Now that you are on your healing journey, you have probably realized the truth about what you have been through. It's time to consider documenting everything you have learnt on the journey of finding yourself. I recommend that you write out your story. It is better to hand-write it rather than type or dictate it. There is something very powerful about the physical act of hand-writing. It gets you in touch with your subconscious very well. At this stage, I do not suggest physically speaking your truth to the public yet, as it may mean opening yourself up to the kind of negativity that may interfere with your healing . So, get yourself a the Hai Healing Journal.
It's not just another fancy journal with a fancy cover, pretty illustrations and poetic writings that would demand you live up to it beauty. With this journal, you get a safe space. It's about getting down and dirty, and telling it like it is, and you need to feel comfortable doing that.
But what if you don’t know what to write? What if you sit in front of this notebook and no words come? Well then, I recommend a process called freewriting. What you do is set a timer for 15 minutes, and you sit down at the notebook and you start writing words, and – this is essential – you do not stop for the 15 minutes! But, equally essential, it does not matter what you write. You get out of judgement about that, and just write away. If you end up spending 15 minutes writing over and over, ‘I don’t know what to write, I don’t know what to write’, then that’s okay. That most likely won’t apply, though. What will happen is that you start hooking into your subconscious and words will come to you.
So you might end up writing something like the following (and note the lack of punctuation in this, as it just flowed)
‘I don’t know what to write I don’t know what to write I’m supposed to be writing about my mother but I don’t know what to say about her I suppose I could say what a narcissist she is and how much I resent her, but I can’t say that but why not, it’s true, look at all she did to me as a child, there was that time she did x ...’.
Do you see how the discussion between various parts of your brain started coming in? In this example the person started to acknowledge their true feeling without censoring themself, they have given themselves permission to write that.
Now I stress that this is only an example! There is no right or wrong way to do this. One of the essential ingredients of creative journal writing is freedom: freedom from judgements, freedom to write as you wish and only about what interests you: journal writing may well be the most accommodating of all writing forms.
I know that we are all prone to be very critical of ourselves and so to have an exercise that says there is no wrong way to do it, is possibly scary and intimidating. But truly, the only way to do it wrong is to stop writing. Once you keep that pen moving and write whatever comes, you are doing it right. This is a dialogue between you and you – how can it be wrong?
Journal writing is a supreme way to record your own life’s journey. It is a way to discover what matters to you and even what and how you think. It is a gloriously self-directed source of inner development, yet it also makes the world beyond your own self more real and more vivid. It can become an interface between you and the outside world. It can become a companion that supports but doesn’t judge. It can be a place of discovery, of learning, of emotional relief and insight. It can also become a playground, where the everyday rules of writing, reflecting, problem-solving, goal-setting, production and planning no longer apply. Without restrictions or censorship your mind can race – or slow down. It can step outside boxes or turn them sideways. It can make utterly fresh connections or simply pause, allowing you to see what is familiar with new eyes. It can train you to observe with subtlety all kinds of situations. And it can help you to learn something of value even from the unwelcome ones. Journal writing will train and hone your eye for beauty. It will invite you into the present moment (while also allowing you to roam your past). It will let you re-experience awe and wonder. It will let you intensify and renew your pleasure in events and situations that have gone well. It will support your recovery (and the gaining of wisdom) from the times you wish had never happened.
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