Writing Mindfully for Transformation
Most of us have experienced difficult times during our lives– the death of a loved one, trauma, transition, illness, war, or natural disaster. This workshop is about learning to bear witness to our own suffering through creating written stories about our experiences. Putting language to the events or traumas, shaping the events into a story, and finding meaning in our suffering help us to make order from the chaos and transform the suffering. We will engage in creative ways of working with memory and imaginatively shaping the material into narrative. We will explore mindfulness skills to cultivate inner peace and to assist in being present with difficult emotions. The workshop is designed for beginning and experienced writers who are interested in writing for self-discovery, healing and/or publication.
This workshop will consist of six email text based sessions. Participants will receive an emailed text based lesson each week, complete assignments on their own time, and submit creative writing assignments weekly by email to the instructor for private review and feedback.
In this workshop you will learn:
- Tools for transforming suffering through writing
- Mindfulness skills for being present with difficult emotions
- Techniques for self-care while writing about suffering
- Processes for discovering your authentic writing voice
- Strategies for dealing with writer’s block, fear, and self-doubt
- Ways to make meaning from suffering
The next Writing Mindfully 6-week online workshop begins in winter 2012. Cost: $275
To register contact Jennifer.
FEEDBACK FROM PREVIOUS WORKSHOP PARTICIPANTS
“I’m so grateful for the through, thoughtful, compassionate, and helpful way that you’ve welcomed my work. Thank you for all of that and more.” –Kaaren
“I have new tools to use on my grief journey. Writing has helped me to put some difficult thoughts on paper, sometimes causing me to remember things that I guess I had pushed deep down–many sad memories, but some happy ones also.” — Shayne
“Writing from the heart is something I’ve always wanted to try, but I allowed life’s distractions to get in the way. If I am honest with myself, it’s really because I didn’t feel I was any good at writing. Jennifer’s approach is helping me to trust my inner voice. It’s terribly frightening and exhilarating at the same time. I can’t wait to keep going!” –Geraldine
“One of the most important insights gained from this workshop was discovering that it is possible for me to control my thoughts and find a calm center so I can deal with and write about difficult emotions.” –Paul