Addiction – HEAL MY VOICE

Empowering Women In Addiction Recovery Through Writing & Creativity

By Beth Terrence ~ Heal My Voice Author, Facilitator & Board Member

For the past year, I have had the privilege to work on a pilot Heal My Voice project that brings writing, journaling and creativity to women who are in long-term residential addictions treatment. This project grew out of my work with the two non-profits that I volunteer with – Heal My Voice and Chrysalis House. This program developed organically when I shared some magazines with the Chrysalis House that had an article I had written on 7 Ways To Cultivate Love & Compassion For Yourself, based on a post from this blog. It also featured an article about Heal My Voice founder Andrea Hylen. One of the clients at Chrysalis House was so interested in the Heal My Voice program that she reached out through her caseworker to Andrea directly. This empowered step led to Heal My Voice offering a 3-hour writing and creativity workshop at Chrysalis House in Crownsville, MD in May of 2013.

Little did we know at the time that this one event would open the door to a whole new Heal My Voice program. The mission of Heal My Voice is as follows:

Heal My Voice empowers and supports women and girls globally to heal, reclaim their voice and step into greater leadership in their lives and in the world.

I have participated in several Heal My Voice writing programs and over the last year joined as a facilitator and board member as well. After our initial workshop, there was such an amazing response from the clients at Chrysalis House, that we were asked to come back on a regular basis. This has led to me leading a weekly writing circle in addition to a 3-hour monthly creativity workshop, which is supported by other local Heal My Voice authors. Adapting the original Heal My Voice program model to a residential treatment program has been an expansive experience. During this time, I have been working closely with Heal My Voice Founder Andrea Hylen who attends the program when she is on the East Coast. What has emerged is the foundation for a program model that can brought to other addictions treatment programs and recovery centers around the country.

I have truly been awed by the words that have emerged from the women of Chrysalis House. Journaling was something that was always recommended but without facilitation the staff found it wasn’t really happening. By creating a space for writing and creativity, and offering tools and techniques to support self-expression, journaling has become an important part of the each women’s journey in recovery. This is something that is initiated in the treatment process but offers a powerful tool to support ongoing healing and recovery.

Here are some of the words from one of the women in the program:

My Own Prison

I’ve built my own prison inside of me,
It doesn’t consist of a warden or a key.
The walls are layered with bricks of emotions,
The bars are made of rage,
You couldn’t imagine the hell and commotion.

First a foundation built from addiction,
Then the floors are laid of abuse and confliction.
Every brick in the wall has it’s own tale;
I was warned to change but to no avail.

So I ask myself now,
“Was it all worth all this pain?”
The deteriorating life I tried so hard to sustain.
The very reality of being confined;
Holds no comparison to the shackles on my mind.

I know my day will come when I’ll be released,
But the question still lies, “will I really be free”?
Not free from confinement but free from the chains,
That are linked from my heart to my mind that remains.

The power of these words speaks to the impact of this project and how writing can be a vehicle for freedom through self-expression. The Chrysalis House program is just completing it’s first year and we are in the process of creating a book of writing from the women who have participated so far. The message we share with our community at large is :

“YOUR VOICE MATTERS”

This the message we try to bring home to the women of Chrysalis House and so giving them a platform to see their words in print is a way to reflect this message to them.

We invite you to more about the Heal My Voice Chrysalis House Program and if you feel to support this grassroots project, monetary or in-kind donations are always appreciated . In addition to funding for the administration of the program itself, we continually provide materials for clients to make their own journals as well as other creative projects. We are always in need of the following items:

Composition Books

Glue Sticks

Packing Tape

Scissors

Markers

Art & Craft Materials

Here are some of the journals created by the amazing women of Chrysalis House:

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Beth Terrence is a Shaman, Holistic Health & Wellness Expert, Speaker and Writer. She has been working in the field of Holistic Healing and Transformation for over 18 years. This path evolved from her own healing journey through fibromyalgia and the impact of trauma on her life. Beth found that by taking a holistic approach to life and well-being, she was able to achieve of a state of happiness and wholeness that she never imagined was possible. Her mission is to support others in cultivating a heart-centered, balanced and joyful life through discovering the healer within.

Writing has always been one of Beth’s greatest passions. Since childhood, she has written poetry and kept a journal. Participating in a Heal My Voice project opened the door to Beth stepping forward in the world as a writer. Her stories are featured in Inspired Voices: True Stories of Visionary Women and Harmonic Voices: True Stories Of Women On The Path To Peace. Beth joined the Heal My Voice board of directors in May 2013. Additionally, she is the lead facilitator and program developer for a Heal My Voice program that brings writing and creativity to women in addiction recovery at Chrysalis House in Crownsville, MD.

Learn more at www.bethterrence.com or check out her new teleclass program starting July 22nd:

Love Yourself, Live Your Life
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With Beth Terrence
5-Session Teleclass

Do you want to live more from the heart?

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Begin to facilitate your own process of transformation and healing and create a foundation to continue that process in your life.

Dates: Tuesday, July 22nd – August 19th

Time: 7:00 – 8:00 EST

Where: Wherever You Are – Call in by phone or listen online

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Are you ready to embrace the truth of who you are –

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How much longer do you want to continue struggling?

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The journey begins with you!

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30 Quotes To Inspire & Ignite Your Writing

By Beth Terrence

Heal My Voice Author and Board Member

One of the tools that has helped me to develop as a writer and to support others in getting their words flowing is to have a toolbox of various writing prompts. A writing prompt simply consists of an idea, word, image, phrase or set of instructions to help you jumpstart your writing. You may want to use a prompt on the days when you just can’t seem to get the words flowing or you may wish to work with writing prompts as a part of your regular writing practice.

