Journal of Creativity in Mental Health, 5:109–124, 2010
Copyright © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
ISSN: 1540-1383 print/1540-1391 online
DOI: 10.1080/15401383.2010.485074
Breathing Words Slowly: Creative Writing
and Counselor Self-Care—The Writing Workout
1540-1391
1540-1383
WCMH
Journal
of Creativity in Mental Health
Health, Vol. 5, No. 2, May 2010: pp. 0–0
JANE WARREN, MICHAEL M. MORGAN, LAY-NAH BLUE MORRIS,
and TANAYA MOON MORRIS
Creative
J.
WarrenWriting
et al. and Counselor Self-Care
University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming, USA
Professional counselors work daily with compassion and connection,
yet must also manage trauma and pain. Clients’ stories of loneliness, fear, abuse, and anger frequently fill the landscape of a
counselor’s work. Counselors may experience burnout, compassion fatigue, and vicarious trauma by failing to recognize and
adequately address the negative emotions and thoughts they may
unintentionally carry from their work. By prioritizing and attending
to self-awareness and self-care, counselors maintain their clinical
efficacy and personal well-being. This article presents creative
writing as a valuable self-care technique, offers a writing structure
for counselors to use, and includes two brief illustrations of
creative writing that promote self-care.
KEYWORDS self-care, vicarious trauma, compassion fatigue,
creative writing, wellness, creativity
Spring comes with its flowers, autumn with the moon, summer with
breezes, winter with snow; when useless things don’t stick in the mind,
that is your best season.
Wu-men Huai-kai (Tarrant, 1998, p. 97)
Carl Rogers (1961) proposed that counselors can support another
person’s growth and freedom only to the level that they have maintained
their own. To be physically, emotionally, and mentally present is never
easy, and to be so every day in their work can be extraordinarily difficult. It
Address correspondence to Jane Warren, Department of Professional Studies-Counseling,
University of Wyoming, Dept. 3374, 1000 E. University Ave., Education Building Room 338,
Laramie, WY 82071, USA. E-mail: [email protected]
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is an ethical and professional responsibility for counselors “to engage in
self-care” (American Counseling Association [ACA], 2005, section C). Lawson
(2007) stated, “Counselors who are unwell (stressed, distressed, or
impaired) will not be able to offer the highest level of counseling services to
their clients” (p. 20). A number of authors have described how self-awareness and mindfulness are related to a counselor’s ability to be present with
their clients (Greason & Cashwell, 2009; Lum, 2002; Rothaupt & Morgan,
2007; Schure, Christopher, & Christopher, 2008). However, counselors pay a
price for the empathic presence that effective helping requires. Figley
(2002) stated, “The very act of being compassionate and empathic extracts a
cost under most circumstances. In our effort to view the world from the perspective of the suffering, we suffer” (p. 1434). The pain clients share can
overwhelm a counselor’s ability to be fully present, compromising the counseling itself, as well as the counselor’s personal wellness.
Effective counseling requires a deep level of connection and compassion. Stories of loneliness, fear, rejection, harm, anger, and despair
are part of the normal landscape counselors traverse with their clients.
Over time, these journeys may injure the body and mind of the helping
professional. This injury may manifest in burnout, illness, and loneliness.
Compassion fatigue is a term commonly used to describe the results
(Figley, 2002; Lawson, 2007; Lum, 2002; Sprang, Clark, & Whitt-Woosley,
2007). In this article, we present a brief overview of why wellness is critical for counselors, including a brief review of several wellness models.
We then discuss how writing can promote wellness. Finally, we describe
a creative writing approach counselors can use to both prevent and heal
the effects of compassion fatigue. Brief illustrative examples are
included.
WELLNESS FOR COUNSELORS: WHY AND HOW
Counselors work daily with pain. Their job is to listen, be sounding boards,
and empathetically experience and respond to clients’ feelings. “The
essence of counseling is to consistently summon the energy to engage with
another human’s emotions while at the same time balancing our own personal experiences and challenges outside of the job” (Cummins, Massey, &
Jones, 2007, p. 35). This focused, empathic response to client concerns is
critical to effective client care and may act as an emotional drain on counselors who do not adequately attend to their own self-care. The counselor’s
mission is an ongoing “demand for action” that is intended to relieve the
suffering of a client. “Like any stress, with sufficient intensity, it can have a
negative impact on the human immune system and the quality of life in
general” (Figley, 2002, p. 1437). Counselors can experience burnout and
secondary trauma reactions if they fail to recognize the impact of their work
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on themselves (Lambie, 2006; Lawson, 2007; Lum, 2002; O’Halloran &
Linton, 2000; Venart, Vassos, & Pitcher-Heft, 2007).
