The Power of Freewriting

By: Dr. Denise Renye

I’m a fan of freewriting, which is the practice of writing whatever comes to mind without criticism or judgment for a specified period of time. During freewriting, you’re not worried about spelling or grammar. You’re not worried about how things sound. It is not about image, or how it looks from the outside. It’s about experience, and how it feels from the inside. You’re just simply writing. You’re giving yourself an outlet to be expressive. You’re getting to know your inner workings and you’re engaging with these inner workings through a dynamic experience that connects the mind and body.

I’ve found freewriting can reveal deep truths to a person as it’s a way for them to access the unconscious mind. Freewriting has the potential to be incredibly healing, which is why I recommend a form of freewriting (journaling) when a person withdraws from a substance such as weed, releases trauma from their body, is dealing with uncertainty, or otherwise wants to engage in acts of self-care. 

Ideally, freewriting is done with a pen(cil) and paper as it provides a way for you to move the body while exercising your cognitive capacities all at once. I see writing or journaling as a form of movement meditation. You can get into a flow and have a spontaneous embodied spiritual experience. Especially if you’re focusing on something spiritual, freewriting provides the opportunity to bring in your whole self and also connect with something greater than you.

If that sounds too abstract, here’s what I mean. During freewriting, you may set a timer for 10 minutes and then write whatever comes to mind. That in itself is a release, but perhaps you want to go deeper. You’re seeking guidance. A more spiritual focus could involve the prompt, “Dear Self, what do you want me to know?” and then writing what you think the most loving, wise, compassionate part of yourself has to say to you. Even taking that further, imagine allowing this part of yourself to even write through you. It’s a type of active imagination exercise.

For both myself and patients, I’ve seen answers bubble to the surface during freewriting like, “No one is hiring you because it’s better for you to start your own business,” or “You would be happier living by the ocean.”

Natalie Goldberg references this connection to Self in her excellent book Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within, when she says, “Writing is a path to meet ourselves and become intimate,” and elsewhere she says, “Writing is the act of discovery.”

What will you discover in the act of freewriting? Are you interested in finding out? I invite you to set your alarm and see what comes through you. And enjoy getting to know yourself even more deeply.

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