Gillie Bolton is Research Fellow in Medical Humanities at Sheffield University Institute of General Practice. She has trained doctors, nurses and counsellors to offer therapeutic writing to their clients for ten years, as well as working with patients herself. She writes extensively about her work, and is an award-winning poet.

Occasionally I have suggested to parents that they write down some of their thoughts and feelings in the form of a journal or a letter. Nearly always the act of writing seems to have a curious therapeutic effect. Thanks to Gillie Bolton's book, I shall be doing this more often. Gillie believes that while it is good to talk, it is even better to write. She teaches therapeutic writing to doctors, nurses, clients, prisoners, just about anybody who is interested…I am certainly going to do some therapeutic writing myself now and then, when I am ready, I shall suggest it to some of my troubled patients. If you read this book (and I think you should), you will want to be doing it too.

• 1. Introduction. 2. Therapeutic writing: How and why: The healing pen 3. Keeping a journal: `The diamonds of the dustheap'. 4. Writing openers: Unbuttoning, opening the box. 5. Images: How to find, create and use them - Echoes. 6. Dreams which put us in touch with ourselves: `The royal road'. 7. The power of poetry, fiction, autobiography: `Something hatches'. 8. Waiting to help you take control of your own life: This is my decision! 9. Writing and groups: Laugh and cry with each other. 10. Writing out trauma: A bobble hat, a pair of jeans, and Grandad. 11. Writing at the doctor's, the hospital, the hospice: Writing on prescription. 12. Writing in prison, the old people's home: `Reach for the stars'. 13. Approaches to therapeutic writing: `But who are you?' 14. Conclusions: `Thought made flesh'. Appendix: Useful contact addresses. Bibliography. Index.

Gillie Bolton is Research Fellow in Medical Humanities at Sheffield University Institute of General Practice. She has trained doctors, nurses and counsellors to offer therapeutic writing to their clients for ten years, as well as working with patients herself. She writes extensively about her work, and is an award-winning poet.

Occasionally I have suggested to parents that they write down some of their thoughts and feelings in the form of a journal or a letter. Nearly always the act of writing seems to have a curious therapeutic effect. Thanks to Gillie Bolton's book, I shall be doing this more often. Gillie believes that while it is good to talk, it is even better to write. She teaches therapeutic writing to doctors, nurses, clients, prisoners, just about anybody who is interested…I am certainly going to do some therapeutic writing myself now and then, when I am ready, I shall suggest it to some of my troubled patients. If you read this book (and I think you should), you will want to be doing it too.

• 1. Introduction. 2. Therapeutic writing: How and why: The healing pen 3. Keeping a journal: `The diamonds of the dustheap'. 4. Writing openers: Unbuttoning, opening the box. 5. Images: How to find, create and use them - Echoes. 6. Dreams which put us in touch with ourselves: `The royal road'. 7. The power of poetry, fiction, autobiography: `Something hatches'. 8. Waiting to help you take control of your own life: This is my decision! 9. Writing and groups: Laugh and cry with each other. 10. Writing out trauma: A bobble hat, a pair of jeans, and Grandad. 11. Writing at the doctor's, the hospital, the hospice: Writing on prescription. 12. Writing in prison, the old people's home: `Reach for the stars'. 13. Approaches to therapeutic writing: `But who are you?' 14. Conclusions: `Thought made flesh'. Appendix: Useful contact addresses. Bibliography. Index.

Gillie Bolton is Research Fellow in Medical Humanities at Sheffield University Institute of General Practice. She has trained doctors, nurses and counsellors to offer therapeutic writing to their clients for ten years, as well as working with patients herself. She writes extensively about her work, and is an award-winning poet.

Occasionally I have suggested to parents that they write down some of their thoughts and feelings in the form of a journal or a letter. Nearly always the act of writing seems to have a curious therapeutic effect. Thanks to Gillie Bolton's book, I shall be doing this more often. Gillie believes that while it is good to talk, it is even better to write. She teaches therapeutic writing to doctors, nurses, clients, prisoners, just about anybody who is interested…I am certainly going to do some therapeutic writing myself now and then, when I am ready, I shall suggest it to some of my troubled patients. If you read this book (and I think you should), you will want to be doing it too.

• 1. Introduction. 2. Therapeutic writing: How and why: The healing pen 3. Keeping a journal: `The diamonds of the dustheap'. 4. Writing openers: Unbuttoning, opening the box. 5. Images: How to find, create and use them - Echoes. 6. Dreams which put us in touch with ourselves: `The royal road'. 7. The power of poetry, fiction, autobiography: `Something hatches'. 8. Waiting to help you take control of your own life: This is my decision! 9. Writing and groups: Laugh and cry with each other. 10. Writing out trauma: A bobble hat, a pair of jeans, and Grandad. 11. Writing at the doctor's, the hospital, the hospice: Writing on prescription. 12. Writing in prison, the old people's home: `Reach for the stars'. 13. Approaches to therapeutic writing: `But who are you?' 14. Conclusions: `Thought made flesh'. Appendix: Useful contact addresses. Bibliography. Index.