Abstract
In an article about the process of writing Solito, the story of his journey as a nine-year old boy from his home in El Salvador to the US, Javier Zamora describes the therapeutic effects of writing: “when we write about our traumas, our brain reworks the neuroplasticity of that event. Meaning that we have the power to shape how we remember trauma.” Research shows that storytelling is a form of psychological and emotional healing, allowing us to sift through our experiences and make meaning from them, even the difficult ones. There’s also evidence that writing offers catharsis, helping writers to process negative emotions and experiences in a way that doesn’t deny the trauma, but explores the meaning or understanding that may come from that trauma. Common to many studies about writing, storytelling, and trauma is the idea that writing provides a form of personal power to shape how we see the trauma and that, in itself, enables some healing. This presentation reviews research in narrative therapy and explores how it informs a series of writing assignments linked to Solito. Bringing together narrative writing, identity exploration, and a conceptual focus on resilience, these assignments invite students to both read and respond to Zamora’s story, but also to write their own stories of resilience.
Presenters
Lonni PearceAssociate Director, Writing and Rhetoric, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Past and Present in the Humanistic Education
KEYWORDS
Writing Pedagogy, Narrative Therapy, Learners, Memoir
