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Adult Adoptees and Writing to Heal
Migrating toward Wholeness
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Author:
We live in a world where conversations about trauma are becoming commonplace and adopted people are using their voices to educate the general public about the effects of maternal separation and genealogical bewilderment. But for many adult adoptees the act of speaking truth to power is still fraught. Personal writing can unlock long held silences and help adult adoptees feel empowered to rewrite their narratives.
The need to deconstruct dominant narratives about adoption and its inherent loss and trauma is necessary if we are to reform an institution that has damaged many generations of mothers and children. Because many adoptees do not have access to adoption and trauma competent therapists, writing is an accessible therapeutic modality that can be used to reframe narratives that position adoptees as the object rather than the subject.â¯
Adult Adoptees and Writing to Heal shares the framework and method of using writing as a practice for adult adoptees, therapists, teachers, and researchers interested in learning how to migrate and heal embodied trauma. It analyzes lived experience and the authorâs own writing to develop a methodology for moving toward wholeness by writing and speaking the truth of internal adoptee experiences.
The need to deconstruct dominant narratives about adoption and its inherent loss and trauma is necessary if we are to reform an institution that has damaged many generations of mothers and children. Because many adoptees do not have access to adoption and trauma competent therapists, writing is an accessible therapeutic modality that can be used to reframe narratives that position adoptees as the object rather than the subject.â¯
Adult Adoptees and Writing to Heal shares the framework and method of using writing as a practice for adult adoptees, therapists, teachers, and researchers interested in learning how to migrate and heal embodied trauma. It analyzes lived experience and the authorâs own writing to develop a methodology for moving toward wholeness by writing and speaking the truth of internal adoptee experiences.
Liz DeBetta, Ph.D. (2020), Union Institute & University, is an independent scholar-artist-activist committed to changing systems and helping people navigate trauma through creative processes. She has published articles on adoptee narratives and has an award winning one woman show called Un-M-Othered (www.LizDeBetta.com).
Introduction: Making Space to Heal
1 Rewriting the Truth: Making Room for Adoptee Narratives
â1 Pre-Writing Questions
â2 Self-Reflection Questions
â3 Writing Exploration âTwo of Meâ
2 Expressing the Primal Wound: Navigating Fear, Grief, and Ambiguous Loss
â1 Writing Exploration âExpressing the Primal WoundâCore Language Cluesâ
3 Becoming the Subject: Authoring Ourselves and Our Lives
â1 Writing Exploration âFinding Freedom and Autonomy: Self-Regulating through Writingâ
4 Breaking Silences: Fostering Empathy through Subversive Storytelling
â1 Writing Exploration âSubversive Storytelling for Empathy and Integrationâ
5 Migrating toward Wholeness: Writing, Speaking, and Releasing Embodied Trauma
â1 Writing Exploration: Migrating toward Wholeness (Week 1)
â2 Writing Exploration: Migrating toward Wholeness (Week 2)
â3 Migrating toward Wholeness (Week 3)
â4 Migrating Toward Wholeness (Week 4)
â5 Migrating toward Wholeness (Week 5)
â6 A Final Note Dear Reader
References
Index
1 Rewriting the Truth: Making Room for Adoptee Narratives
â1 Pre-Writing Questions
â2 Self-Reflection Questions
â3 Writing Exploration âTwo of Meâ
2 Expressing the Primal Wound: Navigating Fear, Grief, and Ambiguous Loss
â1 Writing Exploration âExpressing the Primal WoundâCore Language Cluesâ
3 Becoming the Subject: Authoring Ourselves and Our Lives
â1 Writing Exploration âFinding Freedom and Autonomy: Self-Regulating through Writingâ
4 Breaking Silences: Fostering Empathy through Subversive Storytelling
â1 Writing Exploration âSubversive Storytelling for Empathy and Integrationâ
5 Migrating toward Wholeness: Writing, Speaking, and Releasing Embodied Trauma
â1 Writing Exploration: Migrating toward Wholeness (Week 1)
â2 Writing Exploration: Migrating toward Wholeness (Week 2)
â3 Migrating toward Wholeness (Week 3)
â4 Migrating Toward Wholeness (Week 4)
â5 Migrating toward Wholeness (Week 5)
â6 A Final Note Dear Reader
References
Index
All interested in trauma and adoption studies, adult adoptees, therapists, adoptive parents, and anyone concerned with using creativity to heal.