Talking about difficult experiences ameliorates the potential negative
effects of those experiences (see Mishara, 1995, for a brief empirical and
theoretical review). In many ways this idea forms the foundation for counseling and psychotherapy. However, necessary ethical principles limit a
counselor’s ability to freely share her/his difficult work experiences with
supportive others. The confidentiality essential to the profession (ACA,
2005) may contribute to a counselor’s sense of isolation because a counselor “is unable to share the successes, failures, frustrations, and confusion
of work outside of the professional context; therefore, the value of social
support, connection, and understanding as ways to reduce work stress gets
greatly compromised” (Skovholt, 2001, p. 91). Pennebaker (2004) found that
keeping traumatic experiences secret produced negative results, including
higher risk for illness. This professional restriction on communication may
inadvertently encourage counselors to hold in negative feelings or to find
potentially unhealthy ways to distract themselves from pain. Gray (2005)
noted that our society offers many ways for people to avoid having to consciously attend to unpleasant feelings, including food, work, sex, television,
shopping, gambling, and others.
As counselors walk the journey each day, they often cope by shutting
off the painful stories. Compartmentalization of feelings creates an
emotional blindness to self. Kornfield (1993) wrote:
We must find within us a willingness to go into the dark, to feel the
holes and deficiencies, the weakness, rage, or insecurity that we have
walled off in ourselves. . . . By accepting and feeling each of these areas,
a genuine wholeness, sense of well-being and strength can be discovered. (p. 194)
The blindness that hinders self-awareness can go underground and manifest
in burnout, illness, fatigue, and isolation. What is not recognized in the self
may not be seen in someone else. “Habitually using escapist activities, such
as mindlessly watching television, playing computer games, shopping,
drinking, and surfing the Internet, undermines wellness and contributes to
impairment” (Venart et al., 2007, p. 54).
Although monitoring well-being is an ethical imperative of the counseling profession (ACA, 2005), learning how to stay well is ultimately the
counselor’s responsibility (Hendricks, Bradley, Brogan, & Brogan, 2009).
Fortunately, several well-established models of wellness suggest areas for
counselor focus (Myers & Sweeney, 2005). Each of the major models of
wellness outlines several dimensions for personal wellness and seems to
include some aspect of physical, intellectual, emotional, spiritual, and
relational wellness. Counselors are encouraged to attend broadly to these
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multiple dimensions to maintain personal and professional health (Venart
et al., 2007). An in-depth review of models and strategies for cultivating
holistic wellness is beyond the scope of this article. Our purpose here is to
articulate one strategy counselors may use to maintain emotional wellness.
We encourage readers interested in a more detailed exploration of wellness to access Myers and Sweeney’s (2005) edited book on the subject, the
Venart et al. (2007) article on counselor wellness, and an article by Roscoe
(2009), who presents an integrated definition of wellness and an up-to-date
review of instruments counselors may use to assess their own and clients’
wellness.
WRITING FOR WELLNESS
Several authors have suggested writing as a powerful strategy for processing
difficult experiences and emotions (Gladding, 2007; La Torre, 2005). We feel
that it is well suited for counselors who are restricted by professional
parameters from processing the difficulties they experience at work with
their personal support network. Writing helps individuals process their
experiences, achieve insight, change, and heal (Schneider & Stone, 1998).
Expressive writing provides a compassionate self-inquiry into emotions and
events with no right or wrong, just the experience of the inner world
(Pittman, 2005). Journaling, a personal form of expressive writing, deepens
self-reflection, introspection, and provides “clarity regarding issues,
concerns, conflicts, and confusions” (Lent, 2009, p. 69). Journal writing
invites self-reflection, opening the door to greater self-awareness, and thus
promotes professional and personal growth (Gladding, 1987; Griffith &
Frieden, 2000; La Torre, 2005; Milling, 2007; Mio & Barker-Hackett, 2003;
Pittman, 2005; Watt et al., 2009). Although often presented as a useful intervention for clients and students, counselors can use writing as a method for
emotional regulation and self-care.
In their comprehensive overview of counselor wellness, Venart et al.
(2007) encourage counselors to write. “Counselors witness the unacknowledged pain that many people have kept buried and, at the same time, are
vulnerable to messages telling them to bear their own suffering in silence.
