The power of writing for your mental health
HOW “WRITE ON!” IS HELPING PEOPLE FIND THEIR VOICE, SHARE THEIR STORY, AND DEVELOP NEW WAYS TO COPE
By Kristina Benoist
(Etienne Girardet / Unsplash)
Writing is one of the most accessible and empowering tools that we have for managing our mental health. It can empower you, build your confidence, and give you a new way of managing your emotions. Writing and storytelling gives you the power to tell your story the way you want it to be told.
Mental Health Connecticut’s Write On! program is helping people do just that.
It’s an eight-week writing course designed to help people better understand how to use writing as one of the tools in their mental health toolbox. We sat down with Remi Kyek, the Chief Experience Officer of Mental Health Connecticut, and Janet Reynolds, the founder and facilitator of the program, to hear more about Write On! and the power of writing in mental health.
IDONTMIND (IDM): I’d love to hear about how Write On! initially got its start?
Janet Reynolds (JR): I’m a lifelong writer, editor, and educator, and I’m also a lifelong journaler. I’ve always used writing in my life to help me sort of figure things out. I’m also the parent of a young adult with Schizophrenia. And during the time where we were sort of in the throes of it and in the recovery after hospitalizations and such, I used writing to process everything. And writing also helped me let go of some of my anxiety, fear, anger, and my frustration from everything. I was trying to figure out the healthcare system, process the sadness over his diagnosis, and then also deal with the worry and fear over whether or not our son would recover to a point where he could be a functioning member of society. I also encouraged our son to get involved in writing, and it became something we did together.
I started to realize what I had already sort of known — which was that writing can really help. I was actually applying for a job at Mental Health Connecticut at the time, and ultimately in the interview, I said, ‘Oh, no, this is not the right job. I’m not the right person for this, but I do have this idea.’ And after talking through it, we decided to give it a shot. So I created the writing program and we just started doing it.
“The only difference between a writer and a non-writer is that writers write. And you don’t have to have writing be this special skill to be able to use it. ”
IDM: We always hear from people who write and share their personal stories with us that the writing process and storytelling of their mental health journey is really therapeutic and healing. I’d love to hear what kind of research you’ve found that supports that idea? What trends have you both seen as people complete the Write On! program?
Remi Kyek (RK): One of the things that Janet always says is that the only difference between a writer and a non-writer is that writers write. And you don’t have to have writing be this special skill to be able to use it. But when it was studied and I could read the actual outcomes, it was so incredibly validating. I mean, we’re not going to come up with something that we think could be damaging or not useful, but boy, the validation just furthered our work so much.
JR: The program was studied by the University of Hartford Center for Social Research, and they actually have the statistics to show the program's benefits. One of the big takeaways from it was that people finished the eight-week program feeling better about themselves, feeling better about their diagnosis, and recognizing that they’re not alone.
I sort of intuitively knew that it would help in terms of lowering stigma around mental health or at least educating people around mental health issues. But I was really blown away by how much, how much of an impact it had on people’s self-stigma. You know, for some people Write On! is kind of just what they needed at the moment. But then for others, it’s been a way for them to sort of jump back into their writing, or get into their writing in a different way, or to jump into advocacy.
“It really does increase people’s agency. It shows them that they do have some control over their life...Sometimes our system turns people into passive recipients of mental health services, and people don’t feel as if they have control over their own lives. ”
IDM: I love the idea that this program people fight this internalized stigma and shame that so many people may have about their own story.
JR: Also the program ends with people sharing a story. They each share something that they’ve worked on. They do a lot of writing obviously throughout the whole program, but they ultimately pick one piece, focus on that, and then they perform that piece. And that final sharing is a liberating moment that comes from sharing your story.
It’s a way of taking ownership of it and recognizing that you have control over whatever the thing is. And so they’re sort of illuminating the many stigmas around mental health, but it also gives each person the power and makes them feel better. It’s a way for them to come out and share in a safe way.
