{"id":11799,"date":"2022-06-12T09:56:23","date_gmt":"2022-06-12T16:56:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thewritespot.us\/marlenecullenblog\/?p=11799"},"modified":"2023-09-23T08:51:48","modified_gmt":"2023-09-23T15:51:48","slug":"writers-wounds-and-scar-tissue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thewritespot.us\/marlenecullenblog\/writers-wounds-and-scar-tissue\/","title":{"rendered":"Writer Wounds and Scar Tissue"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Rebecca Evans<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

We tell stories. But before we tell them, we hold them, think them, sometimes, we thank them. We recall and carry and live with them in our bodies. We embody them. Sometimes, they embody us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of our stories are built from sandbox and rhyme-singing childhoods. Others, built from bullies beneath the monkey bars. Many are the stories told to us, about us, some true, though most are not. And still others, the most difficult ones, are born from experiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Someone one asked how long it took to write my memoir. 55 years. Yes. All of my years, because I lived through the experiences first. The truth is that we don\u2019t just live through our experiences. We also don\u2019t \u201cget through\u201d or \u201cget over\u201d the tough stuff\u2014grief, loss, trauma.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They live in us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If we\u2019re lucky and wield pens, we push them out and onto the page. This might be why many of us write: Not with the goal of publishing, but to make sense of the past, to understand and know ourselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We live in flesh and filament built on our stories. Once written, the stories are not necessarily purged and all returns to normal. (What is normal after all?) Perhaps, our wound is re-opened and we\u2019ve released a bit of poison or pleasure. And, much like caring for any opened gash, we should rinse, cleanse, and heal the body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes the wound has lived so long, it\u2019s layered in scar tissue: fibrous cells and collagen rushing to the injury\u2014trauma, surgery, disease\u2014building, no, over-building a thick wall of protection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some days I think I\u2019m made only of scar tissue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I try to remember that this tissue started as necessity, perhaps even survival.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scar tissue forms in one direction, limiting movement, which, again, offers protection. After a time, joints and flesh stiffen, and now, on top of injury, there is new pain and discomfort. If left unattended, we wade through life much like mummies tightly swathed and cocooned, and, inaccessible. Inaccessible to rich experiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scar tissue is not only a physical response. I believe scar tissue exists spiritually and emotionally too. Whether physical, emotional, or spiritual, the same principles apply. If we cannot move properly, we become a barrier in our own existence. We cannot extend, stretch, touch vulnerability and beauty. There comes the moment scar tissue no longer serves but hinders our human experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To heal, you need to work through scar tissue. If you\u2019ve experienced the joy of breaking apart scar tissue with a physical therapist, you\u2019ll respect the tearing it takes repairing, regaining adequate range of motion in the body. Or close to adequate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My grandmother used to say, \u201cThe way in which you heal determines the quality of your future life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I should have listened to grandma more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Writing is much like a physical therapist, breaking emotional scar tissue. The page offers safe and trusted space, (like a therapist\u2019s office) taking us through our limited range, moving through stiffness and discomfort. Eventually we find ease. We also find that where there are wounds and scars, there is permanent alteration. In our joints. In our hearts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We also become our own therapists in our writing practice and, because of this, we must approach our writing life with mindfulness. We must learn to care for the writer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I combine at-desk rituals that I\u2019ve woven into my writing life. Here\u2019s a few you might consider, and remember, check with your doctor\/therapist\/guide. These are not meant as prescriptions nor replacements for medical or emotional treatment. Any type of wellness\/fitness advice should be taken into consideration with your individual and medical\/emotional limits:<\/p>\n\n\n\n