Breaking the silence begins the healing” (Venart et al., 2007, p. 53). Variations in writing ability, education levels, types of trauma, culture, class, or
language have not been found to change the positive effects of expressive
writing (Pennebaker, 2004). Writing can help counselors connect to the
inward struggles they shoulder in their work. Adams (1990) described writing as a journey that promotes self-understanding, self-esteem, and transcendence “to facilitate holistic mental health and self reliance” (p. xiii).
Expressive writing about traumatic memories promotes both physical
and mental health. Pennebaker (2004) found the action of simply writing
Creative Writing and Counselor Self-Care
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about traumatic experience for as little as 15 minutes a day, 3 to 4 days a
week, created measurable changes in immune response and mental health.
Pennebaker reported that 50 students who volunteered to write about
emotional or traumatic topics for 15 minutes on 4 consecutive days, made
43% fewer visits to physicians for illness than did the control group who
wrote about superficial topics. In another study, focusing on adult men who
had been unexpectedly laid off from work, Pennebaker (2004) found that
those who engaged in expressive writing were more accepting of their situation and were offered new jobs more frequently than those who only
wrote about time management.
Similarly, other studies have found that writing about difficult experiences facilitates healing and well-being. Hemenover (2003) found that
when individuals wrote about traumatic experiences, they were less
likely to experience distress, such as depression and anxiety, and more
likely to improve their self-perception than a control group that wrote
only about their plans for the next day. Another study found that creating
a coherent narrative after a traumatic event facilitates recovery (TuvalMashiach et al., 2004). More recently, neuroscientists have demonstrated
how labeling negative emotions helps to dampen a person’s response to
those emotions, both in the short term and in the long run (Creswell,
Way, Eisenberger, & Lieberman, 2007; Lieberman, 2009; Lieberman et al.,
2007; Tabibnia, Lieberman, & Craske, 2008). These studies found that as
an individual puts a name to an emotion, activity in the amygdala—
which is associated with the experience of negative emotions—is significantly reduced. Lieberman (2009) reports that writing about difficult
experiences appears to calm brain regions associated with distress and
restore mental balance and that writing long hand provides more benefit
than typing.
Gladding (2007) examined three internal means for promoting wellness
including humor, metaphor, and writing. He argued that by using these
resources, individuals may stay healthier and happier psychologically and
physically. From his own experience, Gladding (2007) shared that although
writing cannot change or undo events, it can shed new light on experience,
free the mind from obsessive thinking, and liberate the writer from potentially harmful thoughts and actions.
Writing provides a means for counselors to externalize, reframe, reauthor, and understand their own lives and vicarious traumas and to redirect life fatigue into a creative form (Gray, 2005; White, 2002). Counselors
cannot think themselves out of the agonies of life; to manage the impact of
what they hear, they need to feel the suffering that is witnessed. In the
world of creative writing, feelings can be accessed, pain can be externalized, and experiences can be understood. Pain can break the shell that
obscures understanding (Gibran, 1923), allowing the counselor who does
not turn away from it to grow.
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Whether difficulties or pleasures, the naming of our experiences is the
first step in bringing them to a wakeful conscious attention. Mindfully
naming and acknowledging our experience allows us to investigate our
life, to inquire into whatever aspect or problem of life presents itself to
us. Give each problem or experience a simple name . . . In the space of
such awareness, understanding grows naturally. Then, as we clearly
sense and name our experience, we can notice what brings it about
and how we can respond to it more fully and skillfully. (Kornfield,
1993, p. 84)
Just Write
A counselor who wishes to access the healing benefits of writing might take
a writing course. However, formalized training may impede the novice
writer’s creativity with an emphasis on critique and correct form. Creative
writing is best accomplished without a report card, without a timeline, and
without a critic. Mishara (1995) suggested that the healing benefits of writing come as we change our relationship with our experiences through the
act of articulation, independent of any audience. To do creative writing
means sitting down and writing. Like breathing, the writer does not think
about it, he or she just does it—the words of the soul are like the body’s
breath. Although the realities of confidentiality curtail open sharing with
others, in writing, a counselor can camouflage identities and facts of any
story or human experience.
Many helpful resources offer guidance for counselors struggling to
begin. Cameron (1992) designed an inspirational work, The Artist’s Way, in
which she stated, “Creativity is like crabgrass—it springs back with the
simplest bit of care. I taught people how to bring their creative spirit the
simple nutrients and nurturance they needed to keep it fed” (p. xv). She
offered numerous ideas and exercises to cultivate personal creativity and
openness to self. In her book, Bird by Bird, Lamott (1994) provided instructions on life and writing: “The very first thing I tell my new students on the
first day of a workshop is that good writing is about telling the truth” (p. 3).
