Writing can support our wellbeing even under the most difficult life circumstances, helping us to adapt to significant change, make sense of loss, improve our physical and emotional resilience, and foster personal growth. Numerous studies of Expressive Writing have confirmed this, and there are other established methodologies for practice. However, to date, few accounts have offered detailed descriptions showing how and why putting pen to paper can be so beneficial. This book delves deeply into the landscape of Writing-for-wellbeing and demonstrates the transformative power of writing in a wide range of contexts. Topics include personal trauma narratives within the Humanities; a participatory Writing-for-wellbeing study that demonstrates the effectiveness of writing in the context of grief and loss; surprise as the hidden mainspring of poetry's therapeutic potency; the empowerment and healing potential offered by Black women’s blogs; playwriting positioning LGBTQIA+ identities as positive through stories of belonging; how writing workshops have helped newly literate Indigenous adults and other participants in the Australian outback; and how the smuggled writings of Behrouz Boochani have enabled global witnessing of the stories of refugees held in offshore detention. This resource sets out the theory and research at the foundation of Writing-for-wellbeing in close relation to full and engaging accounts of practice. It aims to make the topic accessible and affirms its place as an effective reconstructive practice alongside other expressive arts therapies, providing a holistic and inspiring resource for anyone wishing to practice, teach, or research Writing-for-wellbeing.
Katrin Den Elzen, PhD, is a research associate in the School of Media, Creative Arts and Social Inquiry, Curtin University, Perth, Australia and a Writing-for-wellbeing lecturer for graduate students in expressive art therapies, Murdoch University, Perth. She works as a grief counselor and Writing-for-wellbeing facilitator.
Reinekke Lengelle, PhD, is Associate Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies at Athabasca University, Canada and a researcher at The Hague University. Her book Writing the Self in Bereavement: A Story of Love, Spousal Loss, and Resilience won the Best Book Award for Ethnography in 2021 and the Qualitative Inquiry Book Award in 2022.
