Expressive Writing as a Self-Help Tool for Veterans
Stressful and traumatic experiences can impact the way memory works, hindering the ability to recall events, such as telling someone about one’s own experiences or a cohesive life story.
Psychotherapeutic research has shown that the ability to narrate a clear and cohesive life story is one of the best indicators of mental health. Sharing life stories gives meaning to lived experiences, connecting the past, present, and future, and thereby helping to realize life’s purpose. It is through storytelling that human experience can be understood.
Expressive writing is directly aimed at reducing intrusive thoughts and unproductive avoidance of everyday situations, gradually encouraging participants to describe the full spectrum of life events, both positive and negative. Expressive writing is an accessible, easy-to-use tool designed to help people cope with various upheavals.
The exercises in our project are specifically designed for veterans who have gone through the harsh trials of war and have experienced traumatic events during combat. During the first session, we started with basic exercises that promote physical and mental health. This is particularly relevant to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), helping participants find meaning and positive changes in life after experiencing trauma, as well as reducing symptoms, tension, and anger. Additionally, these exercises help create a foundation for further emotional work, teaching self-regulation methods and resilience development. Importantly, this approach gradually restores trust in one’s own abilities and opens up the possibility of living a full life even after difficult experiences.
This project is created by the NGO “Wives of Veterans of the ATO” with the support of ISAR Unity within the “Sectoral Support Initiative for Civil Society” project, implemented by ISAR Unity in consortium with the Ukrainian Independent Center for Political Research and the Center for Democracy and Rule of Law, thanks to the generous support of the American people provided through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and within the “WORTH: UNIFICATION” competition program funded by the state budget through the Ukrainian Veterans Fund of the Ministry of Veterans Affairs of Ukraine.
With support GO “Wives of Veterans”