A person in an orange sweater puts their hand to their mouth and giggles as someone off-screen holds up a piece of paper, reading their work. A white-haired woman with glasses sits to the person's left and smiles faintly, her head resting on her knuckles.

Why Writing?

Write Around Portland is dedicated to the transformative power of writing and the well-being that follows from respectful, shared community experiences.

Throughout human history, many cultures and societies have used the arts as parts of healing rituals. Now, we have the research to support that creative writing (as well as many other art therapies) has profound healing effects.

In writing poetry, the mind is forced to slow down and to revisit memories, often bringing to life past emotions and experiences. The process itself is a dynamic one in which writers often learn many new things about themselves that they did not previously think about. Writing poetry also allows one to strengthen an individual’s sense of identity and voice. Poems function as fragments of ourselves, and when writing, we are able to represent ourselves the way we want to be represented, in the most honest and effective light. Poetry allows us to bear witness to who we are and to put into words what often cannot be expressed easily otherwise. Poetry creates avenues for self-expression that cannot be felt through other means of communication

David Haosen Xiang & Alisha Moon Yi, quoted in the Journal of Medical Humanities

For decades, studies have shown that expressive writing can have profound physical and mental health benefits. Writing can:

  • reduce healthcare visits1 and the use of prescription medication2;
  • lessen days spent in the hospital3;
  • lessen pain4;
  • improve immune function5;
  • lower blood pressure6 and resting heart rate7;
  • reduce muscle tension and perspiration8;
  • facilitate recovery from illness9;
  • improve liver10 and cardiac function11;
  • lessen HIV viral load12;
  • glean clinical benefits for people with autoimmune conditions, including asthma13, fibromyalgia14, irritable bowel syndrome15, lupus16, and rheumatoid arthritis17;
  • improve symptoms for people with breast, prostate, and renal cancer18;
  • improve relationships with healthcare providers and patients19;
  • reduce symptoms of major depression and PTSD20;
  • reduce the cognitive burden of trauma and stressful memories21;
  • slow cognitive decline22;
  • improve relationships and longstanding issues at home and work23;
  • increase self-care behaviors24;
  • support personal growth and maturation25;
  • help people regulate their behavior, develop new coping skills, and increase resilience26;
  • develop self-confidence27 and reduce self-talk and self-criticism28;
  • help people understand the world and establish new perspectives29;
  • reduce absenteeism at work30;
  • support quicker reemployment after job loss31;
  • improve working memory32 and cognitive performance33;
  • improve athletic performance34;
  • raise grade point average35 and reduce testing anxiety36;
  • and provide satisfaction, relaxation, and comfort37.

