By working with the nuances of one's handwriting to represent more positive traits, a person can steer his or her mind to think in a more productive and self-assured way. Graphology expert Sheila Kurtz tells readers how to make this innovative method work for them.

Writing as a medium of professional help and healing in the various interventional tiers of self-help, education, promotion, prevention, and psychotherapy, and rehabilitation has expanded exponentially since the introduction of computers and the Internet in the last generation. This volume does three things. Firstly, it brings together research on different types of writing and distance writing that have been, or need to be, used by mental health professionals. Secondly, it critically evaluates the therapeutic effectiveness of these writing practices, such as automatic writing, programmed writing poetry therapy, diaries, expressive writing and more. And thirdly, in addition to evaluating the effectiveness of various writing practices, the volume will examine how research-based writing approaches will influence the delivery of mental health services now and in the future, including the implications of these approaches.

Psychoanalysis is often referred to a talking cure, but in this fascinating book it is the art of writing that is discussed and explored. Including contributions from a selection of leading therapists, the book shines a psychoanalytic light on the very process through which the discipline is described. It includes chapters on the idea of creativity, the issues around a therapist’s subjectivity, the challenges of describing trauma, as well as those of co-authorship. Psychodynamics of Writing will appeal to clinicians, therapists and anyone interested in what the process of writing means.

Therapy, Stand-Up, and the Gesture of Writing is a sharp, lively exploration of the connections between therapy, stand-up comedy, and writing as a method of inquiry; and of how these connections can be theorized through the author’s new concept: creative-relational inquiry. Engaging, often poignant, stories combine with rich scholarship to offer the reader provocative, original insights. Wyatt writes about his work as a therapist with his client, Karl, as they meet and talk together. He tells stories of his experiences attending comedy shows in Edinburgh and of his own occasional performances. He brings alive the everyday profound through vignettes and poems of work, travel, visiting his mother, mourning his late father, and more. The book’s drive, however, is in bringing together therapy, stand-up, and writing as a method of inquiry to mobilise theory, drawing in particular from Deleuze and Guattari, the new materialisms, and affect theory. Through this diffractive work, the text formulates and develops creative-relational inquiry. With its combination of fluent story-telling and smart, theoretical propositions, Therapy, Stand-up, and the Gesture of Writing offers compelling possibilities both for qualitative scholars who have an interest in narrative, performative, and embodied scholarship, and those who desire to bring current, complex, theories to bear upon their research practices.

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.

The author, Treyce Montoya, has combined over 30 years of knowledge and skill into this 579-page book. Instead of giving you the information and letting you figure out how to do it on your own, she walks you through an entire analysis (personality profile

From different families and different childhoods, three women remember and speak out about the secrecy, silence, and shame of having an alcoholic parent. Through spontaneous writing with "loaded words" and person-to-person sharing, the women embarked on a transformative journey in which painful images were brought to light, were accepted, and became less painful. Transforming Memories is a collection of their healing writings and an invitation to others, whatever their past burdens, to use the technique of spontaneous writing to reveal difficult memories more clearly.

This accessible book explores the therapeutic possibilities of poetry and stories, providing techniques for facilitating personally relevant and growth-enhancing sessions. The author provides ideas for writing activities that emerge from this discussion, and explains how participants can create their own poetic and narrative pieces.