COURSE

Creative Writing For Healing

Words are windows to the soul. When we put pen to paper, we are shining a light on our inner world, clarifying our thoughts, stabilizing our emotions, and exploring our subconscious. For those of us with a history of trauma and neglect, creative writing can be particularly therapeutic. The page listens, it does not judge, and it is always available. It has a perfect memory when we want it to and can just as easily be discarded. In this 10-day course, we will be exploring the healing power of creative writing in the form of poetry, freewriting, and journaling. This course will help you to acknowledge, accept, and heal from your past, face your inner demons, and turn all that energy into creativity and artistic self-expression.

Creativity Healing Happiness Secular Mindfulness Spirituality Mindfulness Meditation Open Awareness Performance Recovery & Healing Health & Happiness Secular Spirituality Mindfulness

Meet your Teacher

Zachary Phillips

Melbourne, Australia

Zachary Phillips is a poet, author, meditation instructor, and mindset coach. He is also a qualified teacher, Reiki master, and is currently studying a Master of Counselling. In these roles he helps people identify and release the limiting beliefs that no longer serve them, guiding them from surviving to passionately thriving using tips, tools, and techniques that enable them to process the past, accept the present, and embrace the future with positivity and purpose.

10 Days

5.0k students

4.9 stars

13 min / day

Creativity

English

Lesson 1

So Why Write?

This session will primarily focus on discussing what creative writing is, why it is beneficial to practice, and the different options that we will be exploring throughout the entirety of this course. It begins with the poem ‘Obsession,’ then moves onto a talk on the slow, non-linear, and often confusing nature of healing from trauma and neglect. From there, it goes into depth on how creative writing can assist in our healing process. This session ends with an introduction to creative writing in the form of free-flowing and playing with rhymes.

Lesson 2

The Challenge Of Self Expression

This session explores how trauma and neglect can diminish our thinking and speaking capacity and highlights the many ways that creative writing can help to counteract their impacts. It begins with the poem ‘Can’t Quite Express,’ then moves onto a discussion on how flashbacks and triggering moments can, at times, completely stifle our ability to communicate our needs in those moments of inner crisis. This session ends with a word association game, designed to get us comfortable and able to quickly respond to positive, neutral, and potentially negative concepts. We also look at developing a short statement that could be used when we are unable to express ourselves fully.

Lesson 3

Exploring Our Deep Feelings

This session explores the ways that our upbringings can distort and confuse our feelings. It begins with the poem ‘Love Is,' then moves onto a discussion on attachment theory and how the way adults in our childhoods treat us can have a lasting impact on how we view relationships in later life, as well as our outlook on the world at large. We also discuss some strategies to overcome potentially disparaging, negative, and externally fearful self-talk, whilst also ensuring we remain safe and secure in our relationships. This session ends with a free writing activity, designed to simply get us flowing and writing on some deep topics.

Lesson 4

Know Thyself

This session will highlight the need to establish boundaries that are based on a knowledge of ourselves, our values, and our true desires. It begins with the poem ‘Rejection,’ then moves onto a discussion of the problem with acting in order to fit in, of accepting relationships that are not right for us, and of the need to say no to things we simply don’t want. It highlights the importance of mindfulness meditation and creative writing as a tool to gain self-awareness. The session ends with a freewriting activity, where we will learn to recognize our thought patterns, and then to commit them to paper in real-time.

Lesson 5

What Am I Feeling Right Now?

This session looks at dissociation, both as a potential defense mechanism against trauma and neglect, as well as a potentially overactive hindrance to functionality and true connection. It begins with the poem ‘Trippin,’ then moves onto a discussion of the subjective nature of dissociation, highlighting the impact that it can have on relationships, work, and life. From there, we look at the various ways that creative writing can ground us, and through the careful selection and placement of words, return us to the present moment. This session ends with an introspection, followed by some free-form poetry designed to express our findings.

Lesson 6

Don’t Let The Dam Break

This session takes a close look at trauma and neglect, focusing on the importance of acknowledging and accepting our pasts as a vital component of healing. It begins with the poem ‘Flashback,’ then moves onto an analogy that compares the act of creative writing with the measured releasing of tension from an overflowing water dam; writing too much too soon is just as dangerous as taking no action. This session will gently encourage you to turn and face your inner world, and to take the small steps necessary for recovery. The session ends with an introduction to structured poetry, highlighting its ability to frame potentially challenging topics and concepts around particular forms, thus enabling you to focus more on word choice.

Lesson 7

How Good Is Good Enough?

This session dives into the issue of perfectionism, both in the context of creative writing, but also with our lives in general. It begins with the poem ‘The Fear Of Imperfection,’ then moves onto a discussion of how trauma and neglect can lead to the overactive desire to control our small universes. We discuss the importance of looking at the larger picture, and how a micro-focus on perfection can cause the larger projects to fail. The session ends with an exercise in editing and revision, that will give you some constructive ways that you can review your work. It also highlights the limits of effective revision, demonstrating how to recognize when your work is good enough, and when you should move on.

Lesson 8

This Too Shall Pass

This session dives into the concept of life as change, as well as our strong desires to keep things as they are. It begins with the poem ‘I Am Constant Change,’ then moves onto a discussion of the concept of our lives being more akin to a process as opposed to a stationary unchanging entity. It highlights how our current mental states can reshape our memories and opinions of the past, suggesting that we need to take our shifting perspectives into account when making plans. The session ends with an introduction of journaling as a form of writing therapy, providing us with a tool to both express ourselves in the moment, as well as to reflect on the changing nature of our mental states over long periods of time.

