Tend/er: Writing Pain & the folklore around healing

Writing about pain has been transformational for me. And it can be for you too.

In my third series of this online course and after a season of popular in-person Writing Pain workshops, I’m changing it up a bit. Alongside all things pain, I’ve been getting curious about the folklore around healing. The old remedies, rituals, charms, healing wells, herbs, amulets, saints, spells and stories that humans have created in an attempt to make ourselves feel better, keep ourselves safe, and make sense of hurt.

What does it actually mean to ‘heal’? Does healing mean being fixed? Getting better? Letting go? Learning to live alongside something?

We’ll explore different traditions and cultures and the ways people have understood and practised healing across time. We might look at rituals, objects, plants, places, stories and acts of care, and use them as starting points for our own writing.

These courses are a chance to really dive deep, get curious and experiment alongside an encouraging and supportive group. My study in poetry for therapy, alongside over a decade of lived experience, informs and supports my tender facilitation of this space, with sensitivity, curiosity and playfulness. 

The details:

~ Mondays 8-9pm
~ 4 weeks on zoom
~ Limited to a group of 10 max

“Caroline's Writing Pain course was really transformational for my writing and approach. I not only learnt a huge amount from her and the reading materials, but it also seemed to shift something within me, allowing me to access a much deeper level of writing after feeling stuck on the surface, previously unable to articulate my emotions and more importantly my pain. Caroline also created an incredibly supportive and safe space, which allowed me to feel comfortable sharing my work and opinions, leaving me much more confident and equipped to write at a deeper level than before.” ~ Katie

My secret to share with you is writing about pain is (can be / will be) FUN and PLAYFUL. As well as soothing, therapeutic, confronting and cathartic. 

Are you in?

*All and any types of pain welcome. I just ask you when sharing to be sensitive to the others in the group and to yourselves in the process!

4 weeks

5th October, 12th October, 19th October, 26th October