Dimitra’s approach through expressive writing techniques encourages life reflection, self-exploration and creative expansion.

The workshops are useful for all individuals, while the practice of expressive writing can particularly benefit those seeking to gain insight into their inner lives, increase self-awareness, listen to their inner voice and connect with their full creative potential.

The writing focuses entirely on tapping into our inner selves, without any concern for narrative structure or grammar rules.

Although we discuss in English, you do not necessarily have to write in English and you don’t have to be a native speaker in order to join. There is no need for previous writing experience.

The group will welcome new members until December, but if you wish to participate later than December, you can ask for it as there might begin new groups and you will have priority.

The first meeting will open with the following poem, which is going to be the basis for the rest of the writing:

Reinvent your Life
Charles Bukowski

Invent yourself and then reinvent yourself,

don’t swim in the same slough.

invent yourself and then reinvent yourself and

stay out of the clutches of mediocrity.

invent yourself and then reinvent yourself,

change your tone and shape so often

that they can never categorize you.

reinvigorate yourself and accept what is

but only on the terms that you have invented

and reinvented.

be self-taught.

and reinvent your life because you must;

it is your life and its history and the present

belong only to you.

INFORMATION

The meetings will be held through Skype the first Monday every month, from October 2021 until March 2022.

Time: GMT time 16.00 -18.00
UK (+1GMT) 17.00 – 19.00
Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Croatia (+2GMT) 18.00 – 20.00
Greece (+3GMT) 19.00 – 21.00
India (+5.5 GMT)  21.30 – 23.30

Duration: 2 hours each workshop
Cost: 40€ (payment through pay pal or bank transfer)

For booking your spot, please fill out the following
_APPLICATION and send it to dimitra@expressingmyself.org

Learn more about expressive writing here:
https://expressingmyself.org/frequently-asked-questions-about-expressive-writing/

Facilitator’s short cv

Dimitra Didangelou  is a psychologist MSc, science journalist and author. After filling thousands of pages for personal and professional purposes, she quickly discovered the power of the written word. She’ specialized in therapeutic and expressive writing, helping people gain insight into their lives, listen to their inner voice and enhance their creativity.

Alongside founding and editing a web-magazine that explores psychology, she is the founder of “Expressing MySelf”, an Institute which offers workshops promoting conscious and creative living.

Her training includes Advanced Study in Therapeutic Writing (The Center for Journal Writing in Denver, CO, USA), an MSc in Psychology and the Mass Media, a BA in Psychology and a Certificate in Philosophical Counseling and Psychotherapy.

Dimitra is a published author of two books and her short stories have been distinguished in many writing contests.

See Dimitra’s TED speech here.

Learn more about Dimitra here.

The post Reinvent Your Life – Online Expressive Writing Circle appeared first on Expressing MySelf Institute.

By Dimitra Didangelou, Psychologist, Author, MSc, Specialized in Therapeutic Writing*

“We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospect.”
– Anais Nin

Ever since I can remember myself, I have enjoyed writing anything – from homework to poetry. Most of all, I enjoyed writing in my diary. I adored the whole procedure. Being alone, my hand running across the white pages. The moment I opened my diary, a new world was made available for me to shape according to my choosing. I used stickers, I scribbled seemingly irrelevant words and phrases in the margins… What I write about today is very different in comparison to what I wrote about when I was a child, but the ritual is still the same.

What about confiding? However small or big an event may seem to a third party, our own thoughts and feelings on what has happened matter. Whether it is about a scolding teacher or about feeling anxious because I may be fired, the catharsis procedure stays the same. I think, feel, write about it and let it go.

When I started writing my diary, there was no way for me to imagine that on the other side of the world, in the United States of America, scientists were doing some research to verify the benefits of the writing project and evolve it into the science of therapeutic or expressive writing.

