Creative Writing as a Memory Recovery Tool

I've posted this in a couple of other places and thought I'd bring it here as well. It's something I suggested to a Dragon on another list to help recover memories: to write short stories about being a Dragon. If you have even a fragment of something you think might be a memory use that to get started and build on it to write a "first-person" story... like the memory of a hunt. Start with something along the lines of:


"I awoke as the warmth of the morning sun fell across my face. I wasn't ready to get up, preferring to lounge a while longer, but the sudden rumbling of my stomach reminded me it had been several days since I had last eaten. So I rose slowly to my haunches and stretched my wings to their fullest, giving them a few gentle flaps to get the circulation going. As I wandered down to the stream to quench my thirst, I became aware of the bellowing of wild bulls challenging one another over position within the herd. Once again my stomach grumbled it's desire to be filled. It had been a long time since I had hunted wild cattle, and the thought of a herd so close made my mouth water. In eager anticipation I spread my wings and took to the sky..."

(The above paragraph was the inspiration behind my last short story "The Hunt," btw...)

You then describe in as great detail as possible the events of the hunt, feeling every nuance of the event. Don't worry if the words or style of the story is "pretty," just if the *feelings* of the story seem real, or if they were simply words on a page. Try to actually "feel" the wind under your wings as you write. Feel the muscles of your back and chest respond to the movement of your wings?

Now you may be asking, but how do I know if it's a memory or just something I'm making up? My first response is, you don't. My second is it really doesn't matter. Even if this one turns out not to be an actual memory, it might just be the trigger you need to unleash some as your subconscious goes "no, no, no... that's not right. *This* is what happened!"

But to better understand the difference in "feel" between an actual memory and a total work of fiction, write an account of an experience in this life that affected you strongly, paying attention to what it feels like to "re-live" that experience through writing about it. *Then* write your past memory-based story and see if you get the same sense of reliving the experience or not.

Now, is this a foolproof means of discovering memories about one's past? No, it's not. It's just a tool you can try to help gain some insight and maybe learn a little about yourself. And if nothing else, you'll have a nice little story to add to a hopefully growing collection.

Agreed, i do feel that when i have the urge, and unstoppabble urge to write things down in this manner, i am writing of my past life memories.
It a magnificent feeling to write all those things down and the thing you're writing seem to guide your fingers.