RK: There are so many beautiful moments in the program that remind people that they have the ability to retell their story, or rewrite it, or fix the ending. It sends such a strong message. And I think one of the best parts of this work is this great feeling of agency that comes from the people participating. Not only being able to talk to others and be able to share your experience but also some of those a-ha moments that become so profound in someone’s life as they’re writing is really beautiful.
JR: It really does increase people’s agency. It shows them that they do have some control over their life. And they’re not just a passive recipient of all of these things. Sometimes our system turns people into passive recipients of mental health services, and people don’t feel as if they have control over their own lives.
“I want every person to come away from the course feeling as if they’ve had success — whatever that success is.”
IDM: On a different note, I think a lot of people don’t share their story because there’s a fear of their writing abilities. So how do you structure the program to, first off, just help people get over their fear, and then second, how do you help people to refine their writing skills so that they can write something that they’re really proud of?
JR: Well I think it’s important to meet people where they are and to celebrate whatever their successes are. I’ve had people who’ve been in the program who are fantastic writers, and I’m just trying to help them sort of fine-tune it. And I’ve had other people who just want to write. And I want to celebrate that! I want every person to come away from the course feeling as if they’ve had success — whatever that success is. I structured the program so that you’re being eased into it. Because it’s a new group of people and they don’t know each other at the beginning, I structured it so that you’re basically just getting your feet wet.
IDM: Do you find that people are excited to share their pieces by the end of the program? Or do you think there’s still a fear when it comes to public speaking?
JR: Well, I absolutely think people are nervous about it — some more than others. But it’s a huge accomplishment when they do it. We do have an improv company come into two classes — we’ve done it virtually too. They come in and do some community building. And they cover a lot of general skills for talking to people in public. They could be things that help people when they’re in a job interview or they could be things that help them if they have social anxiety. It’s just a set of universal skills about interacting with the human race. And then they come back the week before the reading. Each person reads their piece and they give specific feedback.
At the beginning of every class, I give people a little file card and I ask them to write down something that’s really bothering them — something that they’re anxious about, something they’re angry about, whatever it is. And I put it in a gourd that I have. And I say to them, ‘The gourd is going to hold this for the next two hours. You can let go of this for the next two hours. You can take it back if you want to, but for two hours, you don’t have to hold on to whatever this thing is.’ At the end, the week before the reading, we now have eight weeks of these cards. So I hand out scissors, and we cut them up into a million little pieces, which is cathartic in itself. And then I bring them home and I put them in my little firepit and I burn them. And I always say, ‘All that stuff is gone forever now. You can bring it back if you want to, or it can just be over.’ I think that builds the community and also helps them. By the end, they’re lifted up. They really are. It’s incredible.
IDM: Your focus is mostly on young adults. Why do you think that a younger audience can really benefit from Write On!?
JR: Write On! is aimed at young adults, 18 to 29. I was very specific about that in my mind because our son was 26 when he was diagnosed. I feel like those young adults are particularly left out. I feel like if you’re in the throes of crisis it’s easier to get into a program. I'm not saying it’s easy but just easier to find things that can help you. But once you are out of that system, they kind of say ‘Good luck,’ and you’re just kind of left on your own. I wanted to create something that young people can use as a part of their continued recovery.
IDM: So, what’s next for Write On!?
RK: We want to give people a way to continue with the Write On! program — like an English 101, 102, 103. The whole idea is that you have a good experience and the success builds. And that's how we start. We would also like to have Write On! and some variation of it to be available to other organizations and to be in other states. But we’re also creating a program where you can do it on your own. We created a six 30-minute video course called Discovering Your Inner-Writer, and you can take this class and do the things that are talked about in the in-person class.
I honestly would just love to see it being used across America. If COVID has shown us one thing, I’m hoping, it’s that everybody is on a mental health journey, and I’m hoping we can discuss mental health in more evolved terms. I’d love for people to recognize that writing is one tool that they can always have in their toolbox.