Reviews for With Pen in Hand: The Healing Power of Writing

The average rating for With Pen in Hand: The Healing Power of Writing based on 2 reviews is 4.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2013-04-01 00:00:00 Brian Bevins A Book Review With Pen In Hand by Henriette Anne Klauser Ph.D. The healing power of writing. What a beautiful book. Did I just say that! We've all been in situations of complete depression, or what we thought was depression. Remember losing that girl you asked out and she refused. The all-star football quarterback in high school who didn't ask you to the prom? Melancholy, we've all felt that. Sad, down in the dumps, blue in the mouth, atrabilious. (Look it up.) Angry. Hateful. Sinful. We've also been happy. Elated out of our skulls to the point we believe we can fly. In other words emotional. Apparently, Henriette believes writing down how you feel is good for the soul and has healing properties. Either in a log, a journal, a diary, or in front of a typewriter, a computer screen or writing plain old free hand on a plain old piece of paper. Pen or pencil. Especially, if you are going through a traumatic event in your life, such as a death and handling grief. A nasty divorce, rape, war or losing your job. Stress from Winning a lottery. Try using your other hand. If you are right handed write with your left hand and write something. It's hard but persevere. It gives your writing a brand new prospective. Let it flow, don't hold back! Many humbling heart felt examples throughout, you never know whats on the next page. Some are very emotional. Down right tear jerkers. I admit it. A tear down my cheek once or twice. Dealing with desolation, that anguished misery. Dealing with consolation, the comfort received. Writer's Block, Branching. Mentioned in an earlier blog. Writer's Block-Branching. How to get out of writers block. Is this normal. Maybe I'm too emotional. I better go and write that down. Where did I put that pen and paper now? Two Thumbs Up Michael Estey

Review # 2 was written on 2018-07-02 00:00:00 Sean Phillips When I picked up this book at the library, I thought it would simply address the healing power of journaling in a general way and then devote the rest of the time to writing techniques. Wisely, the author decided to interview a bunch of people who had gone through divorce, abuse, PTSD from war, disease, death of a family member, and other trauma. Then, each person described how writing helped them heal. Some wrote in a stream-of-consciousness style. Others wrote lists. Some wrote stories in third person or in form of a dialogue or play. Some kept gratitude journals. In the end, I did get writing advice, but it mostly told me: any way you choose to write, just write and healing will come. I really enjoyed this book.