Expressive or therapeutic writing is the deliberate writing of experiences and personal events aiming to specific results. Pay special attention to the words “deliberate” and “specific results.” It is not always enough to start writing to find relief (Adams, 1999). It is important to have a purpose and for that reason, specific techniques are implemented by experts in that field.

Expressive writing can be practiced by anyone at any stage of his/her life. It can be of use both during calm and relaxed times of our lives. It can help us to enjoy our lives’ flow or help us cope during troubling times when we face difficulties or dilemmas. We can find peace working through our feelings (Progoff,1992).

Dr. James Pennebaker, professor at the University of Texas, has found after numerous studies that writing helps people organize their thoughts and find meaning in their traumatic experiences. Among the participants in his studies were HIV positive people, cancer patients and victims of sexual abuse and Vietnam veterans. He came to the conclusion that if they were able to find greater meaning in their difficulties, they would have a better chance to overcome them. Writing can help someone find meaning.

In what specific ways can we benefit from journal writing?

1. It helps us understand our past
Writing about my past helps me understand my present. Shining light on events and feelings from my childhood, I gain a complete self-image and I can understand my present reactions. A Chinese proverb says: “The palest ink is better than the strongest memory.”

2. It has a therapeutic effect
Among Dr. James Pennebaker’s list of results, we find: strengthening the immune system, lessening post-traumatic stress symptoms, improved feelings of depression, diminished anxious feelings, less/reduced obsessive thoughts and compulsions, reduced pain (Pennebaker, 2004).

3. It helps us organize and understand our lives
There are days that I feel time goes by very quickly and life slips through my fingers. When I write about whatever is going on, I feel as if I freeze time. When I make a list of the things I have to do within a week or a month I get the chance to bring some order to the everyday chaos.

4. It improves school and work performance
Research has shown that students get better grades when they have written an essay before the final exam. This may have something to do with writing releasing a part of the working memory which is responsible for working on complicated tasks (Klein & Boals, 2001, Cameron & Nicholls, 1998). The same is true for our job tasks.

5. It increases our sociability
Recent research has shown that people who wrote about their traumatic experiences, talked to other people more often, laughed more and used more words related to positive feelings. Expressive writing seemed to make them more relaxed in social situations/settings, better listeners and friends (Pennebaker & Graybeal, 2001).

6. It increases our chances to get a job
In one of his studies, Dr. Pennebaker asked middle-aged unemployed men to write about their feelings, their anger and their thoughts. The control group was just writing about how they spent their time. Eight months later, 52% of the group who wrote about their feelings had found new jobs in comparison to a mere 20% of the control group (Pennebaker, 2004).

7. It raises our level of consciousness
When I gather memories, feelings, words, phrases, and images on a piece of paper I get a feeling of shaping my life. It helps me get a complete view of who I am and what my purpose in life is.

8. It increases our productivity
Harvard Business School researcher Teresa Amabile discovered that when people record even the smallest of their achievements they feel more committed to their work, productive and aware of the purpose of their toil. They tend to work more consciously (Amabile, 2011).

9. It makes us better balanced and calm
Writer and poet Ralph Emerson often stressed the allure of depending our existence on factors such as luck, property, circumstance and other peoples’ expectations of us. In order to get rid of such bondage he recommended strengthening our inner world. By strengthening our inner life we shall become less affected by what goes on outside. To quote Emerson: “Nothing can bring you peace but yourself.” Writing is an excellent way to contact ourselves and our inner world, eventually finding balance.

10. It makes us wiser
Neuroscientist Antonio Damasio claims that our notion of wisdom is, in fact, our ability to understand where our feelings stem from and learn from them. Writing helps us examine our feelings, interpret them and reach closer to our innermost wisdom—another reason to take up writing.

11. It boosts our self confidence
After minimizing our resistance and reserve towards the paper, we may come across a pleasant surprise. We will soon find out a safe warm place to express our thoughts and feelings that may boost our self-esteem and strengthen our self-respect.

