Writing On Trauma Writing Prompt!
Prompt 6 of 25...
To catch you up: I’m sending out writing prompts specifically geared for writing about trauma. These prompts will be sent weekly to all my subscribers, and I am going to host a personal writing group for paying subscribers (you can subscribe for as little as $1/mo!) to share and explore these prompts together, with the ultimate goal of publishing finished pieces to the CounterStory Media audience. Each week’s email will also include a self-care tip, as it is vitally important to engage in robust self-care while writing about trauma.
Weekly Prompt #6:
Trauma narratives: when you write about the event(s) that led to your trauma response, begin by thinking (and writing, if you wish) about the event itself, then go back and add the emotions and thoughts you experienced within the event. Then, go back and break down the parts of the event that really affected you and add in all the things they bring up for you today.
My two cents:
This may seem a big complex, but I’ll break it down with an example of my own.
Without going into too much triggering detail, I can now (after a lot of therapy and time) think back to a specific instance of childhood SA that happened in a cedar-lined closet space. I felt helpless, trapped, and ashamed. For years, the mere scent of a cedar trunk or closet would wrench me back to feeling like a helpless child, triggering panic attacks more than once.
Through many years of introspection, therapy, and time, the physiological reaction has nearly disappeared. The cedar closet wasn’t what hurt me. Assigning emotional reactions to the more appropriate entity, my abuser, lessened the emotional connection to the scent. I am no longer a child, helpless, or trapped, and I have no reason to feel ashamed. It was not my fault, and so it’s not my weight to carry.
Can you think of a situation that caused you trauma and now elicits a trauma response? Work through it this way.
Self-Care Tip of the Week:
Practice Mindfulness
Mindfulness is the practice of being present and focused on the current moment. It has been shown to reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression. Try incorporating mindfulness into your daily routine through practices such as meditation or deep breathing exercises.
My two cents:
This is quite possibly the best writing prompt/self care tip alignment.
When re-living a tough memory, practicing mindfulness is incredibly important. Ground yourself to the present moment so much so that, even as your mind transports you back to a difficult moment, your body remains physically rooted to this current, more safe, moment in time. Breathe slowly through any anxious feelings or accelerated pulse.
Being mindful of your body also means stopping the exercise if you begin to have a panic attack or other uncontrollable physical reaction. Never pursue a writing exercise that is going to bring you undue harm or if you’re just not ready. You can always come back to it later.
Telling our stories, like the story of my life and the people I’ve met and what I’ve experienced, humanizes the nature of these horrific actions by our government’s leaders. If you would like to share your story, as a member of the LGBT community, or as an immigrant or migrant or refugee, please send me a message.
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I am thrilled to welcome you on the journey of exploring healing through your words. I hope you’ll consider using these prompts to process difficult memories, experiences, and emotions during a time when it is all the more vital that we actively cultivate positive mental health in whatever ways available to us.
In solidarity,
My name is Melissa Corrigan, and I’m a freelance writer/thought sharer/philosopher in coastal Virginia. I am a mom, a wife, a veteran, and so much more. I deeply enjoy sharing my thoughts and receiving feedback that sparks genuine, respectful conversation.
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