Healing Pathways
Explore Emotions
Exploring your feelings is an important part of working through your abortion experience. Denying, repressing, or pushing down emotions may work for a while, but at some point you’ll need to process your emotions in a safe environment. Refusal to face emotions surrounding a loss such as abortion can lead to unhealthy behaviors. More...
People will experience a variety of emotions and at different levels of intensity. This may be due to a number of factors including age, gender, cultural influences, and level of participation in the abortion. You may already be in touch with your emotions, or you may be numb to your emotions, or you may be overwhelmed by your emotions.
Emotions may increase at particular times, such as around the time of significant dates or with certain reminders of the experience. You may also find that you have different feelings regarding the same event or that some feelings reoccur over time.
Wherever you’re at, this space is for you to either start or to continue to explore the emotions associated with an abortion experience. There are some activities to prompt thought and exploration while you’re online. Other activities are suggested for a time when you’re away from the computer.
Exploring your emotions takes work—it’s often painful and draining. Although you may wish to do some of the work on your own, you’ll benefit from communicating with your support system throughout the process. If you find yourself becoming overwhelmed by your emotions, please use the Find Help locator to access national and local support resources.
Online Suggestions
Identify your feelings or consider how others are feeling.
Explore your feelings through art, share your work, and view the artwork of others.
Describe your emotions in poetry or prose and read the writings of others.
Create or add to your online journal. (Note: This is a private activity—please see the Journal area.)
Off-line Suggestions
Art
Draw, paint, collage, sculpt, photograph, explore your feelings through art.
Gardening
Connect with nature, explore the outdoors, and use the time for reflection.
Journal
Keep a journal, record your feelings and their implications in your life.
Poetry
Write poems to explore your experiences and feelings.
Create a Song
Write music or lyrics to explore your experience and emotions.
If you wish to share any of these off-line activities with others, you can submit Word, PDF, or .JPG files to the Web facilitator. Please note that the Web facilitator reserves the right to review and post any submitted materials. Identifying details will be removed to protect anonymity. Due to the volume of submissions, there may be a delay in the review and posting of materials.
