Bearing Testimony Through Practical Writing Exercises
by Kristy Johnson
www.committedtofreedom.org
Cultivating a poetic soul and giving voice to the journey beyond abuse through reflective writing may sound like a "high falootin" concept for many of us. There may be plenty of excuses we can come up with to avoid even trying to write about the guideposts or road blocks on this path such as: I'm not a writer, I hate poetry, I'm afraid of addressing my specific issues on paper, I have no time for this or I'm more of a visual person-I like painting, collaging, taking pictures, scrapbooking etc.
I'm not here to teach you how to be a poet, or a writer, necessarily. The following writing exercises can simply be another tool to attempt, to help you confront, celebrate, bear testimony to, and figure out some of the emotions, triggers or behavior patterns that you continue to deal with on your journey. In other words, take it or leave it but give it a try. You may find a new way of looking at the struggles you face and gain a fresh sense of strength to tackle problems that seemed too overwhelming to handle.
I have found, whether it reads well or not, that simply writing out how I feel about a particular trigger, emotion, person or problem on a piece of paper--that I can hold in my hand--makes it feel more manageable. When these things live inside us they can often feel like the Great and Powerful Wizard of Oz, filled with smoke and mirrors looming large and roaring, but by putting them down on paper we are able to reduce them to what they really are----the deceptive lies that have felt like truth, the little man behind the curtain.
Here are a couple of exercises for you to try:
1. Write a "Dear John" letter to an emotion that you struggle with such as: bitterness, rage, depression, fear, self-loathing or shame and treat them as if they are a person you are breaking up with, for example:
Dear Fear: You have been a constant companion, I could always count on you being by my side "protecting" me from any new opportunity, relationship or possible hurt that came my way. I know you thought you saved me from many disasters, but actually you kept me from really living. Fortunately, I've found someone else who is perfect. I can't introduce you because they actually are not able to exist in the same room with you--their name is Love. Good Riddance, [your name]
In doing this it helps to let yourself be very specific about how a certain emotion has affected your life. Find a way to be humorous and down-to-earth in how you address it. List both what may have felt "good" about your experience with it and how it may have harmed your life. Hopefully, this type of exercise will give you a new point of view on how toxic certain emotions have been in your life and allow you to tackle them with a fresh sense of empowerment, so that you start the process of "breaking up" with them.
2. Write an Ode about a trigger, emotion, piece of art, photo, useful tool, or memento that has been meaningful on your journey. An Ode is a poetic form that is simply in praise of, or dedicated to someone or something which captures a person's interest and serves as inspiration. Most of the time it is used to celebrate something but for our purposes it can be used to call out both the positive and negative qualities of what you're writing about. Here's one of my own examples, written on a particular trigger I've struggled with:
Ode to a Spider I flinch when I see you in any form. You make my heart pound, breath stop, palms sweat. Even silly cartoon versions of you give me fright. Dear Charlette in her web causes me to run for cover. Before, I remembered, I let you crawl on my arm, I marveled at your handiwork as you spun beautiful tapestries that glistened in the sun. Then, as a grown-up, I remembered why you're scary. You remind me of hands, creeping in places they don't belong. And you were there, a witness, hanging above my head by a thread. But, the truth is, when I see you it doesn't have to be a reminder of what happened. Could it be that you were weaving your way down to help me? But, being too small all you could do was be a witness. I am learning to appreciate you again. How you leave your mark, how you are able to transform dark, secret places into memorials to what was but that can be brushed away with a strong healing hand.
As you can see from this example, you don't have to know how to rhyme or even use "fancy" wording. Simply take the thing you want to write about and examine it by answering the five basic questions of a journalist-who, what, where, why and how-add to this descriptions using the five senses of sight, hearing, touch, smell and taste. In other words; who is this (who gave it to you), what is it (what happened to cause its influence on you), where did you get it, why is it significant, how can you see it in a different light. Then describe what it looks, sounds, feels, tastes or smells like. Remember, I'm not asking you to write a poem, although it may look like the form of a poem, this is just an exercise.
Hopefully, both exercises will help you take time to really look at the stumbling blocks you struggle with on the journey. I have found such exercises very useful, especially in helping me to find a new perspective about something that seemed a never-ending battle. Though I mostly concentrated on writing about the negative emotions and triggers we face; these exercises can also be used to show gratitude for something that has brought great healing in your life.
Kristy Johnson, MFA, is a poet who lives in New York City - Brooklyn. She works with Committed to Freedom as a retreat facilitator, editor, and creative consultant.
*This is the second in a series of articles to help you learn writing skills to unleash your poetic voice. There will be two more articles to follow in the coming weeks:
* Managing Emotions Through Declarative Statements
* How To Use Words As A Healing Part Of Your Journey - Focused Journal Writing
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