Getting in touch
A lot of writers have attempted to tap into the unconscious or expel the poisons within them. There is a writing method inspired but not created by Sigmund Freud. It's a form of writing called a stream of consciousness. Virginia Woolf was big on it. Anything just coming out of the characters mouth. And sometimes what the character is saying is directly linked to the writer's own mind. I'm very personal in my writing. A short story I'm having published was personal enough my life was saved. To me writing is self exorcism. Get some of that poison out of you. Unload yourself. Rattle your demons and give everything less strength. And there's nothing wrong with putting personal detail into your work. But don't do a Truman Capote and go so far. My goal is to start a group for creative writing as a therapy tool. And I'm psychoanalytical. The smallest line can be the loudest. I'm not really sure how to make a little subgroup to be honest. A goal to to have an in person one at my home. I will put fliers up at the library. And if you're going to read Anne Sexton know some of it is triggering.
@TrueSight
This is an incredible idea. I love stream-of-consciousness writers, such as Virginia Woolf, James Joyce, and so on. I used to have exercises in my creative writing class wherein we had to write during a designated period. Say, for instance, 15 minutes. Our professor would walk around and make sure our pencils were constantly moving, even if we were only writing "I don't know what to write" over and over again. The idea was that, after an amount of time, we would start to learn how to write on command instead of staring at a blank page and getting lost in anxiety about what to write. And eventually, our thoughts would start to pour out in an uncensored, truly frank and sometimes self-revealing way. It was powerful and even therapeutic to experience.
@Percy9 looking back over it there are signs from the unconscious coming in. When you're aren't actively thinking a write the thoughts are coming from somewhere. Freud called it free association. Patients would lay back on the couch and say anything that came to mind. No matter how dull or important sounding. I personally feel nothing said is unimportant. And it is a great excuse to get you to write. Even if it doesn't survive the editing process. Tapping into the unconscious is a big thing I work on. A whole unseen world that directly effects us. For me writing is the best tool. And one of the reasons I like the criticism technique psychoanalytic literally theory. The Catcher in the Rye is the easiest book to use that on. Hemingway said every writer is personal in their writing to some degree. The confessional poets take the cake. As a listener I suggest writing all the time. I personally think creative writing should be included in art therapy.
Well said, Freud was brilliant at helping us discover those unseen worlds of the unconscious.
I would also like to see creative writing included in art therapy! It could be a great help to many
@Percy9 creative writing should be added to art therapy. It's an art form. Most creative writing graduate programs are a master's of fine arts MFA. Maybe some people who are licensed art therapists include it anyways. My college got a MFA in art therapy a few years ago. Maybe I can advocate it to those students. A university is a great place to advocate anything.
@TrueSight
That's true. I wish you good luck!
@TrueSight This is a really interesting post! I love the idea of tapping into my own unconscious and have been searching related things off and on lately online, when I have time. Psychoanalysis, Freud, and Jung interest me. Reading stream-of-consciousness writing sounds interesting. I like the bit you wrote about writing being self-exorcism and getting the poison out of you. I agree with it. I actually thought of creative writing as a therapy tool before too- I study psychology and studies I have read show some way of creative writing as beneficial for the mind. I forget the minute details at the moment, but I considered creative writing before as a way to process emotions, but I forgot about it.
@magicalTree4461 I've read about that in articles. When in listener mode telling members to list things out gives good results. I don't consider it treatment advice but it's good to have things organized.
