A Healing Journey: Writing Together Through Breast Cancer (Paperback)

by Sharon Bray (Author) "Breast cancer is primarily a woman's disease, and not surprisingly, many women have written about their experiences with it..." (more)
Key Phrases: cancer writing groups, writing group leader, cancer journey, Pat Schneider, Amherst Writers, David Spiegel (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
A Healing Journey: Writing Together Through Breast Cancer is a book by, about, and for women who live with breast cancer, and for those who care about them. It is also for professionals in the healing arts who increasingly are looking to writing as a healing methodology. And it is for writers, teachers of writing, and workshop leaders who want to know how effectively to use writing as a healing practice with persons experiencing life-threatening illnesses.

About the Author
Sharon Bray, Ph.D. is a writer and educator living in the San Francisco Bay area. Her work has appeared in a number of professional journals and magazines, Pat Schneider's Writing Alone & With Others, and most recently, the anthology Looking Back: Stories of Our Mothers and Fathers in Retrospect. A breast cancer survivor, she leads writing groups, using the Amherst Writers & Artists method, for women living with cancer. Sharon has a doctorate in Applied Psychology from the University of Toronto and completed the Writers' Program in Literary Fiction through the University of Washington.

Product Details

• Paperback: 148 pages
• Publisher: Amherst Writers & Artists Press, Inc. (August 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0941895297
• ISBN-13: 978-0941895293
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #787,223 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Extraordinary - a "must give" CHristmas gift, September 9, 2004

By	Jean H (Boston USA) - See all my reviews

I bought this book to better understand the cancer experience of a beloved friend. Little did I know that my own life would be changed by reading A Healing Journey. This is a book to give to sisters, best friend, your mother. These stories made me exquisitely aware of life's abundance -- its joyful, glorious, sometime painful abundance. A must read.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A valuable tool/a gift from the heart, September 21, 2004

By	Patricia Boissevain (Durham, Maine) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Sharon Bray has written a powerful and tender book about healing through writing and sharing life stories. Bray intimately shares her own story along with members of the breast cancer writing group she founded and leads. I am profoundly touched by the courage, love and faith these women find through the healing power of writing and reading aloud together. With her extensive background in psychology and education, Bray makes a clear distinction between writing as healing as in the Amherst Writers & Artists method she draws on, and writing as therapy. She explains the basics of leading a writing group and includes the Amherst Writers & Artists' twelve basic principles for a healthy workshop. This book is a valuable tool for anyone looking for insight and inspiration for workshop facilitation. It is also a book that not only abounds with the human spirit; it leaps off the page and enters your heart. It is a gift. Thank you, Sharon Bray and the Scribbling Women of CBHP for your compassion, wisdom and eloquence.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Healing Journey - writing together through breast cancer, September 11, 2004

By	Cynthia Crisel (Mountain Home, Arkansas) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Beautifully written and extremely well organized, A Healing Journey is a must have for anyone working with therapeutic writing groups. The author is herself a breast cancer survivor and a senior partner of Amherst Writers and Artists, thus lending a unique and credible perspective to the topic. The book chronicles Bray's experience as a writing group leader and includes short essays and poetry from group participants. It is packed with moving accounts and practical guidance to assist others in starting or improving their own writing groups. Chapters include such titles as When Writing is Healing, Writing Together, and Writing in Sanctuary.