Book Review: Writing as a Way of Healing: How Telling Our Stories Transforms Our Lives

Do you need to heal from something in your past? This book offers what its title suggests: To heal from the past, write about it. According to author Louise DeSalvo, we can change the future by revisiting, reviewing and revising our thoughts about the past. Writing helps shift our perspective.

DeSalvo guides writers to delve into their past through stages: Preparation, germination, working, deepening, shaping, completion and going public (if desired). She offers questions to ask as writers work through these stages. And she suggests plenty of supplemental books for further insight into the process. The book includes a 10-page bibliography.

According to DeSalvo, writing a healing narrative repairs psychic wounds. The process links feelings to events, then and now, and writers discover insights into their way of thinking through the process. She offers examples of authors who have written novels or articles that illustrate healing narratives.

From my own experience, I find DeSalvo observations and suggestions to be on target. And you don’t have to be a professional writer to apply her techniques. After all, no one will see what you write unless you want them to. This book, published by Beacon Press, is a practical guide for anyone wishing to learn more about themselves through the process of writing.