Writing to Heal the Heart

Writing has been a lifeline for me. It has anchored me through times of sadness and loss; it has also created a space for celebrating moments of joy and excitement. I have always felt much more comfortable pouring my emotions out through pen onto paper than in conversation.

One of my earliest memories of writing was after learning that one of my great grandmothers had passed away. I did not see her often as she lived far away, but I had very special memories from the time that I did spend with her. I could remember visiting her at her home once and she pulled out the bottom drawer of her dresser – instead of clothes, it was filled with letters she had received over the years, letters that my mother and her siblings had written as young children, right through to letters that her great-grandchildren had written to her. I was eight or nine-years old at the time of this visit, but I remember seeing my own handwriting on one of the envelopes and the feeling of enormous pride that the words I had written were worth keeping.

Her death marked the first time I had lost an important person in my life, and I was devasted. I can still remember the physical pain I felt in learning that she had died and really not knowing what the pain was or how to fix it. I remember one afternoon closing the door to my room, sitting down on the floor with a pencil and piece of paper, and writing. I do not remember the full content of the letter, but I do remember it was the only way I could ease the emotional pain I was feeling. It was the only way I knew how to express myself – when speaking words failed, my pencil and paper helped me through. I do know I did not share this writing with anyone in my family. When I finished the letter, I tucked it away in the bottom compartment of a tall white bookshelf in my room. I knew I had not written the letter for an audience. It was private.

Journal writing over the years, I think, was an opportunity to say what was on my mind with the freedom to edit, revise, erase, or even in some cases, tear up. It also gave me the ability to comfortably, and most importantly safely, work through whatever came up in my life that required an outlet of expression.

Fast forward to my graduate studies, I had the incredible opportunity to research and analyse a remarkable collection of personal writing. A friend had letters, diary entries and short stories written by her grandmother when she was 14-years-old and trying to escape Nazism. While decades, continents and completely different worlds separated our lives and experiences, I felt a connection to this writer and her writing. I felt the common thread that wove through our writing was how we used this medium to work through how we were feeling – something that has been done for generations by writers of all ages. Writing gave us a foundation to stand on and face what was to come our way.

I was thrilled to have the opportunity recently to chat with Maureen Pollard about writing as an artform and coping mechanism, a means of healing the heart. You can CLICK HERE to listen to our conversation on her podcast, Heart Work: Conversations About Art to Heal the Heart.