Writing for Self-Knowledge: Overcoming the Inner Censor

I have directed many groups in writing. How does this usually work?

First we do small written exercises to warm up. Many come with the expectation that they’ll sit down and write right away, and that they’ll do a great job practically on the fly. But no athlete, no musician, would expect that from themselves – especially since the pros know best. There are more common misconceptions. The biggest one: I can’t write. Many people come to my seminars with this attitude. But we can all write, once we learn it in school or some other way. The problem is rather the private claims that are often exaggerated. Then I would like to quote the French writer Andre Breton, who invented automatic writing. He said something like: If you want to write, find a nice place, sit down and forget your genius.

Is there anything else people struggle with when writing?

We have already talked about our performance requirements. But what can also lead to inhibitions is fear of one’s own emotions or autobiography, of dealing with potentially painful topics. Other problems usually only reappear when people want to put their own texts into literary form in order to be published.

What if someone produces empty statements or if they sound vulgar or superficial?

Who decides that? This is an assessment that is forbidden to me in creative and therapeutic writing. Everyone is expressing what is important, right, and possible for them in this moment, and I think that deserves recognition.