Deborah Humphrey, an MA student on the Creative Writing Programme and former mental health nurse, reports on CAW’s Maisha Stories workshop series and shares her particular interest in how creative interventions such as writing and photography can improve wellbeing.
Outside of school education, I have always loved writing and playing with words. Furthermore, I am obsessed with stationery. My notebooks and scribbles may not mean much to anyone else, but the act of writing and making marks helps me relax and work out issues that are causing tension. The idea of writing for wellbeing has gained traction in many fields, especially in health and social care [1], as well as in the academic arena [2]. I have used writing and poetry in my working life as a therapeutic coach and despite an initial gasp, clients have found the writing has given them an insight into challenges that were previously difficult to verbalise.
In February 2024, I was lucky to attend Maisha Stories, a workshop for underrepresented communities, the global majority (GM), in Sussex. The workshop, one of a series, was part of a small project aiming to generate new knowledge on how storytelling can ensure members of the GM in Sussex are aware of, and connected to, healthcare services and creative methods that can support and aid their wellbeing.
In the session I attended, we focused on writing about food memories. Akila Richards, a Brighton based poet and spoken word artist, facilitated the group and invited us to think about the food of our heritage. The room was full of sensory imagined flavours and smells as people talked about plantain, rice, curry and family. Panackelty, a winter dish from the Northeast of England, came to my mind, as I thought about the food of my heritage. For many years, the women in my family have been passing down the recipe; each family often tweaks it, having its own version.
Akila Richards speaking at Maisha Stories
My writing that day prompted stories of family and flavour, but the biggest thing that I learned was about other people’s stories. I went home wanting to try plantain, eat food from other cultures and understanding a little more about how food helps the sense of being home.
What has any of this got to do with writing for wellbeing?
The essence of the project is writing, and for us to see if story telling through writing gives a feeling of being heard. In doing this, we hope it facilitates wellbeing. We are not discussing writing essays, although participants can still write them if they feel tempted. In the session I attended, Akila used a guided meditation with writing prompts. We relaxed into the space and then we would write to a specific prompt related to the topics of the meeting. I found myself writing about my dad and his love of hearty stews, I could see him dipping his bread in the gravy. It was a lovely, evocative memory, and I felt a sense of warmth and comfort.
Researchers have found that writing helps wellbeing, and there is an increasing number of people and groups who use writing to explore their personhood, creating a reflective space, and expressing gratitude.
Why writing for wellbeing?
I have friends who grimace at the very idea of writing. Hang-ups from school days and critical feedback influence us all through adulthood. The type of writing we are hoping people can enjoy through this project is writing from the heart. Personal writing that makes sense to them, which isn’t for marking or meeting any specific learning outcomes.
James Pennebaker [3] talked about the benefits of ‘writing it down to get it out’, meaning that writing about what is happening inside your head helps to release. Julia Cameron [4] advocates the use of Morning Pages. That is writing first thing in a morning filling 3 sides of A4 paper. This is a type of stream-of-consciousness writing that you do before the practicalities of the day distract you. The journalist, Oliver Burkeman suggested it changed his life: “Perhaps I shouldn’t have been surprised at how powerful Morning Pages proved, from day one, at calming anxieties, producing insights and resolving dilemmas.”
Many researchers have found that writing about things that are difficult and reflecting on them can help lift our mood. If you have ever kept a diary, you have probably done this without thinking about the impact on your wellbeing. People often use therapeutic journaling to observe their moods and thoughts over time; Baikie and Wilhelm [5] explore how writing difficult thoughts each day can improve our sense of self.
Poetry Therapy allows individuals to explore poetry and write in response to the poem, encouraging heartfelt responses, potentially related to a specific subject. The National Association of Poetry Therapy (NAPT) aim is to “promote growth and healing through written language, symbol and story.” Whilst Gilllie Bolton, a therapist and educationalist, uses writing to increase self-reflection and reflexive practice in students. She suggests that, “writing can be a ‘private communication first with the aper and then with the self.”
Who can do it?
The short answer is anybody. All you need is pen and paper, or your computer if that feels easier. I find for free-writing I am better with pen and paper. I find the ideas flow more easily and if I want to, I can look at recurrent thoughts that emerge. The key here is not to feel a compulsion to edit, I think this is easier using pen and paper.
When to do it?
You can follow the suggestions of Cameron and do morning pages. I find this doesn’t work for me. I am not a morning person and like my routine of coffee and the radio. My practice leads me to free-write when I feel stuck on a particular decision, or worried about an issue. Alternatively, if I find it difficult to start an essay, I will free-write for ten minutes. Sometimes, I have just described the room that I’m sitting in. It seems to free up the writing muscles. It clears the dread of that blank white page.
An invitation
We would love to invite you to give free writing a go. If you are feeling homesick or worried about university at the beginning of term, this may be a good way of exploring how you feel. Try to do some writing for ten minutes, no self-editing and no self-criticism. Then just leave the page, take some time for reflection. How are you feeling? Has it made a difference?
If you take up the invitation, we would love to hear how it goes. If you would like to know more, please contact us at CentreforArtsandWellbeing@brighton.ac.uk
–– Deborah Humphrey
[1] Fiona Sampson, Creative Writing in Health and Social Care (Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2004).
[2] J Moriarty, and R Adamson, ‘‘Storying the Self’: Autobiography as Pedagogy in Undergraduate Creative Writing Teaching’, Journal of Writing in Creative Practice, 12 (2019), 91-107.
[3] James W. Pennebaker, and Joshua M. Smyth, Opening up by Writing It Down: How Expressive Writing Improves Health and Eases Emotional Pain (Guilford Publications, 2016).
[4] Julia Cameron, The Artist’s Way Morning Pages Journal: A Companion Volume to the Artist’s Way (Penguin, 1997).
[5] Karen A. Baikie, and Kay Wilhelm, ‘Emotional and Physical Health Benefits of Expressive Writing’, Advances in Psychiatric Treatment, 11 (2005), 338-46.
Bibliography
Baikie, Karen A., and Kay Wilhelm. 2005. ‘Emotional and physical health benefits of expressive writing’, Advances in Psychiatric Treatment, 11: 338-46.
Bolton, Gillie. 2011. Write yourself: Creative writing and personal development (Jessica Kingsley Publishers).
Burkeman, O. 2014. ‘This column will change your life: Morning Pages’, Guardian.
Moriarty, J, and R Adamson. 2019. ‘‘Storying the self’: Autobiography as pedagogy in undergraduate creative writing teaching’, Journal of Writing in Creative Practice, 12: 91-107.
Pennebaker, James W., and Joshua M. Smyth. 2016. Opening up by writing it down: How expressive writing improves health and eases emotional pain (Guilford Publications).
Sampson, Fiona. 2004. Creative writing in health and social care (Jessica Kingsley Publishers).
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