12. It boosts our creativity
I think no further explanation is needed. Do you have anything better in mind?

Bibliography:
Adams, K. (1999). Writing as therapy. Counseling & Human Development. Denver: Love Publishing.
Amabile, T. M., and St. J. Kramer. (2011). The Progress Principle: Using Small Wins to Ignite Joy, Engagement, and Creativity at Work. Harvard Business Review Press.
Cameron, L.D., and G. Nicholls.1998. Expression of stressful experiences through writing: Effects of a self-regulation manipulation for pessimists and optimists. Health Psychology 17: 84-92.
Klein, K.A., and K.N. Miner. (2000). Writing about the perceived benefits of traumatic events: Implications for physical health. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 26: 220 – 330.
Pennebaker, J.W.. (2004). Writing to heal: A guided journal for recovering from trauma and emotional upheaval. Oakland CA: New Harbinger Publications.
Pennebaker, J.W., and A. Graybeal. (2001). Patterns of natural language use: Disclosure, personality, and social integration. Current Directions in Psychological Science: 90-93.
Progoff, I. (1992). At a Journal Workshop. New York: Tarcher.

———————————————————

 * Dimitra Didangelou is a psychologist, science journalist and author.

She has worked as a journalist for more than twelve years in order to raise public awareness about mental health issues. Over recent years, she has additionally worked as a certified psychologist. Through expressive writing techniques, Dimitra helps people to bring balance in their lives and increase self- awareness.

She works with individuals and groups through the internet, having participants from all over the world. To paraphrase Ludwig Wittgenstein, she believes that “the limits of our world are the limits of the internet connection.”

When not working online, she grounds herself and finds balance between virtual and real life, by facilitating workshops which take place in nature, as it’s a way to come closer to our authentic and creative self.

She’s the founder of Expressing MySelf, an Institute that offers workshops promoting mental health and includes a psychology web magazine.

She’s a published author of a novel and many short stories.

Her training includes Advanced Study in Therapeutic Writing (The Center for Journal Writing in Denver, CO, USA), a Master of Science Degree in Psychology and Mass Media, a Bachelor Degree in Psychology and a Certificate in Philosophical Counselling and Psychotherapy.

She’s a member of the Movement for Global Mental Health, the International Association for Journal Writing and the Science View.

Learn more about Dimitra Didangelou here:

https://about.me/DimitraDidangelou

TEDx Speech: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNsHMEwNm2w

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dimitra.didangelou
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DidangelouD

If you have any inquiries about expressive writing, you can contact Dimitra at:
dimitra@expressingmyself.org

The post 12 reasons to start journal writing appeared first on Expressing MySelf Institute.

Summer 2019, August 29^{th –} September 1^rst, Pelion

A unique writing retreat in Greece designed by the psychologist and author Dimitra Didangelou to help you to enrich your self-connection through writing and nourish your soul, mind and body. A creative oasis for self- renewal and mental well-being.

Dimitra’s approach through expressive writing techniques encourages life reflection, self-exploration and creative expansion.

The workshops are useful for all individuals, while the practice of expressive writing can particularly benefit those seeking to gain insight into their inner lives, increase self-awareness, listen to their inner voice and connect with their full creative potential.

Here are some activities you can expect from your retreat:

• Daily workshops on expressive writing in natural landscapes
• One-on-one session with Dimitra
• Haiku writing
• Meaningful structured conversations on subjects inspired by the ancient Greek philosophy
• Excursions to the astonishing beaches, yoga, acupuncture, massages, horse riding, swimming, hiking available onsite
• Dinners with delicious local dishes and wine

The retreat will be held in English.

