Writing Practice Prescription

Author Shannon Brownlee in her book, Overtreated–Why Too Much Medicine Is Making Us Sicker and Poorer, notes that our American Healthcare system cost us $2.1 trillion in 2006. The 2016 prediction of cost soars up to $4.1 trillion.

Worse, in spite of numerous past attempts to fix the system, 47 million Americans or one in six under the age of 65 have no health insurance. Uninsured cancer patients receive less care than cancer patients with insurance and thus may be more likely to die from their cancer. We have one of the finest trauma care systems in the world but uninsured auto accident victims receive less care and have higher mortality rates.

What’s left? An “unfair, dysfunctional, and spectacularly expensive system” that does not suit or fit. In fact, the 2006 cost of our healthcare was “almost as much as the worldwide market for petroleum.” Most shocking, our annual cost for this healthcare system exceeds what the United States spends on food.

Is there any hope?

Indeed, hope exists and lies in the wisdom of knowing when to access and use the healthcare system and when to turn to self-help that might work just as well. In spite of the fact that every other advertisement on TV tells us about new pills and cures for all sorts of ailments, simpler and less harmful healing aids exist.

Consider the lowly pen and paper toiling on without the benefit of costly advertisement, just waiting for us to engage them in the act of writing as therapy. They beckon us to write our personal stories to frame our plight and capture insights that provide healing.

One of the case histories in my book, WellWriting for Health After Trauma and Abuse,  features “Debra” who began to have severe migraines after a traumatic period in her life. She turned to writing to resolve and accept her situation, deal with the confusion and ambiguity of her emotions, and develop the wisdom she needed at that point in her life.

Debra sums up her experience this way: “Writing is something you can do for yourself. It’s not expensive, and it doesn’t hurt anybody, but you can gain personal benefit from it.” She ends by laughing and offers this advice, “You can’t afford a therapist? Write.”