Ep 16: Emotional Healing with Writing

Writing in a journal doesn’t have to be just a record of what you did today. Writing can be incredibly healing and super personal. It’s you, a pen, a paper, and your thoughts. 

Opening up and allowing yourself to process emotions is never easy, but doing so through writing allows you to go deeper into healing if you know how to tap into it. 

Sam Wallen is a writer, poet, and writing guide. She uses the title Restorative Writing Mentor. She helps people through an internal journey into their sacred story giving a voice to wounds and forgotten parts within to bring them to a path of healing.

“It's hard to sit in the discomfort. It's hard to be present with the ugliest emotions, the most uncomfortable emotions.” -Meghan Thomas

Sam begins by taking us through her journey of processing the emotions of losing her mom at a young age to chronic illness. She explains how she faced the complexity of those emotions as a child and the role writing has played in navigating uncertainty and knowing what the next steps are for her in life.

Key concepts and ideas we discuss in this episode:

• Having a structure to stay connected, trust the process, and allow room for what wants to be written to surface.
• The ways writing continues to shift throughout her life experiences
• Digging deeper into areas you’ve yet to uncover

Sam's approach to writing is healing and transformational in the way it nurtures the sacred stories of the soul. We talk about what it looks like to step out of the psychology of writing and get into the flow of writing. It’s not a black and white process. It’s sometimes gray.

“What my writing life is for the most part, is trying to be as present to the physical realities of my life” -Samantha Wallen

When you are writing to heal emotionally it's scary and messy and sometimes deep dark work that is beyond uncomfortable. In Sam’s writing circles and mentoring she anchors you to the practice of allowing space for your soul to speak and not forcing it. Your writing process can be therapeutic and revealing when you discover how to navigate, refine, and trust it.

Connect with Samantha Wallen

Website: https://samanthawallen.com/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/samantha_wallen/ 

P.S. Want to dive deeper into your personal Emotional Expedition? Join me and an intimate group for an 8 week LIVE virtual book study of Brené Brown's book, Atlas of the Heart. This book will be our roadmap to understanding ourselves & others better, learning the language to better express ourselves & ask for what we need, and coming together in community & connection. For more information: Atlas of the Heart Book Study