With places limited to 12 participants, it’s a good idea to secure your place early!
For bookings contact dimitra@expressingmyself.org

WHAT MAKES THIS RETREAT SPECIAL

The content

The more you know about yourself, the richer your inner life becomes. Through specific writing tools and methods developed by experts (Dr. Pennebaker, Adams, Progoff, Thompson etc), expressive writing helps us to get in touch with our feelings and thoughts. Expressing the feelings and thoughts through writing allows us to tune into our inner life and enriches our ability to self-inspire. Workshops are designed to help us identify where our blockages stem from and give us the strength to overcome them.

The practice of expressive writing focuses entirely on tapping into our inner selves, without any concern for narrative structure or grammar rules. There is no right or wrong answer. Expressive writing can be practiced by anyone, at any stage of their life.

For more information, read our FAQ about Expressive Writing.

Here is what some of the past participants have to say about Dimitra’s workshops:

The exercises opened my eyes to a new way of thinking about my work, and myself. From the first session, I felt I was already a step forward in discovering newfound enjoyment and confidence in my writing. The workshops were so practical and flexible that I could adapt them to my specific needs.
S.B., Prague

Dimitra provided me with deeply insightful advice on the best way to proceed with the writing of a deeply personal memoir and on the struggles that come with it.
S.A., Berlin

I hugely enjoyed the one-on-one session with Dimitra. She is a great listener, and knows how to ask all the right questions to get you thinking about your own writing process. I finished the session feeling very motivated and with new insights and perspectives relating to present and future work. Perfect!
M.H., Berlin

Freedom, revelation, catharsis. I felt like I got the pen down to my soul and then I imprinted it onto paper. And then, I faced the truth that finally was inside me. I saw, on the paper, me, in my most authentic form.
Th. K., Cyprus

The Host

Dimitra Didangelou  is a psychologist MSc, science journalist and author. After filling thousands of pages for personal and professional purposes, she quickly discovered the power of the written word. Her specialization is therapeutic and expressive writing, helping people gain insight into their lives, listen to their inner voice and enhance their creativity.

Alongside founding and editing a web-magazine that explores psychology, she is the founder of “Expressing MySelf Institute” offering therapeutic writing workshops and sessions.

She loves writing fiction based on real stories because she believes that the unbelievable stories life brings in surpass even the most powerful imagination.

Her training includes Advanced Study in Therapeutic Writing (The Center for Journal Writing in Denver, CO, USA), an MSc in Psychology and the Mass Media, a BA in Psychology and a Certificate in Philosophical Counseling and Psychotherapy.

Dimitra is a published novelist and her short stories have been distinguished in many writing contests.

See Dimitra’s TED speech here

Learn more about Dimitra here.

The location

The retreat will take place in Pelion peninsula, one of Greece’s most undiscovered areas, the homeland of mythic Chiron Centaurus, tutor of many ancient Greek heroes and healer. Pelion is in the Greek mainland, which is home to some of the most beautiful beaches, forests and hiking trails in Greece. You will be accommodated in Pinakates, a hidden gem in the mountainous hills, village of less than 200 inhabitants, one of whom is Dimitra. We will organise your trip from the airport to the village, where you will stay in the traditional stone houses typical of the region. The place is surrounded by forests paved with hiking trails and in 20’ driving distance there are beaches with crystal clear water and traditional fishing villages. Workshops will take place in a variety of spectacular natural scenery.

“I thought I knew Greece, but I had never heard of Pelion until friends told me about the simple stone house they were staying in, the perfect swimming, the unripened food, the joys of pine- and olive-covered slopes and deserted pebble beaches. When they went on about it as a forgotten corner of Greece, I thought maybe they were exaggerating. But they weren’t”, writes Anthony Sattin on CONDE NAST TRAVELLER.
Read the whole article here. 

The low- cost:

Early Birds until 30/4 extension to 30/5: 490€/per person (double room shared)
After 1/5: 540€/per person (double room shared)
For Single Room: extra 200€

For bookings contact Dimitra at
dimitra@expressingmyself.org

In order to hold your place, there is a non-refundable deposit of 250€ (included in the total price). The balance of the fees will be due on July 31st. Once paid, fees are non-refundable except in the event of our cancellation.

