Episode 11: Working with Emotionally Difficult Topics (with guest Thea Deley)

Engaging in a creative project can be hard enough when the subject matter is fun. But what about when it’s emotionally taxing, too? In this episode, we talk about many techniques for working with topics that make us uneasy—from changing perspective to creating rituals. Then we talk with Thea Deley, speaker, writer and improviser, and ask her two questions: 1) When do you know you are ready to write about something difficult—what is the role of perspective, and 2) How do you navigate stories that might hurt someone? We are interested in your answers to these questions, too!Episode NotesChristie’s farewell to David Corcoran on Last Word on NothingOpening Up: The Healing Power of Expressing Emotions, by James W. Pennebaker, PhDPablo Neruda: Tonight I Can WriteAmerican Psychological Association: Writing to HealHarvard Health Publishing: Writing About Emotions May Ease Stress and TraumaThea Deley (photo of Thea by Mike Maxwell)Christie’s ode to Holiday Mathis, “I Know Astrology Is B******t, But I Can’t Stop Reading My Horoscope.” **Simple Tools         —Rosemerry Wahtola TrommerI am so grateful for the rubber spatula,the way it sits quietly in the draweryet is always ready for action—is game to scrape the walls of the blenderor to fold chocolate chips into cookie dough.It evens and swirls the frosting on cakeand welcomes the tongueof a child. In a sharp world,it knows the value of being blunt;it knows that to smooth is a gift to the world.Some people are knives, andI thank them. Me, I want to belongto the order of spatulas—thosewho blend, who mix, who co-mingledissimilars to create a cohesive whole.I want to spread sweetness, to be a workhorsefor beauty, to stir things up,to clean things out. I want to be useful,an instrument of unity, a means, a lever for life.first published in Braided Way, 2019 This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit emergingform.substack.com/subscribe