Writing for Healing Prompts

Here are the prompts I wrote for the Live Art.fully Journaling Retreat. I hope they're helpful to you:

For Physical Healing:
The pain is like...
Being pain-free would be...
If I am never pain-free, I will...
Living with pain has altered me...
Being sick is...

For Emotional Healing:
I still can't believe it happened...
I am still bothered by...
Perhaps before I wasn't ready to deal with...
Today I am strong enough to say that...
I resolve that the person I am today can...
[Unsent Letter] I forgive you for...
[Unsent Letter] It hurt me deeply when you...

For Grief Healing:
I can't believe I lost my...
Living without [     ] is like...
Grief feels like...
I didn't think I'd have to say goodbye...
I remember feeling stunned when I heard the news...
There's a hole...
I can't let go...

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Prompts are original. Please do not claim them as your own.

Retreat Recap

This past weekend, eight women gathered on the Oregon Coast for a weekend of journaling. We had yummy breakfasts of quiche and crepes and oatmeal, laughed and laughed, wrote & stamped in our journals, talked, reminisced, and shared some of our personal journeys.

Overall, I think the retreat was a big success. Some things can only be learned by experience, though, and I now know better how to be an effective host and leader. I'm so thankful for the seven ladies who joined me in being, to quote Holly, "The Original Eight."

To the seven ladies who were gracious with my veteran attempt at leading a journaling retreat: for your encouragement, excitement to learn, and support of my dreams, I thank you.

One of my favorite parts of the weekend was Saturday evening, when we gathered around a large table and talked about using writing to process and heal loss, trauma, relationship difficulties, and our own damaging perceptions. I had prepared writing prompts for emotional, physical and grief healing. We set a timer for 20 minutes and each chose a prompt to write from. When the timer rang, we shared what we had written. It was a powerful exercise and I'd like to thank everyone for being vulnerable with your feelings. For those of you who weren't there, I'll post the prompts we wrote from in my next blog.

It was incredible to watch healing begin, and inspiring to witness these women be open to releasing damaging perceptions, forgiving those who had hurt them, and processing their traumas. I love journaling -- the creativity, the expression, documenting life -- but the aspect I feel most passionately about is that it can heal us. Thank you, members of the Original Eight, for letting me be a part of your journey.

This journal cover was made by Kezia during the weekend. Oh, and before you think the words on the cover were pre-printed on the paper, she hand-wrote them.... The talent and creativity of these ladies was so inspiring!

Gillian

Holly & her journal
Verna & her journal

Thanks again for everything, ladies! It was a weekend to remember...

Retreat

Tomorrow begins the long-anticipated, first ever, Live Art.fully journaling retreat. 8 women gathering for a weekend of rest, journaling, good food, hot drinks, laughter, creativity, inspiration, and reflection. I can't wait!

I believe so strongly in the benefits of journaling. There are so many positive aspects:

• goal-setting and tracking your progress
• 
  
  recording the moments -- big and small -- of your life
• 
  
  writing your life story
• 
  
  dreaming, and watching those dreams take shape
• 
  
  resolving unfinished business, perhaps after a complicated relationship has ended, whether by separation, break-up, death or divorce
• 
  
  creative expression
• 
  
  leaving a legacy for your children or future generations (wouldn't you be interested in reading your great-great grandmother's life story?)
• 
  
  decreasing blood pressure
• 
  
  reducing stress levels
• 
  
  documenting your impressions, perspective and insights
• 
  
  recording meaningful conversations
• 
  
  and the list goes on and on...

I am a peculiar breed of person who simply thinks best by writing. I like to say I do my best thinking in ink. Many famous writers and journal-keepers have been quoted saying that they write to discover what they think. That certainly rings true for me. I always feel more calm and centered after writing.

So tomorrow, we retreat.

For those of you who aren't attending, take some time this weekend to journal. It will be great to meet up here again on Monday and talk about it.

Possibilities & Potential...

I was excited today to step on the scale and find I have made more progress on my goal to shed some extra pounds this year.

In 4 days, I am leading a journaling retreat for 7 ladies and we are going to spend the weekend laughing, reflecting, writing, sipping hot drinks, and "retreating" from our normal, busy lives. I can't wait to spend time with these women, and to focus on journaling for a couple of days.

When I started this blog last September, it was my dream that maybe someday it would be a foundation for things like journaling retreats. I can't believe this dream is already becoming reality.

The sunshine today (for the 2nd day in a row!) reminded me of Spring, and sure enough, even on the calendar, it is just around the corner. I heard the sound of lawn mowers in my neighborhood all afternoon, and wondered, on the way to pick up my Kindergartener, where my sunglasses are. The whole day seemed to be a reminder that there is always hope, there is always possibility and potential and promise.

Do you have goals for the year? Do you have dreams? Are you making any progress? What's one small step you could take this week to begin, or continue?