Voice 1
Welcome to Spotlight. I’m Liz Waid.
Voice 2
And I’m Joshua Leo. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
Do you know anyone who keeps a journal? In this book a person writes about what is happening, or about how she is feeling. Many people have discovered writing is a good way to express emotions. Some people have even increased the health of their mind and body because they write.
Today’s Spotlight is on feeling happier and healthier through writing.
Voice 2
Margot VanSluytman lives in Canada. She is a writer and teacher. She loves this work. But she started writing out of great sadness. Margot VanSluytman’s family moved to Alberta, Canada from Guyana when she was a child. When she was only sixteen years old, Margot’s father was killed. She wrote many poems about her emotions. Writing was the way that she dealt with her father’s murder. She published books of poems and other writing. She began to teach other people about how to find healing through writing. She even received awards for her work.
Voice 1
One day she got a surprising email. It was from the man who had killed her father. He wanted to talk to Margot. She was willing to communicate with him through writing. They also met in person. Margot is full of thanks that her writing could lead to this meeting. She says:
Voice 3
”I am filled with gratitude because the man who killed my father cares about what he did. His actions and words express that, and that matters to me.”
Voice 2
She calls their communication a “ritual of hope and transformation.” This process of discussing and finding healing is also called “Restorative Justice.” In this case, the crime was forgiven. This brought about peace for Margot and her father’s killer.
Voice 1
Margot is now working with other people who have had difficult experiences in life. She is teaching people in hospitals and in prisons to write their own stories. Soldiers, refugees, people in prison and cancer patients are all using writing to talk about their experiences and problems. Through sharing her own experience with writing and healing, Margot teaches people that they can face problems in life.
Voice 2
People often find freedom through expressing their own voice through writing. They feel stronger because they understand more about themselves. They learn that their story is important. People around the world use different ways of writing as a way to feel better. Some people just make private notes in a journal. Some people write letters or emails expressing their emotions to a friend or family member. They write stories and poems as well as telling about true events.
Voice 1
Writing can even make people’s bodies healthier. James Pennebaker is an American psychologist. His research studies how writing and physical health are related. In 1990, he did a study to see if writing had any effect on health. He found that people who wrote about their lives were happier. They also visited the doctor less often. It was easy: they spent twenty minutes every day writing about their experiences and emotions. At times, people would feel sad immediately after they wrote about a bad experience. But after a few days, they felt much better.
Voice 2
But writing alone did not make the biggest difference. It was also important WHAT people wrote about. Pennebaker studied two groups of people. Some people wrote about past events and the emotions that they had about these events. The other group only wrote about every day details, such as what they cooked for dinner. The people who explored their emotions in writing had an increase in health but the other group did not. The people who wrote about emotions had fewer trips to the doctor. They also said that they felt better than before. The people who wrote only about every day details had no change in health. This shows that writing about emotions made their minds and their bodies healthier.
Voice 1
When humans feel a strong emotion, like anger, and cannot share it with anyone, we often feel worried and sad. This can even make our bodies less healthy. If there are issues that we cannot talk about, we can still write about our emotions. No one else has to read it. There is a saying in English: “Get it off your chest.” This means that a bad feeling makes a person feel heavy. By talking about it, a person can let the feelings out, and feel lighter.
Voice 2
Although writing is one way to deal with emotions, it is not the only way. In Western cultures, people see it as a good thing to write down your negative emotions. But in some other cultures this is not how people deal with problems. Jane Wellenkamp spent time learning from some people groups in Indonesia. She found that the Toraja people believe that thinking about a problem too much is bad for the health. They usually try not to talk about negative emotions. This is a different way to see emotions and health.
Voice 1
Another different way is used by the Ndembu of West Africa. Instead of writing about problems the Ndembu meet together. The community discusses the problems. People may offer a confession, where they explain how they have acted wrongly and apologize. They see this as the best way to release emotions.
Voice 2
So not all cultures may find writing is the best method for health and happiness. There is also a limit of who can try it, because a person must first be able to read and write. But, for many individuals, like Margot VanSluytman, writing has led to increased happiness. Margot even says that writing and poems have saved her life.
Voice 1
The Christian faith also recognizes God as a healer. This healing may come in many ways. Healing may come through the help of a doctor or expert. It may come through prayer. Writing is also being used all over the world to help people to heal. It is easy. And it is free!
Voice 2
So if you are feeling worried, try writing about your worries. If you have a bad experience, tell it on paper. Put down all your emotions. Maybe you will be one of the people who will find healing and happiness through writing.
|