Have you ever wondered what to do after sharing stories from your past with a mental health professional? Talking about traumatic experiences from your childhood during narrative work, EMDR, or counseling can feel relieving and insightful in the moment, but it’s hard knowing what to do with all of that energy afterwards. Rather than waiting until your next session to explore it more—or stuffing it back into the box of things you don’t know what to do with—consider these creative options you can do on your own to continue tending to the story.
#1. Tell your story through collage art, using phrases, photos, symbols, or colors that represent your story.
#2. Write a letter to your younger self from your current age.
#3. Write a letter to someone in the story (you don’t have to send it).
#4. Write a poem or anthem for others who may benefit from the wisdom you have gained.
#5. Find a piece of scripture, a poem, or song that connects to your story and speak it or sing it out loud.
#6. Print a physical copy of your story and do blackout poetry.
#7. Make a painting expressing the emotions that came up as you had your story engaged.
#8. Do something physically to tend to a part of your body that felt harmed, violated, marred, or activated in the story.
#9. Give financially or volunteer with an organization that advocates against the type of harm you experienced as a child.
#10. Re-write your story, imagining a different outcome that is consistent with what you desired and deserved.
#11. Think of a gift you’d like to give your younger self. Either draw a picture of it or actually go to the store and buy it as a gift to yourself.
#12. Journal about what it was like sharing your story and what stood out to you.
The bravery and courage it takes to bring attention to the stories of your past can not be understated. It may have been decades since you have thought about this story in detail, and you may have never told a living soul. The limitation with sharing these stories with others is that they will always require more space and time to unpack. If you want to find more ways to engage your story, continue returning to this list to examine your adverse childhood experiences from different angles and methods. There will always be more to see, and there will always be more to heal.
Work through your story slowly.
Schedule a call with me to discuss one-on-one story coaching.
