Reading and creative writing can help improve healing from domestic abuse, project suggests

Reading and creative writing can help survivors of domestic abuse and sexual violence in working through experiences of trauma and assist in the healing process

Reading and creative writing can help survivors of domestic abuse and sexual violence in working through experiences of trauma and assist in the healing process, according to new research co-led by an academic in the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures.

As part of the Coercive Control: From Literature into Law project, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, Professor Katy Mullin in the School of English and Dr Hannah Roche at the University of York worked with the Bradford-based charity Staying Put to organise a series of workshops with a group of culturally diverse women with lived experience of domestic abuse and sexual violence. 

During the workshops the group discussed fiction and poetry by writers ranging from the Brontës to Bernardine Evaristo. The texts and extracts have helped women in the group to recognise the signs and patterns of coercive control and to process their own experiences. 

Although coercive control was not a crime until 2015, it has a long history in both real life and imaginative writing. The experiences of fictionalised characters have helped to show that these acts of control have existed for centuries.

Women in the group reported that reading about coercive control allowed them to feel connected to a much wider network of survivors. 

Inspired by the workshops, the women went on to produce their own creative writing and share it with the group. Women in the group reported that reading and writing about coercive control, as well as acts of strength and solidarity, enabled them to access parts of trauma that “felt stuck” and helped them to move on and feel more “confident and valued.”

One attendee said: “It enabled me to access parts of trauma that felt stuck and has been a massive part of my healing experience.”

Another added: “I have been able to process strong emotions around my identity, wounds I carried and how many of us in the group have been able to relate to each other through writing. The workshops were emotive but extremely useful in being able to manage memories of abuse and how we hold the trauma in our bodies.”

Working with survivors through Staying Put has been a learning experience for Hannah and me. We have gained a much deeper understanding of coercive control’s effects through listening to the women and reading their writing, and we have been moved by their courage and resilience.

Dr Roche, from the University of York’s Department of English and Related Literature, said: “When we have discussed extracts from Victorian novels, the women in the group have been surprised by how closely their own experiences reflect those of certain characters - Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre, for example.

“The fact that a woman in 2024 can recognise herself and her experience in a novel from 1847 tells us just how long the behavioural patterns and timelines of coercive control have been established. 

“In our fortnightly workshops, we’ve also considered writing as a form of control. It’s perhaps unsurprising that when the women began to produce their own creative work, they were drawn exclusively to poetry and primarily to free verse, where lines may break out and refuse to be contained. The women have chosen to write without rules - without regularity or regulation.”

The reading and creative writing workshops now form part of Staying Put’s Intervention and Prevention provision for women in refuges. The workshops show how imaginative writing can serve both a therapeutic and an educative purpose, helping to prevent future abuse.

Debbie Kester, Digital Communications Manager at Staying Put, said: “Many of the women who come to the group are still feeling the effects of domestic abuse even years after they have left the abuse behind. 

“As part of the workshops, these brave women often discussed difficult topics, but they were given the confidence to share their thoughts and tap into their creative processes in an environment that was safe and respectful. So many times we heard women say ‘that could have been me’ or ‘that was my experience’ when reading work by published writers and each other.

“It was inspiring to see the progress they made in their journey toward healing. Not only have the workshops helped them in dealing with deeply traumatic experiences, but they have inspired some to learn more and expand their social circle by joining writing groups and attending poetry events.

“The workshop is now a part of our service offering and extended to all women who attend our refuge.”