Regarding writing, Goldberg (1986) suggested that “you just do it” (p. 11).
Writing is like running: The more it is done the easier it gets. Pennebaker
(2004) offered four suggestions that counselors may consider: a) write to
intentionally express emotions; b) write to construct a story; c) write from
other’s perspectives; and d) write to express one’s self openly and honestly.
Adams (1990) offered numerous prompts, such as character sketches, lists,
meditative writing, clustering, captured moments, and dialogue as ways to
begin writing.
We are counselor educators and educators in training. We teach,
supervise, and provide training workshops. An important part of our
personal and program philosophy involves helping counselors and
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counselor trainees take intentional action to cultivate personal and professional wellness, and we encourage writing as one important way to
achieve this. In our work, we hear a variety of reasons why counselors
and students do not write, such as lack of time, belief in not being good
enough, and fear of others seeing their written work. Many report a personal and/or training history that emphasized listening, analyzing, and
empowering others. People were drawn to this work to help others heal
but were rarely, if ever, given permission to focus on their own emotional needs and experiences. Some could intellectually accept the
importance of self-care, as suggested by Rogers (1961), but struggle on
an emotional level to make their own wellness a priority. Without a creative and expressive outlet, the emotional demands of this work take a
toll. We have seen students and counselors fall victim to compassion
fatigue and burnout. Sadly, “compassion fatigue, like any other kind of
fatigue, reduces our capacity or our interest in bearing the suffering of
others” (Figley, 2002, p. 1434). The ability to be fully present to clients is
diminished when counselors experience compassion fatigue. At time,
their minds may go into automatic pilot, and clients are essentially left to
fend for themselves. We believe writing offers counselors and trainees a
nonthreatening way to face and resolve the emotional experiences and
demands they face.
THE WRITING WORKOUT: A STRUCTURE TO BEGIN CREATIVE
WRITING
The following writing structure, The Writing Workout, was developed by
the first author as she invited counselors to care for themselves with creative writing. This writing workout is a five-step developmental process
which parallels a physical workout program. Writing is viewed akin to
working out, necessary daily, and intended to keep the heart and mind in
shape. The writing workout includes five progressive levels: a) warm-up,
b) sprint, c) sit-ups, d) yoga, and e) relaxation. Each level utilizes a
specific type of creative writing and is intended to enhance the overall
writing effort. The entire writing workout can be completed in 30 to 60
minutes.
Warm-Up
The first level is the “warm-up.” The warm-up prepares the writer to slowly
stretch the mind with low impact. With this warm-up, there are four rules:
a) use a pen you love; b) find a paper type that feels as comfortable as a
warm blanket; c) go to a place of privacy; and d) decide that the goal is not
a certain quality or quantity of product but simply to write whatever comes
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to mind. During the warm-up, for up to 3 minutes, the writer completes
sentence stems. There are many creative sentence stems, and we suggest
just a few as a starting place:
Love is . . .
For me, to be happy is . . .
My two biggest fears are . . .
Three wishes I have are . . .
I...
The warm-up acts simply as a prelude—a way to stretch the mind and prepare it for more focused writing. The sentence stems focus the mood and
mind on writing, like any good preparation before a run. The warm-up is a
springboard to get started and could include other brief focusing activities,
such as reacting to quotations or questions (Adams, 1990). It is key to
remember that the product of the warm-up is not important. We caution
writers against over-thinking at this stage and encourage them to simply get
into the process of writing.
Sprint
The second level is the “sprint.” Following the warm-up, where the focus is
on beginning to write, the counselor-writer is now ready to engage in a
greater level of energy output and creative movement. The sprint lasts for
about 5 minutes without interruptions. During this stage, the writer writes
continuously without pausing, rereading, or evaluating what she or he has
written. The counselor may use one of the sentence stems from the warmup or may simply choose to free write about whatever comes to mind. This
intensity cultivates a creative flow, where the heart and head begin to work
together without editing or judgment. During this phase, we encourage
writers to notice their breathing. Gentle awareness of breath can steady and
calm a scattered mind (Kornfield, 1993). A breathing focus may enhance
mindfulness by calling attention to the habits of the mind (Germer, 2005)
and promote wellness (Cashwell, Bentley, & Bigbee, 2007; Kabat-Zinn,
1990; Logsdon-Conradsen, 2002). Mindfulness helps the counselor become
and remain aware of feelings that need attention for proper self-care
(Adarkar & Keiser, 2007; Yager & Tovar-Blank, 2007).
