Expressive writing is writing freely, for yourself and no one else, without regard to grammar, punctuation, or other writing conventions, to express what is on your mind and in your heart. It pays more attention to your feelings about what happened than to the actual events themselves.

Why should you delve into your unresolved traumas? What is to be gained from processing through your emotional challenges and painful past? Expressive writing has been found to have numerous physical and emotional health benefits. It can strengthen the immune system, lessen chronic pain, reduce stress, lower blood pressure and heart rate, decrease depression, build resiliency, and improve your overall quality of life. Expressive writing is writing designed to help you gain a new and healthier perspective on your past, present, and future. So if you have been stressed out, feeling down, or have experienced a major life stressor, please join me in this journey of self-discovery and create your own meaningful personal narrative to take forward into your future.

Like journalling, expressive writing is personal and for your eyes alone. However, the expressive writing approach is different from journaling in that it involves responding to a progressive series of structured prompts, followed by self-reflection on what you have written and a discussion of the emotional process. Throughout my 6-week workshop, we will explore a number of different forms of writing designed to help you access your inner healing voice including: expressive writing, transactional writing, poetic writing, affirmative writing, legacy writing, and mindful writing. Prior writing experience is not needed and no sharing of your writing is required.

You don’t have to have had a serious trauma to benefit – we all have emotional upheavals in our lives and stressors that keep us up at night. If you have a story inside you that needs to be let out, I invite you to be vulnerable, open your heart, and write freely for your health and wellness. All are welcome!

Register for Upcoming Courses

Transform Your Health: Write to Heal is an evidence-based, 6-week expressive writing workshop that helps you increase your wellness through writing. I am also available to teach briefer one-day workshops or weekend retreats on special topics such as healing from cancer or birth trauma upon request. Courses can be online or in-person, 1-on-1 or group-based. Contact me to learn more.

About Rebecca

Rebecca Swenson, Ph.D. is a licensed clinical psychologist and owner of Birchwood Psychology LLC, a private practice in Traverse City, Michigan and certified expressive writing facilitator. Rebecca double majored in English and Psychology at Kalamazoo College, where she was awarded a four-year Academic Competitive Scholarship for English Writing. She went on to earn her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University at Albany. She later joined the pediatric psychology faculty of Brown University School of Medicine where she specialized in treating youth and families with co-occurring psychological and medical problems. Rebecca has trained with Dr. James Pennebaker and Dr. John F. Evans, both renowned experts and published authors in the field of expressive writing. Currently, Rebecca enjoys combining her interests in health and wellness with creative writing through facilitating expressive writing workshops and integrating expressive writing exercises into her therapy practice.