Writing to Heal the Soul

February 11, 2002
For years after her daughter was diagnosed with a neurological disorder, writer Susan Zimmermann (Grief Dancers), then a lawyer, longed for a miracle cure. When the cure failed to surface, Zimmermann quit her job, began writing about her pain and experienced a different miracle: "I'd stopped hurting." In Writing to Heal the Soul: Transforming Grief and Loss Through Writing, Zimmermann urges others to find solace in journal keeping. Drawing on experiences of her family and friends, she shares inspirational stories of self-discovery, then guides readers through writing exercises ("remember a time when everything went wrong"; "list five new things you are going to do") designed to stimulate reflection.