FEBRUARY 2024 DEALING WITH TOXIC REMARKS

As we all know, what other people say to us can be a source of significant emotional distress. A toxic remark can stick with us for days, even if it wasn’t especially important to the person who said it, and even if that person is not particularly important to us. It...

NOVEMBER 2023 THE ROAD NOT TAKEN

This month, we used Robert Frost’s poem “The Road Not Taken” as a springboard to discuss how we feel about decisions years after we’ve made them. Here is the poem — or, if you prefer, you can listen to Frost reading it here. THE ROAD NOT...

AUGUST 2023: CONSTRUCTIVE NONCONFORMITY

At this month’s Writing as Healing workshop, we considered this poem by Jenny Jacobs: When I Am an Old Woman, I Shall Wear Purple By Jenny Jacobs When I am an old woman I shall wear purple With a red hat which doesn’t go, and doesn’t suit me. And I shall spend...

JULY 2023: UNDERSTANDING HOW WE MAKE DECISIONS

 \We’ve all faced situations in which other people urge us to make a particular decision, such as having a certain medical treatment or staying in a difficult marriage, when we ourselves would prefer to do something else. Difficult as those disagreements might...

JUNE 2023: THE IMPORTANCE OF SUPPORT

This month’s Writing as Healing session focused on the importance of support, whether from groups and individuals, from relatives and friends, or from strangers. You might want to begin by writing for 10 minutes or so about what support means in your life...