Chaundra McGill is an inspirational writer whose
web site, Writing Reflections, and blog, Writing with Purpose, are dedicated to
making you a better writer as well as a better person.
Her goal is to help people discover more about
themselves through the therapeutic process of writing. Chaundra is a former
journalist, and she offers a free e-book entitled, “$1 Therapy: Achieving
Emotional Well-Being through Reflective Writing Therapy.” After reading it, it
got me excited about starting some reflective writing therapy of my own.
In “$1 Therapy,” Chaundra talks about how she came
to embrace writing as an emotional release method for what turned out to be a
very traumatic childhood. Like so many people, she found herself struggling
with anxiety and depression as an adult, and self-help books and expensive
psychiatry offered only temporary reprieves. Instead, she turned to writing.
Given the timing of events in my life, I loved the
personal examples Chaundra shared of how reflective writing therapy helped her
learn more about her failed relationships, for instance:
“As I examined the
inner workings of my last three relationships, I discovered something very
disturbing: I was attracted to emotionally unavailable men.
“I had no benchmark, no standard for how a man should treat me. I had subconsciously convinced myself that if I showed them enough love and was perfect, my boyfriends would stay around and love me.
“I always knew that
my fatherlessness was the reason for my dysfunctional relationships, but I never bothered to spell it out.
By digging deeper, I was able to get to the root of my issues, evaluate why I
accepted certain behaviors from myself and others, and then isolate the
specific behaviors I no longer would tolerate in my life… I then committed to the page exactly
what I wanted in a man… Most women have at least a mental checklist of what
they want in a man, but my list included much more than tall, dark and
handsome. I described the physical attributes, emotional qualities, character
traits and values I wanted in a mate.
“Taking it even
another step further, I challenged each of these characteristics on the page. I
asked myself why I wanted them and how did these traits reflect on me. This
honest assessment now equips me with an accurate barometer for my present and
future interactions with men.”
Interestingly, I
just did this “wish list” exercise last week. I jokingly told a friend that I
filled two sides of a typed 8 ½ x 11 sheet of paper! What I haven’t done yet is
to challenge each of the characteristics I listed and find out why I want those things in a
mate, and how they reflect on me.
As you can see, reflective writing therapy is more
than simple journaling. It goes many steps deeper. Read Chaundra McGill’s free,
well-written, concise e-book and discover a new, powerful healing technique for
yourself.
Click here to
download your own free copy of $1 Therapy: Achieving Emotional Well-Being
through Reflective Writing Therapy.
Click here to visit
Chaundra McGill’s web site, Writing Reflections.
