodling, or drawing, or just staring at the page, do it. There is no right or wrong, just the dialogue between you and the page, in whatever ways it takes form, and that's okay. It's nice to have a goal, say 250 words to start with, but it's not necessary, and you'll do fine with or without it.

Just start. Above all start. The rest will take care of itself.

I also find it helpful to ask myself questions. It there a big hairy question you're wrestling with? Ask it, and have faith that your muse is working on it, whether you are currently or not. And pay attention. I've had answers come in the weirdest and most circuitous of ways, including in the lyrics of seemingly random songs or scenes in films, or even in the snippets of conversations around me. Information is all around us. We have only to open ourselves up to its flow.

TOL: That's great advice, to be kind and allow things to free flow, even if it means doodling.

"Information is all around us. We have only to open ourselves up to its flow"

......is one of the best things I've heard. That's something I also love about journaling, is it increases my receptivity to new information. I believe that handwriting has a direct link to the subconscious, which is a real key to opening up the receptors to information that is always available all around us.
Thank you so much for chatting with me, it has really been a pleasure, and I appreciate you opening up and sharing your personal experience!

Do you journal for healing? We'd love to hear about it. We'll also upvote the best comment below that includes a photo of your journal! We really love hearing from you Steemfolk, and love supporting you do what you do - please join in the conversation, and if you'd like to be interviewed by @naturalmedicine, please get in touch. You'll find us on Discord here!

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