“A word after a word after a word is power.”

-Margaret Atwood

Why do we choose to tell our stories?

Every memoirist has a different answer to this question. Regardless of the reason, memoir writers are often charged with bringing difficult topics into the light. We consistently challenge the status quo. We expose injustices. We delve headfirst into our darkest moments. We are the embodiment of courage.

There’s just one catch:

Before we can write about any of these experiences, we have to process them first.

This is not your average memoir program.

We aren’t here to write our books. At least, not explicitly. In fact, the first step in this program is to take a pledge to part with your memoir for the duration of this course. You may be wondering how that could possibly be helpful. The answer is simple: when we are writing about adversity, it is very easy to get caught in the weeds. That’s because trauma lives in the body. It hides out in distinctly non-verbal places. And there’s nothing more verbal than writing a book. Our first attempts at writing about trauma often fall short. In order to tell a more comprehensive story, we need form a bridge between the conscious mind and the breadth of our experiences that live inside our bones.

This program will teach you how to identify your non-verbal memories and translate them to the page. Through this course, you may discover that aspects of your story evolve. You may choose to write differently on the other side. You may find your way to a more authentic voice. All of these things will lead to a stronger version of your book.

As a trauma-informed therapist who also wrote a memoir, I am thrilled to pass along all the tools in my toolbox.

Over the course of this program, we will discuss:

  • How to write a trauma-informed memoir

  • Experiential journaling and why you need it

  • Trauma triggers and the writing process

  • Embracing ebb and flow cycles of creativity

  • The impact of your nervous system on how you tell your story

  • Expansion, contraction, and the writing process

  • Working with writer’s block

  • Forming a secure attachment with your book

    —

    Whether you have written a draft of your memoir, or you haven’t yet begun, there’s a place for you here.

    Let’s uncover the story that wants to be told.

The Memoir Program is a closed 8-week virtual group that is limited to 5 participants. The format is part course material and part process group. The purpose of this program is to illustrate how to write about adversity and do it well. It is not a therapy group, nor is it a space where we will edit each other’s work.

The fee for The Memoir Program is $1200 per person.