We don’t see things as they are; we see things as we are!”
Anais Nin
I had always used my journal to document the happenings of the day as a young girl. As a teenager writing prose helped me to understand the confusion that comes with puberty. The hypnotic, rhythmic rolling of words into verses helped compartmentalise ideas and thoughts into digestible bites.
When my beloved mother died, fourteen years ago, I was catapulted into a journey of self-discovery. My journaling became my sanity. I began writing questions to whomever would hear. My mum had a strong faith in Jesus and God, so I wrote to her God, for at the time I didn’t know what I believed
The years that followed were a mixture of darkness and light.My search for relief led me to learn spiritual practices including Reiki, crystal healing and angelic healing. In between my depression and optimism I studied counselling skills and volunteered in mentoring women experiencing domestic violence. I devoured knowledge in everything to do with health and healing of the mind and soul.
My trusty journal was on hand for reflection and releasing all my worries and confusion. Writing for me, is a way I make sense of the world. I do not understand what I am thinking until I write it down.
I entered the world of education by chance. There were opportunities to get paid work and learn to be a teaching assistant so I jumped for it. I loved the high energy of the children but was unhappy with the bureaucracy. What I loved more than anything was being there emotionally for the children.
I enjoyed supporting them in Literacy, especially in creative writing. I would help them brain storm ideas tapping into their imagination. It is in the classroom with 8-10 year olds that I learned the power of metaphor. Reading some of the children’s work, especially the children with difficult backgrounds, it was apparent that they were finding some release in their creations.
I was becoming more and more disillusioned in the rest of school life and decided to work on a temping contract. In hindsight this was professional suicide as my income dropped. But what I have learned is invaluable. I have worked with challenging behaviour, physical and mental disabilities from all ages. I was out of my comfort zone. I missed the conventional way of communicating ideas of magic and words, but learned different ways to communicate, using sign-language, Makaton and lots of patience 🙂
I believe ‘everything speaks to us’. In other words when soul wants you to move on and be who you are meant to be, your job may not be a good fit anymore; your relationship may fall apart; your friends start mistreating you; your body becomes ill.
I was getting many messages but was not listening…until in July 2014 I was diagnosed with breast cancer as I was putting the finishing touches to my book.
It was now time for me to stop, take stock and reassess my life up to this point. I looked through the techniques that I had shared in Write Therapy and diligently went through them daily. I needed to look for all the lost parts of my soul, forgive people who I had kept prisoner in my mind and let them go. More importantly I had to forgive myself and let go of old thought patterns and habits.
Five years on I am thankfully well. I am a work in progress, taking stops along my journey to look back at how far I have come. Also assessing often to see if the path I am taking is the write (Freudian slip or message from soul?) one.
I am happiest when I am writing and helping others feel better through writing.
The website is also a work in progress. I am writing more books, preparing workshops and writing programs and services. Come back often you may find something that may help you too on your own journey of wellbeing 🙂
Lots of love
Christina x
Write Therapies 