2010-03-11T16:24:22Z http://blog.amendsproject.com/atom.aspx Quick Blogcast tag:blog.amendsproject.com,2008-03-30:78672cba-5c00-4f19-8ea0-7929c5d93e69 lizashaw 2008-03-30T14:41:00Z 2008-03-30T14:41:00Z The power of the written word has been known for centuries as a vehicle for self-expression.&nbsp; As a therapist, I have used letter-writing with clients as a powerful tool for healing.&nbsp; I also know the value of writing-as-therapy firsthand, for I have been writing most of my life.<BR><BR>There is something magical about "getting it all out" by expressing our thoughts and feelings, concerns and convictions.&nbsp;&nbsp;When we are free to&nbsp;express our innermost yearnings --&nbsp;our unspoken truths --&nbsp;they somehow lose their power to dominate our thoughts and minds from behind the scenes.&nbsp;&nbsp;<BR><BR>I like the metaphor of&nbsp;a child lying in bed, afraid of the "monsters" in the closet.&nbsp; When the lights come on and the closet door opened, the "monsters" disappear, and what the child is left to face is simply the reality of&nbsp;the closet.&nbsp; Nothing scary about it, just the closet with its clothes and hangers, shoes and laundry bags with dirty laundry in them.&nbsp; <BR><BR>This is what it is like when we finally shine the light on our&nbsp;dark places by writing.&nbsp; We look at things as they really are, and see that they aren't so scary.&nbsp; We know ourselves more fully, as we really are -- with the lights on and the door wide open.&nbsp; This transforms our relationship to ourselves.&nbsp; <BR><BR>When we use writing as a vehicle for healing, our internal "monsters" have the opportunity to&nbsp;disappear and we can be more fully who we really are.&nbsp;