Sharing – The concerning rise of the “Trauma Essay”

Jake has concerns, and I think we should be concerned about this.

“High school students are being encouraged to write about their struggles, hardships, and traumatic life experiences in order to be admitted into college & university. This therapist has some concerns.”

Writing about trauma can be beneficial. I’ve always encouraged people to talk and write about their trauma. I’ve also encouraged people to take a second look at whether they want to do that publicly or not, and if not, make an informed decision about who they want to share their story with.

Being forced to write about it takes the story away from these kids. The trauma is no longer their story to tell, or not tell. It’s outside of their control when they are simply expected to write about their trauma as part of the college application process. That’s not the same as doing it as part of your healing. It might even be dangerous.

Go read more about Jake’s concerns.

https://mswjake.substack.com/p/the-concerning-rise-of-the-trauma