My relationship with creative writing, specifically songwriting, began when I was eight years old; my best friend and I started a band together called Crystal Clear and wrote a collection of songs I still treasure today.
Over the years I have looked back at the songs, each time with a slightly deeper understanding. On the surface they are sad romantic songs about lost love and heartache, perhaps ideas I picked up from music and films, however looking back with the awareness I have now, I suspect they were about something more real to me in that period of my life.
Creative writing gives us a safety net, we can talk about feelings in a less vulnerable way because expression through art is familiar and more socially acceptable, and the way we express it is subject to interpretation offering a protective layer of vagueness (Olson-McBride & Page, 2012). It also allows us to write about a character or story if we aren’t ready to own the feelings we are expressing. My songwriting process gave a voice to the parts of myself; the hurt and lonely parts that I couldn’t allow into my awareness or integrate into my self-concept as a child. As a person-centred practitioner, I believe we all have everything we need to grow and develop inside ourselves already, but perhaps need a bit of support in realising this. Creative writing gave me a safe space for my true feelings, that were under the surface all along, to emerge and be expressed.
Many years later I have developed a therapeutic relationship with songwriting. There are three core conditions required within the therapeutic relationship for growth to occur; congruence (honesty), empathy (understanding) and unconditional positive regard (non-judgemental) (Rogers, 1995). These three conditions must also be present for me to engage in songwriting.
Congruence
Lyrics only come to me when I tap into authentic emotions, and equally the song on the page is honest and congruent.
“As lyrics begin to appear on paper, the songwriter can step outside himself and examine himself, his context and his life journey from a new angle”
(Baker, 2015 pg 21).
Much like a counselor or therapist might pick up on the emotions a client shares and reflect them back with congruence and empathy, the lyrics allow me to see my feelings and hear them in a way that I may begin to accept them more fully. If I attempt to write about something I am not truly feeling, the falseness of the words on the paper is tangible and I disengage from the writing process.
Empathy & Unconditional Positive Regard
Secondly, I must allow myself to sit with feelings in my mind and body and fully immerse myself in them without judgement. These conditions create a space where lyrics seem to write themselves.
"Seeing lyrics on paper that perfectly capture my meaning feels like a form of empathy toward myself; I listened with care and understood myself."
(Shanna Clay, 2020)
This self-empathy and unconditional positive regard that exists when I’m songwriting is comparable to the concept of ‘flow’; when a person is completely absorbed by and in-tune with the task they are undertaking and often free from self-consciousness, empowered by a positive self-perception. Baker and Macdonald (2013) summarise a variety of research that suggests flow is associated with higher levels of creativity, as well as self-confidence and trust.
Similar to flow, Natalie Rogers (2000) describes a term she coined the ‘creative connection’, whereby the use of consecutive multiple expressive arts forms moves us deeper into the world of emotions. I have found in myself that I hold lots of emotions in my chest, which I release through singing and the deep breathing this requires. The creative connection of writing, followed by singing allows me to gain a greater sense of the feelings beneath the words.
Mearns and Thorne (2013) describe this as the 'edge of awareness', the sensations and feelings underlying the things we feel on the surface, that we may not yet be aware of. Over the last three years of songwriting, I have noticed a process of emergence and realisation of feelings and ideas that were at the edge of my awareness.
When I eventually allow myself to sink into the songwriting process and write what my true self wants to write, the truth is often revealed in a song. My songwriting is full of metaphor, and I often feel shocked as the words pour out and I discover how I really feel.
"Songwriting is a form of self-disclosure, making the self known not only to others, but also to yourself"
(Olsen-McBride & Page, 2012)
I believe some of the songs I have written in more recent years represent parts within myself that I am learning to accept (Mearns & Thorne, 2013). Some of these contradict each other, for example “Good Enough” symbolises the part of me that is willing to accept me as I am and trust that I am worthy, whereas “Just Breathe” embodies the part of me that feels I am in a constant battle with myself. Being able to give these two configurations voices allows me to accept both parts, and when needed, I can listen to the song and be reminded of the existence of that part of me.
Using Creative Writing Therapeutically
When working as a practitioner in a mental health and emotional well-being service for children and young people, I worked alongside an eight year old girl for six weeks.
She was able to use the songwriting to make herself known, to self-disclose not just to me, but to herself, almost as a mantra as I have used songs as a reminder of parts of myself. I gained a new understanding of her when she shared her lyrics with me, it was a window into her frame of reference which enabled my empathy to grow.
"Expressive arts aren’t used to interpret or diagnose clients, nor to treat or fix them, but as a release"
(Natalie Rogers, 2016).
Natalie Rogers uses arts to create an environment of empathy, congruence and unconditional positive regard for her clients. Similarly, I have no agenda in offering creative writing as a means of expression for my clients, but in doing so foster a space of openness where they feel able to share their inner experiences more fully. The process of writing together builds an atmosphere of trust and openness where clients feel free to express their agency and self-hood, or identity.
Looking back after the writing process can enable self-confidence and further processing of the emotions explored in the sessions where new meaning can continue to be gained. It is the responsibility of each individual to decide if, when and where they feel it is safe to do this and I advise clients to be cautious of sharing such personal content publicly. Creative writing is a space for expression and learning (Rogers, 2000), and I think it is important to trust myself and my clients to use creative writing in a way that is safe and useful.
My therapeutic relationship with writing allows me to move closer to my true self, and perhaps helps others to do the same. As a practitioner I have found it useful to invite others to express feelings through creative writing, enabling me to gain a greater insight into their world as we walk side by side on their journey to emotional well-being.
References
Baker, F. (2015). Therapeutic Songwriting: Developments in Theory, Methods, and Practice. Palgrave Macmillan.
Baker, F., & MacDonald, R. (2013). Flow, identity, achievement, satisfaction and ownership during therapeutic songwriting experiences with university students and retirees. Musicae Scientiae, 17(2), 131-146. doi: 10.1177/1029864913476287
Gee, K., Hawes, V., & Cox, N. (2019). Blue Notes: Using Songwriting to Improve Student Mental Health and Wellbeing. A Pilot Randomised Controlled Trial. Frontiers In Psychology, 10. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00423
Mearns, D., Thorne, B., & MacLeod, J. (2013). Person-centred counselling in action. London: SAGE.
Olson-McBride, L., & Page, T. (2012). Song to Self: Promoting a Therapeutic Dialogue with High-Risk Youths Through Poetry and Popular Music. Social Work With Groups, 35(2), 124-137. doi: 10.1080/01609513.2011.603117
Rogers, C. (1967). On becoming a person. London: Constable.
Rogers, C. (1995). A way of being. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
Rogers, N. (2000). The creative connection. Ross-on-Wye: PCCS Books.
Rogers, N. (2016). Person-Centred Expressive Arts Therapy: A Path To Wholeness. In J. Rubin, Approaches to Art Therapy: Theory and Technique (3rd ed., pp. 230-248). New York & London: Routledge.
Simone, N. (1964). Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood [Youtube]. New York: Philips. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IlSP9vVpMQ
Sommers-Flanagan, J. (2007). The Development and Evolution of Person-Centered Expressive Art Therapy: A Conversation With Natalie Rogers. Journal Of Counseling & Development, 85(1), 120-125. doi: 10.1002/j.1556-6678.2007.tb00454.x
Stone, J., & Hill, L. (2007). Music [Youtube]. Virgin Records. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o335DGWkcU0
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