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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

StuFSenior Contributor13 July 2021, 12:50 pm AEST

Re: Writing As A Form Of Therapy

@bipolarbunny

Thanks heaps!

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

bipolarbunnySenior Contributor13 July 2021, 3:04 pm AEST

Re: Writing As A Form Of Therapy

@StuF @HenryX @Dimity @ShiningStar @Mazarita @Former-Member @Anastasia @Shaz51 @Zoe7 @saltandpepper @Appleblossom @Daisydreamer @Oaktree

Feeling a little broken today folks. So sharing a verse from the dark depths of my soul.

### TRIGGER WARNING ###

If you are not in a good headspace probably a good idea to give this one a miss.

Big hugs to all xx

BB 🐰💙

Struggle

Born without a hope in hell,

The chord stuck round my throat,

Face first, all bruised and battered,

Set the tone for life’s big quote,

The world is chaos, don’t you know,

From day one it was clear,

You never understood me,

So the struggle started here.

I barely reached my first birthday,

My brother stood on me,

With broken ribs, I’m now deformed,

For all the world to see,

My chest caved in, but worst of all,

You didn’t even care,

You left me helpless, crying,

With a frightened little stare.

And then began the torment,

Of a mind so young and good,

You hated everything I was,

I never understood,

Just why you didn’t love me,

Time and time again I tried,

To be the perfect daughter,

Luck just wasn’t on my side.

And so I suffered silently,

I lived inside my head,

Life was like a prison,

Raised on hatred, fear and dread,

And no one even noticed,

Who I was or how I felt,

It didn’t seem important,

It was just the hand life dealt.

And so I grew up fearing,

Everyone and every thing,

The world was just an ugly place,

No comfort did it bring,

But still I tried to win the love,

Of parents and a mate,

But all I ever got,

Was overwhelming loss and hate.

A teenager, an adult,

Didn’t matter I was cursed,

To roam the earth a lonely soul,

A weary heart traversed,

I never fitted in you see,

I wanted to belong,

But all I ever found,

Were people chiding,

What was wrong.

Wrong in everything I did,

And everything I said,

Wrong in all the choices,

That I made inside my head,

Wrong in feelings, wrong in mood,

My spirit aptly torn,

Wrong that I was breathing,

Wrong that I was even born.

And now the years have all but passed,

The struggle lingers on,

I’m still alone, I’m still fearful,

And life is still a con,

I’ll never understand the why,

Nor how, nor what you did,

My wounds are all I ever had,

I’m still that broken kid.

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

StuFSenior Contributor13 July 2021, 3:06 pm AEST

Re: Writing As A Form Of Therapy

@bipolarbunny
I'm taking your advice re headspace right now. But I Will come back to it

Glad you posted a new poem

Hugs

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

bipolarbunnySenior Contributor13 July 2021, 3:09 pm AEST

Re: Writing As A Form Of Therapy

@StuF Thanks mate, good idea, big hugs to you too xx

BB 🐰💙

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

DimitySenior Contributor13 July 2021, 3:25 pm AEST

Re: Writing As A Form Of Therapy

Poor little baby bunny @bipolarbunny . With tIme travel, love and cuddles and soothing your pain would be possible. Sending you a virtual hug.

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

bipolarbunnySenior Contributor13 July 2021, 3:58 pm AEST

Re: Writing As A Form Of Therapy

@Dimity thank you my friend xx

BB 🐰💙

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

Shaz51Senior Contributor13 July 2021, 4:09 pm AEST

Re: Writing As A Form Of Therapy

ohhh sending you lots of hugs @bipolarbunny

hello and hugs @Silenus , @Dimity , @StuF , @HenryX

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

bipolarbunnySenior Contributor13 July 2021, 4:14 pm AEST

Re: Writing As A Form Of Therapy

@Shaz51 Thanks Shazzy

BB 🐰💙

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

StuFSenior Contributor13 July 2021, 4:16 pm AEST

Re: Writing As A Form Of Therapy

@Shaz51

Hugs back at ya 🙂

In response to: Writing As A Form Of Therapy

HenryXSenior Contributor13 July 2021, 5:57 pm AEST

Re: Writing As A Form Of Therapy

Hello @StuF

I do understand. No failure involved. When material isn't connected with where we're at, at any given time, it is difficult to absorb.

My hope is that you find some quiet and peacefulness, and soon feel a lot better.

With My Very Best Wishes

@HenryX

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