Laura Davis on the Healing Power of Writing
Laura Davis is a gifted writer and teacher who co-authored the groundbreaking book, The Courage to Heal. Our relationship dates back to November 2012, when I took my first writing workshop at Esalen Institute, two months after my father died. Writing has changed my life, and I credit Laura with making me a writer. Quest for Eternal Sunshine would likely not be here if not for her.
In addition to the article below, I’m thrilled to share Laura with you in a Tools for Healing resource, Writing for Self Exploration & Healing.
Thank you for joining me on this journey!
Perspectives on Healing
Laura Davis has been writing since she kept a diary as a girl. For over fifty years, writing has helped her more fully understand what she’s feeling and to express what’s on her mind and in her heart.
Laura Davis
As she said it, “Putting words on the page quickly connects me with what’s going on in my depths and enables me to tell more of the truth than I seem to be able to tell any other way. I just love language and the places it can take me to. In my workshops, writing also bonds people very quickly into a community. It’s a very powerful tool.”
While conducting research for Quest for Eternal Sunshine, I learned from my sister that the terrible nightmares our father experienced after being liberated only stopped when he began to write his memoir in his sixties. Laura explained how writing facilitates emotional healing by helping us transform the way we hold our stories.
“Writing enables us to get our stories out, so they’re not just festering inside us. Having your story witnessed by other people in a safe setting is truly transformative. You hear the truth in a new way when you speak it out loud and you no longer have to carry it alone. In a workshop, people have the experience of being deeply listened to, as well as the opportunity to hear other people’s diverse and varied responses to the same prompt. You viscerally realize that you’re not alone—that your experiences of anxiety, shame or joy are actually very normal human experiences.”
Laura’s first book, The Courage to Heal, co-authored with Ellen Bass, is a guidebook for adults who were sexually abused as children. The Courage to Heal was a groundbreaking book, the first to map the stages necessary for healing in great detail, including grief, anger, dealing with family, living inside your body, and reclaiming your sexuality.
“When people are healing from serious trauma, they need a multidimensional approach,” Laura told me. “Writing is a great tool. There’s also bodywork, talk therapy, movement therapy, meditation, and dedicated self-care. All can be part of the healing process, and there’s no one tool that will take you all the way there. Each person has to explore and discover the most effective healing modalities for themselves. For me, writing has always been a reliable mainstay.”
Laura leads a wide variety of writing retreats every year—some are adventurous vacations to exotic locations, others teach participants to use writing as a tool when grieving losses such as death, betrayal, physical infirmity, or the end of a cycle of life that leaves you feeling uncertain and confused.
“One thing I want to stress is that the benefits of writing are not only about unpacking trauma and bringing out what’s painful,” Laura added, “Writing also helps you to discover and claim your strengths or to relive your deepest joys. It can empower you to leave a record of your life for future generations.”
A significant part of my father’s healing journey involved going back in time to search for his best memories, and then writing about them in great detail. This practice helped him befriend his previously rejected inner child, and to realize that despite all the horror he’d endured, his life had never actually been devoid of love and joy. He discovered that he could access those feelings again.
“Another wonderful thing about writing,” Laura shared, “is that it’s always accessible and it’s free. When you wake up at 2:00 in the morning with your heart pounding, your notebook is sitting right next to you. It’s always available.”
The thought-provoking writing prompts Laura sends out every Tuesday morning (in conjunction with inspiring quotes) are another free and valuable resource I look forward to each week. You can sign up to receive them on Laura’s website. To learn more about how to work with prompts and use writing as a way to explore your mind and heart, please visit our Writing for Self Exploration & Healing page.