Lesson 9

The Importance Of Detachment

This session explores how our fortunes can change for the better, as well as the importance of living in the moment enough to recognize it occurring. It begins with the poem ‘Two Leaves,’ then continues with the discussion on how our moods can shape our perceptions of the past and present. We will learn how to recognize when we are applying our current moods unfairly onto all the events of our pasts, as well as ways to counteract this process. The session ends with a return to the journaling activity from the previous session, with a focus on recognizing and correcting any untruths or generalizations, with the goal of shaping our journaling piece into a truer representation of our reality.

Lesson 10

Bringing It All Together

This session will bring together all the techniques, tools, concepts, and ideas from the entirety of this course into one cohesive practice; highlighting how to use them all to establish a consistent creative writing practice in our lives. It begins with the poem ‘The Darkness Fuels Them,’ then continues onto a discussion on how creative writing is both grounding and therapeutic. It discusses the nature of our inner demons, namely their aversion to attention and acceptance, and how by writing we shine the light of consciousness upon them and heal. It ends with a creative writing activity of free form writing. You will be reminded of all the different options available to you and given free rein to express yourself in whatever way you see fit.

Ask your teacher

This course includes 95 community questions and 41 audio replies from Zachary Phillips. The community classroom and teacher audio replies are only available via the app.

4.9 (62)

Recent Reviews

Miranda

October 5, 2024

Thank you for this course Zachary. I appreciate you sharing the way you handled difficult events through poetry. This is touching as well as informative and helpful. I can see how poetry is healing and is therapy and your course has been a great help in starting me on my poetic healing journey.

Sheila

March 25, 2024

Excellent well-constructed course which, besides being therapeutic, really has inspired me to write. Thank you!!!

Robin

November 8, 2023

I’m sure these courses are very difficult especially for trauma survivors such as yourself. The creative writing process is so different from what I remember in high school ha ha. But this was great to help me regain a start to something I used to thoroughly enjoy in a more therapeutic manner. Thank you for offering this course. Greatly appreciate it Namaste 🙏

Rae

September 24, 2023

Although I have always enjoyed writing I had no idea that it could be so therapeutic . Zachary, I so admire your openness and honesty about your childhood trauma and how hard you have had to work to overcome it. Thankyou so much for the course. 🙏

Sygrid

September 12, 2022

Thank you for creating this course and for being so transparent, vulnerable and open. I now have a daily writing routine that helps me a lot, especially when anxiety hits. I also love writing whenever I feel good, because as you said, things change and transform, looking back at my patterns gives me hope and courage to go on and on 🙏🏻

Enley

April 18, 2022

I was nervous that I wouldn’t be able to complete the daily activities, but to my surprise the words came flowing. His guidance and instruction were helpful and I feel a weight lifted from the insight my words sand process gave me. I look forward to continuing my creative writing practice in my self care routine. Thank you!

Deedre

October 21, 2021

Thank you! You've sparked my creativity, and I'm grateful for that. Your vulnerability in sharing very deep trauma is inspiring. Namasté ❤🙏🏼

Orélie

June 13, 2021

Thank you so much for this course. It is one of the best opportunity to transmute emotions and trauma I have discovered lately. I knew its power but I understestimated it and I clearly did not know how to harness it. Your course is a beautiful gift. From poetry to insights and pratical exercises, it gathers all I needed. I will keep journaling as part of my morning routine. When I look back at my notes from day 1, I can really see my emotions switching from frustation to happiness. So beautiful 🌟 thank you

Kenzel

May 10, 2021

I've been trying to unlock myself through writing but my mind has been crowded with the daily mental work I need to do just to stay afloat! This course is exactly what I've been looking for... creative writing therapy...because it blends both these journeys. Thank you Zach.

Susie

April 29, 2021

It was nice to get back into writing through this course. Zachary responds to all comments and writing right away. Thank you, Zachary!

Mari

April 12, 2021

As a poet, this was such a very moving and powerful course. Thank you for being vulnerable. 🙏 Wishing for more success and peace! :)

Gill

March 25, 2021

An excellent course. Each session had a clear point so well laid out. It released me from my fear of allowing journaling to suck me down into depression. It was also a great insight into how to view the past. And now it is a question of continuing the writing habit. Thank you so much Zach. A beautiful experience. You delivered so much more than I thought possible in such a short time.

Natalie

March 24, 2021

Brilliant course. Most inspiring, really got me hooked on the creative writing process. Thanks so much

Dee

March 23, 2021

Looking forward to reading your book. I hv my journals but was afraid of how to begin. Your course gave me tips on how easy it can actually be....that it doesn’t hv to be perfect. Namaste

Annette

March 23, 2021

I am grateful for your work. Thank you!

Wendy

March 21, 2021

Thank you for your vulnerability and openness in sharing your work.

Joy

March 16, 2021

Very inspiring course

nancy

March 15, 2021

You have given me a rich, new approach for dealing with the depression and past trauma that often gets in the way of a productive day. I regularly draw and write into the drawings in such a way that I cannot read the words (nor can anyone else) which is also cathartic. Now I have yet another outlet, another dimension for facing the emotions. Thank you so much for providing such an excellent course.

John

March 10, 2021

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