Sit-Ups
The third level is called “sit-ups.” It is a stage of purposeful writing.
For a 5-minute period, the writer completes two lists. On one, the counselor lists all the projects or activities which need to be done by tomorrow—a “to-do” list. On the second list, the counselor imagines all the
Creative Writing and Counselor Self-Care
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creative ways he or she can use a square of colored molding clay. Writers
usually experience very different feeling states with each list. The “to-do”
list often feels constrictive and mechanical; passion shrinks and quiets
while guilt and anxiety enlarge. The second, creative list usually evokes
an experience of fun and expansiveness, allowing writing without obligation or outcome. Humor, openness, and creativity counterbalance the todo list experience. These writing sit-ups help counselors notice the negative impact of demand-thinking on emotion and creativity, and help them
tune into the emotionally helpful tone of non-demanding, creative writing. Other ways to highlight demand-thinking include listing “shoulds”
and rules, or expectations the counselor perceives others hold of her or
him. The sense of creative freedom may be nurtured by playing music
while writing or writing words with paint. Counselors who regularly do
writing sit-ups can better identify the stifling impact of demand-writing
while attuning their core to the emotionally and creatively freeing nature
of non-demand work. The goal is to invite freedom and a willingness to
push the self and to counterbalance restrictive thinking with creative
action.
Yoga
The fourth level is “yoga.” This level invites counselors to put words to
troubling experiences and emotions that might otherwise lead to compassion fatigue and loss of presence. Like yoga, it is a focused, yet mindful
and relaxed process. For 10 minutes, the writer focuses on a specific,
troubling experience. This might be a distressing story shared by a client
or a session that was uncomfortably challenging to the counselor. A
writer may choose to address any interpersonal conflict, stress, or unfinished business that drains energy and hinders presence. The counselor
may write about the selected experience by composing a letter or creating a dialogue with the other that articulates what the counselor wants
from the particular situation, conflict, or person. The letter or dialogue is
not intended to be sent or directly shared; instead, it allows the writer to
articulate what he or she needs to say. Alternatively, the counselor may
write a poem, song lyrics, a short story, or anything else that helps give
voice and meaning to troubling inner feelings and experiences. Counselors may choose to work on a given emotion or experience multiple
times or to work on the same piece for several days. As in yoga, writers
mindfully return to an exercise as long as doing so is needed and beneficial. Essentially, writing about stress and emotional distress is the healing
focus of the writing workout. It invites counselors to actively negotiate
their relationship to their personal experiences through a conscious, narrative act (Mishara, 1995).
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Relaxation
The final level is “relaxation.” During this stage, the writer may feel an
increased sense of peace. Even when a counselor feels that the focus of
their writing yoga will need additional attention, she or he has actively
worked to clear the mind and nurture the heart. At this level, the writer
returns to a less focused form of writing and is invited to write whatever is
meaningful to him or her, outside of the events or emotions that were the
focus of Level 4. The counselor may write descriptions, poetry, short stories,
or just free associate about the events of the day, positive appreciations, or
whatever comes to mind. Counselors may find it helpful to write in journal
form about their workout experience that day—mindfully reflecting on the
process and their current feelings. This last stage is intended to last for at
least 10 minutes, but the writer may spend more time if inspired. As with a
warm-down at the end of a physical workout, there is no need to create a
finished product or any goal other than to relax and to enjoy the peaceful
state produced by earlier efforts.
We use the writing workout as a strategy to enlist the power of writing
for our own self-care and for the self-care of counselors and trainees we
advise. The writing workout provides a format for writing each day and can
be a foundation for developing a habit of writing. Because changing habits
takes time, structure can help promote success (Cameron, 1992; RaeDupree, 2008; Venart et al., 2007). However, there are many other ways to
benefit from creative writing. As with a recorded physical exercise program,
structure provides some initial direction, and then with time, the athlete/
writer creates her or his own individualized program. One does not have to
win the race to benefit from running. Regular writing, as a way to process
the difficulties faced by counselors, is the goal, and developing habits of the
mind takes time. Along the way, regardless of counselors’ written products,
the act of writing will give voice to the heart, promote self-reflection, and
enhance self-care (La Torre, 2005).