Sources

  1. Stuckey and Nobel. “The Connection Between Art, Healing, and Public Health: A Review of Current Literature.” Framing Health Matters. February 2010. ↩︎
  2. Smyth, et al. “Online Positive Affect Journaling in the Improvement of Mental Distress and Well-Being in General Medical Patients with Elevated Anxiety Symptoms: A Preliminary Randomized Controlled Trial.” JMIR Mental Health. September 2018. ↩︎
  3. Baikie & Wilhelm. “Emotional and Physical Health Benefits of Expressive Writing.” Advances in Psychiatric Treatment. 2005. ↩︎
  4. Smyth, et al. “Online Positive Affect Journaling in the Improvement of Mental Distress and Well-Being in General Medical Patients with Elevated Anxiety Symptoms: A Preliminary Randomized Controlled Trial.” JMIR Mental Health. September 2018. ↩︎
  5. Stuckey and Nobel. “The Connection Between Art, Healing, and Public Health: A Review of Current Literature.” Framing Health Matters. February 2010. ↩︎
  6. Stuckey and Nobel. “The Connection Between Art, Healing, and Public Health: A Review of Current Literature.” Framing Health Matters. February 2010. ↩︎
  7. Xiang & Yi. “A Look Back and a Path Forward: Poetry’s Healing Power during the Pandemic. Journal of Medical Humanities. August 2020. ↩︎
  8. Xiang & Yi. “A Look Back and a Path Forward: Poetry’s Healing Power during the Pandemic. Journal of Medical Humanities. August 2020. ↩︎
  9. Mollaoglu, Mollaoglu and Yanmis. “Art Therapy with the Extent of Health Promotion.” Health Promotion. June 2022 ↩︎
  10. Baikie & Wilhelm. “Emotional and Physical Health Benefits of Expressive Writing.” Advances in Psychiatric Treatment. 2005. ↩︎
  11. Smyth, et al. “Online Positive Affect Journaling in the Improvement of Mental Distress and Well-Being in General Medical Patients with Elevated Anxiety Symptoms: A Preliminary Randomized Controlled Trial.” JMIR Mental Health. September 2018. ↩︎
  12. Stuckey and Nobel. “The Connection Between Art, Healing, and Public Health: A Review of Current Literature.” Framing Health Matters. February 2010. ↩︎
  13. Mugerwa & Holden. “Writing Therapy: A New Tool for General Practice?” British Journal of General Practice. December 2012. ↩︎
  14. Smyth, et al. “Online Positive Affect Journaling in the Improvement of Mental Distress and Well-Being in General Medical Patients with Elevated Anxiety Symptoms: A Preliminary Randomized Controlled Trial.” JMIR Mental Health. September 2018. ↩︎
  15. Mugerwa & Holden. “Writing Therapy: A New Tool for General Practice?” British Journal of General Practice. December 2012. ↩︎
  16. Smyth, et al. “Online Positive Affect Journaling in the Improvement of Mental Distress and Well-Being in General Medical Patients with Elevated Anxiety Symptoms: A Preliminary Randomized Controlled Trial.” JMIR Mental Health. September 2018. ↩︎
  17. Mugerwa & Holden. “Writing Therapy: A New Tool for General Practice?” British Journal of General Practice. December 2012. ↩︎
  18. Mugerwa & Holden. “Writing Therapy: A New Tool for General Practice?” British Journal of General Practice. December 2012. ↩︎
  19. Xiang & Yi. “A Look Back and a Path Forward: Poetry’s Healing Power during the Pandemic. Journal of Medical Humanities. August 2020. ↩︎
  20. Mugerwa & Holden. “Writing Therapy: A New Tool for General Practice?” British Journal of General Practice. December 2012. ↩︎
  21. Fartoukh & Chanquoy. “Expressive Writing in Schoolchildren: Effects on Well-Being and Working Memory.” Journal of Writing Research. February 2020. ↩︎
  22. Baikie & Wilhelm. “Emotional and Physical Health Benefits of Expressive Writing.” Advances in Psychiatric Treatment. 2005. ↩︎
  23. Shukla, Choudhari, Gaidhane, and Syed. “Role of Art Therapy in the Promotion of Mental Health: A Critical Review.” Cureus Journal of Medical Science. August 2022. ↩︎
  24. Thatcher. “In Dialogue: How Writing to the Dead and the Living Can Increase Self-Awareness in those Bereaved by Addiction.” OMEGA – Journal of Death and Dying. 2022. ↩︎
  25. Mollaoglu, Mollaoglu and Yanmis. “Art Therapy with the Extent of Health Promotion.” Health Promotion. June 2022 ↩︎
  26. Hyde, et al. “The Fort McMurray Mommy Baby Study: A Protocol to Reduce Maternal Stress Due to the 2016 Fort McMurray Wood Buffalo, Alberta, Canada Wildfire.” Frontiers in Public Health. June 2021. ↩︎
  27. Mollaoglu, Mollaoglu and Yanmis. “Art Therapy with the Extent of Health Promotion.” Health Promotion. June 2022 ↩︎
  28. Tang & Ryan. “Music Performance Anxiety: Can Expressive Writing Intervention Help?” Frontiers in Psychology. June 2020. ↩︎
  29. Mollaoglu, Mollaoglu and Yanmis. “Art Therapy with the Extent of Health Promotion.” Health Promotion. June 2022 ↩︎
  30. Baikie & Wilhelm. “Emotional and Physical Health Benefits of Expressive Writing.” Advances in Psychiatric Treatment. 2005. ↩︎
  31. Baikie & Wilhelm. “Emotional and Physical Health Benefits of Expressive Writing.” Advances in Psychiatric Treatment. 2005. ↩︎
  32. Baikie & Wilhelm. “Emotional and Physical Health Benefits of Expressive Writing.” Advances in Psychiatric Treatment. 2005. ↩︎
  33. DiMenichi et al. “Effects of Expressive Writing on Neural Processing During Learning.” Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. November 2019. ↩︎
  34. Baikie & Wilhelm. “Emotional and Physical Health Benefits of Expressive Writing.” Advances in Psychiatric Treatment. 2005. ↩︎
  35. Baikie & Wilhelm. “Emotional and Physical Health Benefits of Expressive Writing.” Advances in Psychiatric Treatment. 2005. ↩︎
  36. Tang & Ryan. “Music Performance Anxiety: Can Expressive Writing Intervention Help?” Frontiers in Psychology. June 2020. ↩︎
  37. Mollaoglu, Mollaoglu and Yanmis. “Art Therapy with the Extent of Health Promotion.” Health Promotion. June 2022 ↩︎
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