Healing Through Writing: Emelie Hill-Dittmer on Trauma Recovery, Journaling & Finding Your Voice
Can writing really help us heal?
In this powerful conversation, Carl Ashley speaks with therapeutic writing facilitator, educator and author Emelie Hill-Dittmer about how expressive writing can help people process trauma, grief, anxiety and difficult life experiences.
Emily shares her own deeply personal story of growing up in an abusive home, living with the effects of generational trauma, finding healing through writing, and creating the international Write for Life Conference in Sweden.
Together they explore:
• Healing through expressive writing
• Trauma-sensitive journaling
• Growing up with abuse and finding hope
• Complex PTSD and recovery
• The importance of finding your authentic voice
• Why writing can become a safe place to process emotions
• Generational trauma and breaking family patterns
• Memoir writing as a healing journey
• Self-publishing vs traditional publishing
• Building confidence after trauma
• The relationship between creativity and recovery
• The healing power of telling your story
Emelie also discusses her upcoming English edition of Write to Heal: The Healing Power of Writing, her memoir Borderlands, and the inspiration behind the international Write for Life Conference.
If you’ve ever struggled to find your voice, felt like an outsider, or wondered whether writing could become part of your own healing journey, this conversation offers both hope and practical insight.
Emelie's favourite books include:

To learn more about Emelie:
Website: https://emilyhilldipma.com
Learn more about the Write Coach:
https://writecoach.ie
If you enjoyed this conversation, please Like, Subscribe and Share with someone who would benefit from it.
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Chapters
00:00 Introduction
00:32 Meet Emelie Hill-Dittmer
01:30 The Write for Life Conference
05:36 Emily’s childhood and finding writing
07:11 Trauma, addiction and emotional survival
10:06 Growing up between cultures
13:26 Books that changed Emelie’s life
18:06 Losing her mother and rediscovering purpose
21:10 Supporting survivors through writing
23:08 Emily’s memoir Borderlands
24:33 Healing through storytelling
27:34 Libraries as places of refuge
30:08 Family history and Holocaust survival
35:31 Emelie’s favourite place to visit
37:16 Self-publishing vs traditional publishing
45:06 Finding your own voice
48:26 Authenticity and letting go of people pleasing
51:46 Where to find Emelie online
53:04 Final thoughts
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Hashtags
#HealingThroughWriting #TraumaRecovery #ExpressiveWriting #Journaling #MentalHealth #PTSD #ComplexPTSD #MemoirWriting #PersonalGrowth #WritingCommunity #WritingLife #SelfHealing #CarlAshley #EmelieHillDittmer #WriteCoachPodcast
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Keywords
healing through writing, expressive writing, therapeutic writing, journaling for healing, trauma recovery, PTSD recovery, complex PTSD, memoir writing, writing therapy, emotional healing, mental health, self publishing, writing coach, personal growth, healing trauma, finding your voice, authentic living, resilience, Emelie Hill-Dittmer, Carl Ashley

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Welcome to the April 2026 Write Coach Podcast with published author and retired family GP, Dr. Andrew Rynne from Kildare in Ireland.
Andrew's first three books are:
The Reverend Psychopath
The Kindest Cut
The Foxhunter
What was it really like to challenge Ireland’s medical system when contraception was restricted, doctors were under pressure, and the church held influence over healthcare?
In this powerful episode, retired GP Dr. Andrew Rynne shares his extraordinary story — from becoming the first doctor in Ireland to perform vasectomies, to being fined for selling condoms, to building his own hospital from the ground up.
He opens up about standing firm in his beliefs despite opposition from the church and political system, surviving a shocking shooting by a former patient, and navigating some of the most controversial issues in Irish healthcare history.
This is a raw and honest conversation about courage, resilience, and what it truly means to stand by your values when the world pushes back.
In this episode, we cover:
• Ireland’s history with contraception and family planning
• The truth about medical resistance and church influence
• Being fined and taken to court for selling condoms
• Building a private hospital against all odds
• Surviving a life-threatening shooting
• Medical ethics, patient care, and controversial decisions
• Writing books based on real-life cases

If you’re interested in Irish history, healthcare, personal resilience, or real-life stories that challenge the norm, this episode is not to be missed.

Andrew's books are available on Amazon here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=dr+andrew+rynne&i=digital-text&crid=1OPWSEKJS5UN9&sprefix=dr+andrew+rynn%2Cdigital-text%2C256&ref=nb_sb_noss
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Foxhunter-Dignity-Dr-Andrew-Rynne-ebook/dp/B0CW1FQ5Q3/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1OPWSEKJS5UN9&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.GuwT0u9pWKGusfD1xDG8E4F2mb3bUi_V4KoHngtJ1Ho.ff8kwcXXyvJm8HRLAkQ1J8Euds01tbtniqSpnezJ_f4&dib_tag=se&keywords=dr+andrew+rynne&qid=1775824906&s=digital-text&sprefix=dr+andrew+rynn%2Cdigital-text%2C256&sr=1-1

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Welcome to the March 2026 Write Coach Podcast with published author and spiritual healer Gerry Browne, now based in Ennis, originally from Dalkey, Dublin, Ireland.
Gerry is a therapist, counsellor and family man, with four children, and grandchildren, and speaks to us about overcoming dyslexia, his experience with a twin flame, his passion for writing, and his experience as an author, including what inspired him to write his books and what he plans to write in future books.
Gerry's favourite books and authors include:
I'm Okay, You're Okay by Thomas Anthony Harris
The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peele
How to Stop Worrying and Start Living by Dale Carnegie

Gerry can be contacted via facebook:
Gerrys first three books are:

Sulking with God
A Visit to Heaven
Gerrys books are available on Amazon here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/

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Welcome to the Write Coach Podcast with author Paul Whyte, now based in Dublin, from Tipperary Ireland.
Paul is a family man, married with three children, and speaks to us about his passion for writing, and his experience as an author, from the lows of rejection to the highs of publication via Lilliput Press
Paul's favourite books include:

Paul can be contacted via his website or email, details here:

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