Educators and supervisors can incorporate writing as a regular component in counselor training and clinical supervision. This will encourage
counselors at the beginning of their careers to regularly step back from the
sometimes-difficult work of counseling, reflect creatively, and take action
that will nurture their hearts. We have included brief writing assignments
from the writing workout in classes and workshops that we teach. We do
this both live, during class, and also as out-of-class assignments. We invite
students to use writing to reflect on and work with their own emotional
cargo. For some, this means writing about the emotional content of their
lives. For others, it might be about their clinical work or about the process
of becoming a counselor. We encourage supervisees to do the same, inviting them to experience the greater self-awareness and healing power that
comes with regular writing about emotional experience.
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The Writing Workout in Action
The following two poems are included as examples from the writing workout process. I (J. W.) composed both after hearing difficult client stories.
The poems enabled me to externalize the vicarious pain into a written form.
The first poem was created following a difficult session with a client whose
loneliness and hopelessness were consuming.
Solitaire
It sounds like a card game,
Instead it’s my life
no winning hands
Alone
hearing the water drip from the old faucet
reminds me of all the undone tasks
I avoid
sleeping
waiting for a life plumber
to hear my pain
repair my broken spirit
trump my despair as my
life just wastes away
down the drain
moment
after
moment
after
moment.
Writing this first poem provided a path toward both greater empathic
understanding of the person, and toward externalizing the agony
empathetically felt for the person. Writing helped me clear my mind,
allowing the image suggested in the poem to continue to evolve. This
image, which first emerged in the writing workout, suggested a reframe
away from the sense of a life lost to that of a chronically dripping
faucet—a reframe that reduced my sense of helplessness in working
with the client.
I began the second poem during a walk home. I was feeling trapped
after a difficult encounter with an individual who reported feeling trapped
in life, in relationships, and in a body that was not well. My thoughts created feelings of despair. As I walked and ruminated, I spotted a very large
cat sitting with his owner. Suddenly, the downward spiral in thinking
stopped, and compassion emerged. This mental ability to shift from despair
to compassion had been nurtured by the practice of writing. Once I was
home, the following poem emerged.
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Fat Cat
Today when walking in the neighborhood
again I saw the fat cat,
at least twenty-five pounds.
Could be a cow sitting on the grass.
He is watched mindfully
by his aging owner
who himself could be a large furry creature,
but instead is the human in this bond.
This fat cat is grey
beautiful like that crayon you found
in your new treasure box
in grade school.
He moves uneasily.
Not unlike the walrus on the seashore
the waves of the green grass surround him
not moving the back legs,
just dragging the weight.
But he acts like a cat
not a burdened creature of the sea.
His owner has a leash on him.
Why?
Could he run away?
Hardly.
Both remain confined for different reasons.
These two poems externalize and transform emotions into alternative
landscapes. Like all creative writing for self-care, they authenticate the
human experience and convert the monsters lurking under the bed
into friendly, inviting, fuzzy rabbits. The externalization that comes
from writing can liberate the counselor from unrecognized and difficult
feelings held inside. When we express our hearts, we free ourselves.
And once an expressive writing routine is established, the writer will
find healing poetry and stories everywhere, even in life’s smallest
moments.
CONCLUSION
Counselors need to work mindfully to maintain personal wellness. Throughout their careers, counselors will be better prepared when they take care of
themselves (Yager & Tovar-Blank, 2007). Kornfield (1993) used the term
near enemies when he identified the dark side of feelings and thoughts:
“the qualities that arise in the mind and masquerade as genuine spiritual
realization, when in fact they are only an imitation serving to separate us
Creative Writing and Counselor Self-Care
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from true feeling rather than connecting us to them” (p. 190). When we
choose to keep traumatic experiences silenced, we place ourselves at risk
for negative consequences (Pennebaker, 2004). No perfect way exists to
identify the complex struggles that may arise in counseling and are evoked
in a counselor. Some common themes we have witnessed include loneliness, despair, hurt, and betrayal; these emotional themes tie together many
divergent stories. Like a camouflaged tiger, the emotions of the vicarious
experience may be unseen but can attack in burnout, illness, fatigue, and
depression. One way to transform these feelings is through a daily habit of
expressive writing. Writing can enhance awareness and mindfulness. Mindfulness allows recognition. Recognition is breathing freely. Breathing freely
means the oxygen of life and love are available fully, not trapped, hidden,
or feared.
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Jane Warren and Michael M. Morgan are Assistant Professors in the
Department of Professional Studies-Counseling at the University of Wyoming,
Laramie, Wyoming.
Lay-nah Blue Morris and Tanaya Moon Morris are doctoral candidates
in Counselor Education and Supervision in the Department of Professional
Studies-Counseling at the University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming.
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