Accommodation is based on two sharing in a twin room. If you’d like your own room, there’s a single supplement of €200. You can book with a friend and we’ll put you in a room together or we’ll match you with someone.

The accommodation will be in a family run traditional guest house. Each studio is independent with a private bathroom and a private kitchen. Note that there is no internet connection in the guest house, but there is wifi at the coffee shops and the taverns.

Space for workshops is limited to 12 participants to ensure lots of individual support and a nourishing environment.

Included in the price:

• Bed and breakfast
• One individual session with Dimitra
• Workshops with Dimitra in a natural environment (including transportation to the beach)
• Haiku writing and walking workshop
• Various evening events, including guided conversations and open-air cinema
• Welcome dinner and drinks
• Snacks and material during the workshops

Not Included:

• Airfares
• Transfers from/to the airport (we can organise it or book a taxi for you)
• Travel Insurance
• Meals, with the exception of the welcome dinner (in the village there are three taverns which serve local traditional dishes and two coffee-shops with snacks. You can have a meal between €5-10).

Optional Extras:

• Yoga
• Massage
• Acupuncture
• Horse Riding
• Hiking
• Swimming
• Ride with the traditional steam train

For bookings contact dimitra@expressingmyself.org

How to come

We recommend first checking the flights to the closest airport of Volos (45′ from Pinakates) where Easy Jet has cheap flights: http://www.thessalyairport.gr/en/

Flights go to either Athens (4 hours driving to Pinakates) or Thessaloniki (2,5 hours).

Both Athens and Thessaloniki are nice cities to spend some time or days. The nearest city to Pinakates is Volos, about 40’ driving and there is a connection to Pinakates by  bus: http://ktelvolou.gr/en/home/

We can organize your transportation from/to the airport or book a taxi just for you or shared.

What else?

Video from previous retreats HERE.

This is a good guide to the region.

If you want to combine your retreat with a before or after vacation in Greece, ask Dimitra for recommendations!

For bookings contact dimitra@expressingmyself.org

“Freedom, revelation, catharsis” 
T.K., Cyprus

The post Writing Retreat in Greece – Summer 2019 appeared first on Expressing MySelf Institute.

Indicative cases: autoimmune diseases, traumatic experiences (CRM trauma therapy), chronic diseases, burn out, identity and sexual identity issues, relationship improvement, decision making, loss – mourning, transitions (pregnancy, divorce, unemployment, immigration, retirement, menopause  etc.), communication, assertiveness, behavioral problems, personal growth, career consultation, burn out of medical staff etc.

Autoimmune diseases program: a set of 8 individual sessions designed especially for people suffering from autoimmune diseases. The aim is to process the psychosomatic consequences of an autoimmune disease, any psychological processes that may have contributed to its trigger (traumatic experiences, chronic stress, loss, etc.) and also the psychological support of the person after diagnosis or due to changes that occur because of this (on physical, psychological, social level etc.). Combination of therapeutic writing techniques and the CRM model.

In addition, a special program is offered for writers with the aim of unblocking writing and eliminating internal obstacles in the writing process.

There is also the possibility of conducting a session in nature or in combination with walking.

The sessions are held in an environment of safety and support, with empathy and respect for each participant’s personality. You can feel comfortable and express yourself freely, without concern about criticism.

The sessions are held in English or Greek language online or in-person in Brussels, Belgium. 

You can contact Dimitra at:
dimitra@expressingmyself.org

INFO

Belgium
Rue Americaine 36, 1060, Saint Gilles, Brussels

Greece
Pinakates, 37010, Pelion, Magnisia

There is also the option to conduct sessions outside in nature. 

email: dimitra@expressingmyself.org 

Languages: English, Greek

See Dimitra’s cv here.

The post Sessions with Dimitra appeared first on Expressing MySelf Institute.