One of my favorite type of writing prompts are quotes. When looking for inspiration, I look for a quote on a specific topic or theme, such as love, peace or leadership or I may gather as many quotes as I can on that topic and put them all together on one sheet. Later, I cut them up and put them in my idea box, post them around or save them in a ziploc baggie for future use. Sometimes when looking for a prompt for the Heal My Voice Chrysalis House weekly writing circle, I will bring a bag of quotes; participants will pick one randomly and then explore what inspiration comes from the quote for their writing that day.

I have found that as a writer, it’s essential to have a variety of tools in your toolbox. I find quotes to be a great tool for getting my ideas and words flowing. And, one of my favorite things to do is read quotes by other writers to help me gain insight into the art of writing and the experience of being a writer. Here are 30 quotes by writers to inspire and ignite your writing:

“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” ~ Maya Angelou

“There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.” ~ Ernest Hemingway

“And by the way, everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise. The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.” ~ Sylvia Plath

“You have to write the book that wants to be written. And if the book will be too difficult for grown-ups, then you write it for children.” ~ Madeleine L’Engle

“If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.” ~ Toni Morrison

“If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.” ~ Stephen King

“Substitute ‘damn’ every time you’re inclined to write ‘very;’ your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be.” ~ Mark Twain

“You never have to change anything you got up in the middle of the night to write.” ~ Saul Bellow

“We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospect.” ~ Anais Nin

“You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you.” ~ Ray Bradbury

“Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on.” ~ Louis L’Amour

“I can shake off everything as I write; my sorrows disappear, my courage is reborn.” ~ Anne Frank

“A word after a word after a word is power.” ~ Margaret Atwood

“Writing is like sex. First you do it for love, then you do it for your friends, and then you do it for money.” ~ Virginia Wolf

“Tears are words that need to be written.” ~ Paulo Coehlo

“Write the kind of story you would like to read. People will give you all sorts of advice about writing, but if you are not writing something you like, no one else will like it either.” ~ Meg Cabot

“The role of a writer is not to say what we can all say, but what we are unable to say.” ~ Anais Nin

“The purpose of a writer is to keep civilization from destroying itself.” ~ Albert Camus

“I love writing. I love the swirl and swing of words as they tangle with human emotions.” ~ James A. Michener

“Write what should not be forgotten.” ~ Isabel Allende

“I’ve got the key to my castle in the air, but whether I can unlock the door remains to be seen.” ~ Louisa May Alcott

“The soul should always stand ajar, ready to welcome the ecstatic experience.” ~ Emily Dickinson

“Breathe-in experience, breathe-out poetry.” ~ Muriel Rukeyser

“Instructions for living a life:
pay attention
be astonished
tell about it” ~ Mary Oliver

“Revision is not going back and fussing around, but going forward into the highly complex and satisfying process of creation” ~ Mary Sarton

“Writing is an extreme privilege but it’s also a gift. It’s a gift to yourself and it’s a gift of giving a story to someone.” ~ Amy Tan

“If you’re going to write a good book, you have to make mistakes and you have to not be so cautious all the time.” ~ Zadie Smith

It’s better to write about things you feel than about things you know about. ~ L. P. Hartley

My aim is to put down what I see and what I feel in the best and simplest way I can tell it. ~ Ernest Hemingway

“The unread story is not a story; it is little black marks on wood pulp. The reader, reading it, makes it live: a live thing, a story.” ~ Ursula K. Le Guin

I hope you’ll take some time to explore working with quotes as a writing prompt. And, if you have any favorite quotes by writers that you would like to share, please drop us a note in the comments below.

Happy Writing!

Beth Terrence is a Shaman, Holistic Health & Wellness Expert, Speaker and Writer. She has been working in the field of Holistic Healing and Transformation for over 18 years. This path evolved from her own healing journey through fibromyalgia and the impact of trauma on her life. Beth found that by taking a holistic approach to life and well-being, she was able to achieve of a state of happiness and wholeness that she never imagined was possible. Her mission is to support others in cultivating a heart-centered, balanced and joyful life through discovering the healer within.

Beth is available for Integrative Transformational Healing Sessions & Programs by Phone/Skype or in person in Annapolis, MD. She offers a variety of classes, workshops and trainings on Holistic Healing, Transformation, Writing and Creativity in the MD/DC/VA area and virtually. Beth also writes regularly on her own blog, The Heart Of Awakening: Searching For A New Paradigm, an online resource for transformation and healing. To learn more about Beth’s Integrative Transformational Healing Services, visit http://www.bethterrence.com.

Beth’s Take A Break Summer Special Offer:

20% Off All Sessions By Phone/Skype Or In Person In Annapolis, MD

Summer is a the perfect time to relax, reflect and renew. We’ve passed the Solstice so the days are beginning to get shorter once again but the Fire energy of summer is still very strong through July 22nd. The intensity of this Yang energy can take a toll on our system – it is still very expansive but a part of us is beginning to pull within. With the outward energy of summer, increased social activities and extreme heat and humidity, our systems can more easily move out of balance. It may not be uncommon to experience fatigue, headaches, and intense waves of emotions during this time. I invite you to come for a healing session to support your overall balance and ease of well-being. Take A Break ~ Relax, Reflect & Renew!

Integrative Healing Sessions may include Shamanic Healing, Bach Flower Remedies, Zero Balancing, Body/Energy Therapies, Meditation, Holistic Self-Care and other holistic resources to support transformation and healing on all levels – body, mind, emotion and spirit.

Learn more about Beth’s Take A Break Summer Special Offer and Integrative Transformational Healing Services in July’s Discover The Healer Within E-News…

Where To Connect With Beth:

Website: www.bethterrence.com

Blog: http://theheartofawakening.wordpress.com

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/bethterrence

Twitter: @BethTerrence

Contact: beth@bethterrence.com