Writing heals. Through the act of writing, we begin to understand ourselves more deeply. This is especially true for writers of memoir, personal essays, and poetry. We discover what matters to us. We learn what’s impacted us, and in what ways. The self-awareness gained through writing becomes a gift to oneself and others. Our journals becoming a place to lay down whatever worries we carry, large or small–with the option of sharing what we’ve written with others, or not. In my experience the act of writing is inherently healing, and the act of sharing our writing is inherently empowering. We discover that people can witness our darkest expressions and still accept us, maybe even love and respect us more knowing what makes us us.

In Spring 2023 I began guiding a weekly journaling workshop “Releasing With Writing” at the Trauma Healing Project in Eugene, Oregon. Since then I’ve witnessed how the process of putting words down on the page, and sharing those words aloud, peels back layers of the heart, generating more compassion for oneself and others. Throughout this journey I have relied primarily on my own creativity generating our journaling prompts (which I am sharing below). Because my own trauma healing was aided by writing memoir, many, though not all, of the writing prompts align with the memoir genre:

Write about your scars
Think about place you’ve lived and describe it in immense detail
Write about an object that holds special meaning for you
Write about a cherished photograph
Write about a time you were bullied/bullied someone else
Write about a time you gave/received love
Write what’s on your heart today
Write about the good old days
Make a list of the turning points in your life
Introduce us to your inner child
A mess you made
A blessing in disguise
A celebration
Survival mode
A reality check
A stranger angel
A beginning/An ending
A trip
Dirt
Fire
Hunger
Companionship
Something you regret
Something you didn’t think you’d survive
A recent adventure
A time you felt filled with hope
A date you’d like to remember/forget
A love letter to the town you live in
Describe a meal that holds special meaning for you
Write about your birthplace
Write about standing in another person’s shoes
Write about a time you were selfless/selfish
Write about a time you had to ask for forgiveness
Write about a time you spread/hid your light
Write about a time you felt free/trapped
Write a love letter to summer
Write a letter to your kid self
Describe your childhood hopes and dreams
Use color as the central point of meaning in your story
Something someone said that you’ll never forget
What’s your inner weather?
What is a big challenge you’re facing right now?
How can you be kinder to yourself this week? This year?
What is a personal belief you held in the past that has since changed?
What do you need more of right now, solitude or companionship?
What is your astrological sign? Do you relate to it? Why or why not?
What is something new you would like to try?
What would you do with unlimited resources?
What’s your superpower?
Where do you go to find yourself?
How do you prioritize self-care?
What do you want more of?
What matters most?
What are you afraid of?
What are you calling in/letting go of?
How do you balance your needs with the needs of others?
How has your definition of love evolved?
What can you let go of today?
What have you learned from your elders?
What advice would you give someone going through a hard time?
Write about a person you are grateful for. What do you admire about them? Why have they had such an impact on your life?
What is broken and needs fixing?
If this time in your life were a chapter, what would it be called and why?
What I remember was…
In this moment I am…

Feel free to use these journaling prompts yourself or in a group setting, and don’t forget to share your prompts with me in the comments section below!

Love and mysterious blessings,

Mama Bird