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Writing As A Form Of Therapy

SilenusSenior Contributor12 Apr 2016, 3:14 pm AEST

Writing As A Form Of Therapy

Hi all,

I have found throughout the course of my life that writing has been a constant companion to me. It has provided me with a way to vent my frustrations, to grapple with the eternal verities of life that confound and delight me, to explore ideas and concepts, and to try to put into words the often chaotic moods and thoughts that result from having a mind that's a little bit odd...

I have written lots of poems, especially in the last 3 or 4 years, dealing with depression and bipolar. They help me to process and understand some of the things that are happening in this twisted little noodle of mine. As such, writing has become one of my main forms of therapy.

One of the best things that I find about writing is that it can act as a kind of mood diary. I can read things that I had previously written, and it will quite often map out where I was at during the time of writing. The words I spread across the page act as signposts of my progress, too. As my self knowledge increases and my life journey progresses, I find that it affects how I write and what I write...

Often, we do not see the thousands of tiny little changes to our selves that our life experiences cause over the years. It can be very helpful to re-read old writings, in order to see how far we have come, what we have improved, where we have fallen back into old harmful habits, and the things that we have learned.

The language that we use in our writings and in our thoughts and in our speech is very important. It can reveal a lot about our selves, our states of mind, and our moods...

That language, it can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. I believe that we attract certain kinds of people around us, and create (or at least influence) life situations based on our choice of language. It helps define who we are as a person.

Negative thinking, self-deprecation, self-hatred, these sorts of dangerous life traps are often revealed in our choice of words. So too are the positive things. It all starts with a glass. How we describe the glass and the quantity and quality of its contents, that's where language comes into it, and it can shape our very lives and the lives of those around us.

Writing... it is my solace and my main tool of self-analysis. It is my favourite form of therapy...

2932 replies

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In response to: Writing As A Form Of Therapy

BunniekinsSenior Contributor27 Apr 2021, 7:08 am AEST

Re: Writing As A Form Of Therapy

@bipolarbunny I agree with @Dimity I like this one too but then again I like them all!:Dxxx

In response to: Re: Writing As A Form Of Therapy

frogSenior Contributor27 Apr 2021, 7:48 am AEST

Re: Writing As A Form Of Therapy

Wow @bipolarbunny you capture so much so well.

There’s concrete,

Running through my head...

In response to: Writing As A Form Of Therapy

bipolarbunnySenior Contributor27 Apr 2021, 6:22 pm AEST

Re: Writing As A Form Of Therapy

@Bunniekins @Former-Member @Dimity @frog @Shaz51 Thank you my dear friends xx

BB 🐰💙

In response to: Writing As A Form Of Therapy

Unknown userMember27 Apr 2021, 10:45 pm AEST

Re: Writing As A Form Of Therapy

@bipolarbunny On the worst of all days...is full of optimism and positivity I like that. I emptied a bedroom today then painted it, I don't think I will sleep tonight so revved up but exhausted too. Love ya work BB

In response to: Writing As A Form Of Therapy

MazaritaSenior Contributor27 Apr 2021, 11:27 pm AEST

Re: Writing As A Form Of Therapy

@bipolarbunny on the worst of all days... beautiful and profound.

In response to: Re: Writing As A Form Of Therapy

bipolarbunnySenior Contributor05 May 2021, 6:29 pm AEST

Re: Writing As A Form Of Therapy

Hey my fellow forumites, @Bunniekins @Mazarita @Former-Member @Shaz51 @rivergal @Dimity @Appleblossom @HenryX @Meowmy @frog @Olga

and everyone else passing by...

Geez, been a really difficult week, I'm changing meds again 🙈 so thankful for my therapist. He's the only one who can reach me through the cray cray. So anyway I wrote this poem for him, he has become the angel on my shoulder and when I'm unwell I find myself talking to him in my head. It's not a delusion but rather I think he's taken up the carer role in my head to keep me safe when things go awry because with the c-ptsd I am unable to do that for myself. The me in my head is still self defeatist when I'm unwell. So yet I wrote this and my therapist was quite chuffed, an honoured I think, lol. So I thought it might be a good one to share as I'm guessing most of us have that committee in our heads, and I only hope you all have an angel on your shoulder like Jeff.
Have missed you guys xxx

BB 🐰💙

The Jeff In My Head

At times I feel trapped,

With nowhere to go,

No rhythm nor rhyme,

No go with the flow,

My thoughts become wisps,

Of unraveling thread,

And so I must channel,

The Jeff in my head.

It’s odd you might think,

But the mania knows,

And when there’s no sense,

To the crazy it throws,

When the chaos looms large,

And my world’s full of dread,

It calls in the dark, for,

The Jeff in my head.

It’s not a delusion,

Or hearing faux pas,

I simply just summon,

His voice from afar,

Like an angel amped in,

On my shoulder he shreds,

Letting loose on my demons,

The Jeff in my head.

And he never dismisses,

My need to be heard,

I’m rarely coherent,

And often absurd,

But it matters so little,

For what’s being said,

Is life is a choice, with,

The Jeff in my head.

When racked with the shame,

Of a tenuous gift,

When the lessons of life,

Send me running adrift,

When I want it to end,

And the warrior’s fled,

I remember my pact, with,

The Jeff in my head.

I will never do harm,

Nor will I succumb,

To the fire and ice,

Or it’s hideous glum,

My wounds are my bond,

For my words have now bled,

It’s chiseled in stone, with,

The Jeff in my head.

When anxiety strikes,

When the outlook is bleak,

When I’m drowning beneath,

All the bullshit I speak,

When my soul goes asunder,

All poised for the dread,

I reach out my hand, for,

The Jeff in my head.

At times I feel trapped,

With nowhere to go,

Held hostage by time,

And a crook status quo,

But I never give up,

When my thoughts race ahead,

I can always converse, with,

The Jeff in my head.

In response to: Re: Writing As A Form Of Therapy

BunniekinsSenior Contributor05 May 2021, 7:05 pm AEST

Re: Writing As A Form Of Therapy

@bipolarbunny I wish I had a Jeff in My Head.I love your poetry. You are so talented at it. You are a clever bunny. Love always peaxxx

In response to: Re: Writing As A Form Of Therapy

bipolarbunnySenior Contributor05 May 2021, 7:10 pm AEST

Re: Writing As A Form Of Therapy

@Bunniekins Ohh I love you pea!!!! You are so kind!! Love you to the moon & back! xxx
BB 🐰💙

In response to: Re: Writing As A Form Of Therapy

BunniekinsSenior Contributor05 May 2021, 7:40 pm AEST

Re: Writing As A Form Of Therapy

@bipolarbunny:Dxxx

In response to: Re: Writing As A Form Of Therapy

bipolarbunnySenior Contributor05 May 2021, 7:59 pm AEST

Re: Writing As A Form Of Therapy

@Bunniekins Squeeeeeeeeee XD xxx

BB 🐰💙

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