Over the past three years, I have been developing and leading facilitated writing workshops with survivors of sexual violence, and leveraging the writing created in them as tools for social justice. The inspiration for these workshops stems from my personal experiences with the healing power of the creative arts (Vagianos, 2017). Beyond my own personal experiences, there is a significant body of literature that supports Alfred Adler’s belief in the transformative power of the self (Adler, 1956; Bluvshtein, 2017). Research indicates that sharing stories about traumatic experiences can be healing for survivors, with writing playing a crucial role in that process (Baikie & Wilhelm, 2005; Pennebaker & Smyth, 2016). Language itself is a powerful tool that conveys emotion (Cavell, 1976), carries moral import (Costa et al., 2014; Keysar & Costa, 2014), and fosters a sense of belonging (Bluvshtein, 2017). As Bessel van der Kolk (2014) notes, “language gives us the power to change ourselves and others by communicating our experiences, helping us to define what we know, and finding a common sense of meaning.” This is exactly what my workshops are intended to do.

In developing these workshops, I relied heavily on the teachings of Adler and those who expanded his groundbreaking work. My workshops incorporate key principles of Adlerian psychology, such as gemeinschaftsgefühl—the idea that our health resides in our community life and connections—and the notion that we control the meaning we assign to our experiences (Bluvshtein, 2017). My goal in creating these workshops was to create a safe space for listening to, nurturing, and freeing silenced voices, leveraging the healing power of the creative self to help trauma survivors heal and become agents of healing in their communities.

The workshops follow the Amherst Writers & Artists (AWA) methodology, utilizing generative writing prompts and offering the opportunity to share writing in a facilitated group setting. Feedback focuses on the writing rather than the writer, creating a supportive environment. As Pat Schneider who developed the AWA method wrote, “When we stay with the writing, rather than focus on the writer behind the words, no subject is too big” (Schneider, 2013). Like Adlerian theory, the AWA method is deeply grounded in social justice, emphasizing that a writer is someone who writes and that writing as an art form belongs to everyone, regardless of economic class or education level. Quoting Pat again, "there is no difference between the rich and the poor in this: writing is art, and our own stories are the stuff of which our freedom is made, our self-esteem, our power" (Schneider, 994)

Over the course of nearly two years of writing together, the workshop participants and I have experienced how our stories can create a sense of belonging, help us discover what it is that we need to say, and bear witness to each other. Our stories shape how we view each other and the world, and they have the power to change history—both by preventing future trauma and reclaiming past experiences. Writing in community with other survivors has shown us that we are not defined by our trauma but that we can decide how to incorporate and give meaning to our life experiences. Participants reported feeling hopeful and a feeling a sense of belonging from sharing their writing in a community of survivors. The AWA method's approach of treating all writing as story and providing feedback on the writing itself freed participants to explore their stories without fear of repudiation or interrogation. This process enabled survivors to control their narratives, feel validated, and recognize that they are not defined by their trauma, shifting the locus of control back to the survivor.

While the initial goal of the workshops was to help survivors find meaning and healing through writing, what emerged over the course of the first year was an opportunity to incorporate another critical aspect of Adlerian practice into this work; namely, collective reflection for the purpose of advocacy. The writing and reflections that came out of the workshops were remarkable in many ways, and it became clear to me and to many others that these stories could be used as a powerful tool for social justice. In 2024, the writing from the workshops was brought together in a first of its kind anthology We’ve Been Put Through Fire & Come Out Divine: Stories of Hope & Survival (Simmerling, 2024) that not only gives voice to survivors, but seeks to upend false narratives about what happened to us and why. For example, the thinly veiled accusation that lies behind the question so many of us are often asked: what were you wearing? This innovative work represents a new pathway for survivors and those who interact with us to gain a deeper understanding of the impact of sexual violence on us as individuals and communities.

By harnessing the healing powers of the creative self, my workshops empower survivors to reclaim and own our own stories. Recognizing that we are on a journey from incomplete to complete (Bluvshtein, 2017) offers a hopeful perspective for trauma survivors. Adler’s concept of gemeinschaftsgefühl —our sense of belonging and communal feeling—highlights the ways in which our very health is intertwined with our community life and connections.

References

Adler, A. (1956). The individual psychology of Alfred Adler: A systematic presentation in selections from his writings. Basic Books.

Simmerling, M (Ed.). (2024). We’ve Been Put Through Fire & Come Out Divine: Stories of Hope & Survival. Amherst Writers & Artists Press.

Baikie, K. A., & Wilhelm, K. (2005). "Emotional and physical health benefits of expressive writing." Advances in Psychiatric Treatment, 11(5), 338-346. https://doi.org/10.1192/apt.11.5.338

Bluvshtein, M. (2017). "The Healing Power of Gemeinschaftsgefühl: An Adlerian Approach to Community and Belonging." Journal of Individual Psychology, 73(1), 45-60.

Cavell, S. (1976). Must We Mean What We Say?: A Book of Essays. Cambridge University Press.

Costa, A., Foucart, A., Arnon, I., Aparici, M., & Apesteguia, J. (2014). "Piaget’s Moral Judgment of the Child". Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition, 3(1), 1-9.

Keysar, B., & Costa, A. (2014). "Moral Decision-Making: A Matter of Context." Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 37(5), 490-491.

Schneider, P. (1994) “Tell Me Something I Can't Forget." Inside Out: Pacific School of Religion Alumnae Newsletter.

Schneider, P. (2013). How the Light Gets In: Writing as a Spiritual Practice. Oxford University Press.

Pennebaker, J. W., & Smyth, J. M. (2016). Opening up by writing it down: How expressive writing improves health and eases emotional pain. The Guilford Press.

Vagianos, A. (2017, September 15). Art exhibit powerfully answers the question ‘What Were You Wearing?’ HuffPost. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/powerful-art-exhibit-powerfully-answers-the-question-what-were-you-wearing_n_59baddd2e4b02da0e1405d2a

van der Kolk, B. (2014) The Body Keeps the Score. Penguin.