Cutting the Baggage Limit

Cutting the Baggage Limit
Using Writing

by Cara Reynolds

7 PART COURSE DELIVERED WEEKLY BY EMAIL

No one needs to carry around old baggage! But most of us do. You just can't seem to help it. Just when you think you've got over a major trauma, something comes along to bring it all up again. Sometimes it feels as if the past will never leave you alone.

But there are ways to put the past behind you. To clear the decks for a fresh start. One of these ways is by using certain kinds of writing.

This course will help you access your deepest traumas, share them with a caring reader (me) and be 'heard' in a totally non-judgement way. You'll be asked to do different writing exercises over a 7 week period (or more if you need it). Different types of writing will be explored. You'll like some exercises but others won't be for you. Try them anyway. As long as you meet your commitment to write, there's no obligation to send in what you've written, and some writing will be so personal it'll be for your eyes only.

What's so special about this kind of writing?

Exciting results from scientific studies in recent years show that writing in certain ways can heal your body as well as ease your mind. Documented studies to date, have shown increased immune response in HIV sufferers, increased lung capacity in asthma sufferers, reduced symptoms for those with rheumatoid arthritis, faster wound recovery, a staggering 50% reduction in visits to GPs, significant increase in working memory and better exam results. More evidence is being published every day to support the hypothesis that certain writing can improve our lives.

How much time will it take?

20 minutes a day, 3 days a week, for 7 weeks, is the minimum requirement. You can do more, but studies show this is all it takes to produce results. You can take longer if you want, but it's good to give yourself the discipline of doing one exercise a week. An hour a week isn't a big ask.

What if I was bad at writing when I was at school?

A lot of people didn't like writing at school, especially when a teacher was putting red marks all over their work and grading it. This is not a writing course, it's a 'clearing old programming' course, and therefore spelling, grammar etc don't matter. Writing whatever comes into your head, just as it comes, and as fast as you can type, is the most beneficial way to do this kind of writing. One of my cardinal rules for commenting on your work will be: no 'constructive criticism'. I'll share your experience, not judge it.

What if I'm uncomfortable sharing my stuff with you?

You may not have any skeletons in your closet, but even admitting you cried on your first day at school can be a very personal admission for some people. Knowing your secrets are safe with me, never to be shared with another living soul, allows you to unlock your past with total security. But if you don't want to share your writing with me, you don't have to. It can be enough, just to write to me about what the experience was like for you.

No subject is taboo, as long as it is a genuine experience. But please respect me and don't send material that's truly offensive. If I feel its gratuitous sex/violence, I'll delete it and terminate our relationship. (And won't return your money.)

It makes me feel bad just thinking about some of the things that have happened in my life.

Then don't write about those. The power this writing is that you'll go only as deep as you want to go. And you choose what you want to focus on. But the more you open up to this experience, the more you'll get out of it. Test subjects reported feeling sad after writing about negative events in their lives, but quickly recovered. I suggest finding a counsellor to discuss any issues that don't resolve themselves naturally as part of the process.

What will I get out of it?

All of us have been wounded in some way in our lives, even the most successful people. By drawing together your fragmented traumatic experiences, you'll release, so the scientists are suggesting, hormones that block the negative effects of stress. Stress affects our lives and our health in many ways. By sorting out your inner filing system and putting the past where it belongs, in the archives, not on the desktop, you'll feel so much better about yourself, your life and your future. What you'll get out of this course will depend on what you put into it. But the outcomes can yield so much more than the amount of time and energy you commit.

When does it start?

Your first email will be delivered to your email box within minutes after you've finished signing up. You send your first piece of work in as soon as you're done, and I get the next part out to you as soon as I've read it.

If you are currently undergoing therapy for an emotional condition, please ask your therapist before undertaking this course. Although I've worked as a counsellor and coach in the past, I am not a therapist and this course is not designed to heal mental illness.

PRICE: US$ 60