Literary Therapy — the alexander hardy dot com

Literary Therapy: Writing (for) Your Life — a six-week therapeutic writing course

An intimate six-week non-clinical, therapeutic writing course developed and facilitated by Alexander Hardy

Weekly two-hour sessions complimented by a newsletter-style reading list and resource roundup.

Wednesday, September 21 to Wednesday, October 20

AM cohort: 11am - 1pm EST / 8am - 10am PST

PM cohort: 7pm - 9pm EST / 4pm - 6pm PST

What is this?

“Literary Therapy: Writing (for) Your Life” is a dynamic, interactive, non-clinical six-week therapeutic writing program that harnesses the cathartic power of honest reflective writing, group readings and discussion, and collective vulnerability to explore mental and emotional wellness (joy, stress, loss, isolation, trauma, self-love, affirmation, fear, shame, etc.), curate self-care strategies, and thrive amidst uncertainty, conflict, oppression, violence, etc.

By busting our emotions open ‘pon the page, we will create space for healing, awaken our imaginations, and armor ourselves for the War on Spiritual Ashiness.

The sessions underscore writing's effectiveness as a vehicle for catharsis, personal exploration, grounding, and entertainment; and provide tools for stress management, prioritizing joy, self-care, and community wellness.

Sessions consists of writing-based grounding techniques for ritual or acute stress relief, affirmations, group readings & discussion, and using our words to explore our pasts, reimagine our futures, and thrive amidst uncertainty and transition in the global dancerie.

See this whole “Literary Therapy: Writing (for) Your Life” situation in a nifty PDF format.

How’s it going down?

Okay, so here’s the low-down. “Literary Therapy: Writing (for) Your Life” consists of SIX weekly sessions that meet for two hours via Zoom. There will be breaks.

There is an AM Group meeting from 11am to 1pm EST / 8am to 10am PST.
There is a PM Group meeting from 7pm to 9pm EST / 4pm to 6pm PST.

Meeting dates are as follows:

Tuesday, September 16
Tuesday, September 23
Tuesday, September 30
Tuesday, October 7
Tuesday, October 14
Tuesday, October 21

The next round of Literary Therapy sessions will begin Wednesday, November 11, 2020.

Audience.

“Literary Therapy: Writing (for) Your Life” is suitable for anyone who knows, loves, feeds, raises, manages, has been harmed or loved by, or shares an office or household with humans, and anyone who is open to using introspective writing—in a safe, intimate space—as a tool to make sense of life (in this raggedy moment in history and beyond) and find clarity, freedom, and healing.

Objectives.

The “Literary Therapy: Writing (for) Your Life” course aims to

explore mental and emotional wellness through introspective writing activities,
offer writing-based strategies for literary therapy; radical honesty; self-love & self-affirmation; forgiveness; processing uncertainty, anger, shame, anxiety, grief, trauma, etc.,
encourage vulnerability, creative expression, mindfulness, and interconnectedness, and
provide a safe space to bust our emotions open and armor ourselves for the War on Spiritual Ashiness.

Couse Outline.

To support each of the six two-hour sessions, participants receive a weekly newsletter-style reading list and resource roundup for additional exploration.

Sept 16: Establishing a sense of safety
We explore literary grounding techniques for daily rituals and acute stress relief, envisioning safety, creating a sanctuary, establishing healthy routines, etc.
Sept 23: Resilience & self-love
Stuffing your healing toolkit, recognizing strengths and assets, acknowledging what’s going well, pouring into yourself, and self-affirmation. More writing-based grounding techniques.
Sept 30: Giving yourself grace & forgiveness
What are you doing well? Engaging with & quieting the Inner Hater. Being kind(er) to yourself and deciphering negative self-talk. Working through shame.
Oct 7: It takes a village (boundaries & community healing)
Is your tribe healthy? What do you need to be your best self? How can we set healthy boundaries while inviting connection? Is your community contributing to or detracting from your wellness?
Oct 14: Facing & reframing the past
What lessons have we learned from trauma and transition? How have our raggedy moments made us better or stronger?
Oct 21: Looking to the future
Envisioning a joyful future. Declaring dreams, making an action plan, and engaging support. Embracing abundance.

Logistical Considerations.

During this session, we will explore potentially sensitive topics around healing and wellness. Here is how to make the most of our time together:

To maintain the confidential, safe nature of the environment, use headphones if possible if attending in a shared living/work space (if possible).
Due to the nature of the material explored in this session, please make sure you're in a space where you can speak as freely and safely as possible.
We will have time for reflection and writing, so feel free to use a notebook or blank Google or Word doc to keep your thoughts and words in one place. Whichever works best for you.
We can collaborate on a safety strategy if you or another participant requires additional support during or after our sessions.