September/October 2006 Spirituality
Journal to Healing: Bodymind Writing

by Deb Shapiro

If, as French psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan said, “Symptoms are words trapped in the body,”then we can use words to release the meaning of the symptom. When a feeling is locked away inside, it can easily stay there, untouched and unacknowledged. When something is written down, it no longer needs to be held inside—it has been seen and heard—and so leaves room for the next thought or word to come.

Writing down feelings, thoughts, ideas, insights and experiences is a very powerful way to connect with your healing, release meaning and deepen your understanding. Be as candid and open as you can. This is just for you, not for anyone else. Writing opens the door to communication; without communication we live in isolation and fear. When you communicate with yourself, you discover a new friend, a playmate with whom you can explore your inner world. It is a way of letting the voice within you speak.

Try writing a dialogue with your illness or with a specific part of your body. You can even do this in the form of a letter. Write to this part of you and let it know how you feel: “Dear Cancer, This is how I feel about you.” Tell it everything. But then let it write back to you. To do this, sit and breathe quietly and let an answer come on its own, in its own words, in its own way. You may be surprised to hear what your illness has to say. Go back and forth in this way. This process helps you see the illness or affected area of your body as a part of you, rather than being something you must get rid of. You soon see that your illness or difficulty also needs to be claimed and even loved.

Or you may want to keep a journal, writing each day or each week. Write about what happens and your response. Write about your feelings, your inner world, your health. Write about any treatment you are receiving and about your doctors. How do you feel about your prognosis? How has this affected your life goals or priorities? How has it affected the people in your life? Write about your parents, your spouse, your children, your work, your home life. You may want to focus on a particular issue, a feeling, a relationship, a conflict, or a part of you that needs healing, and write about how you feel, what you want to do about it, or how you would feel without it. Write your anger, hurt or resentment; write your forgiveness, love and concern. And, as you write, just let the words come freely.

Or you can start each page with a specific question. Write a statement at the top of the page and then let your responses flow. If you repeat this each week with the same issue, you will see how your responses change and evolve. For instance:

How I see myself is … How I feel about my body is … How I see my illness is … I am ready to release … I am ready to accept …

Or try writing your autobiography. Take your time over this, entering into your memory objectively and honestly. Look at the whole of your life and write your thoughts and feelings. Tell your own tale. See the threads that connect each part of your life, that connect events with feelings, feelings with experiences. Try writing for at least 20 minutes at a time. As you think back you may find unexpected insights emerging, ones that deepen your understanding of who you are now.

Excerpted from Deb Shapiro’s Your Body Speaks Your Mind (Sounds True, 2006). Visit www.edanddebshapiro.com.