Is writing a memoir therapeutic?
Jerry Waxler
Writing a memoir is one vital way to receive inner healing that can bring you closer to yourself. The writer stated that when you write a memoir, you see your hopes and dreams of the past and are pulled into a different mindset where you can see how these even minute details help shape who you are today. The theory of Dan Golemen, author of “Emotional Intelligence”, is that when you describe how you are feeling, you can improve your feelings. I relate this to when someone says they feel the need to “vent” or to get something off their chest. After releasing what you are feeling to someone, even if they are just there to listen, you achieve a calming and releasing effect to your feelings. This is also proved by the similar aspects of Drs. Aaron Beck and Albert Ellis in that people often change the way they feel by changing their thoughts. This is why people say that positive thinking is a key to life because positive thinking usually relays to positive results, but if not, then you learn from your mistakes and go from there.
These ideas can be seen from listening to the recording from Antoinette Franklin and her niece Iriel Franklin and their experience from the Hurricane Katrina. Iriel is asking Antoinette what she misses of Louisiana since they have moved to Houston and Antoinette begins to tell stories and reminisces of meaningful things from her childhood such as her fathers pink and yellow roses. Discussing details such as these, although it may be painful, is a way to release the pain and feel joy from such memories.
Both the reading and the listening deal with memories and the connection between one’s inner thoughts to be spoken and experienced in a way that you may very well never have before.
2 comments:
I like that you mention the importance of details in the story. I think that you can convey so much through imagery and detail.
I agree entirely that a memoir is a vital way to receive inner healing that can bring you closer to yourself. I really like how you incorporated a theory of another author into your work, thats very insightful. I also find that memoirs are an excellent way to vent. Personally, I feel a lot better when I let my feelings out. Either through speaking to someone or doing some writing myself. Your input about discussing sadder times to appreciate the better ones as well.
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