How to Use Non-Dominant Handwriting for Self-Help

We all have a dominant personality with which we make our way in the world. It’s the part everyone sees, it’s the part that we’re very familiar with. It’s the part that can easily be expressed and also comes out when we write. Of course we’re usually writing with our dominant hand.

But there are myriad subsets of our selves that would love to express themselves. You get hurt in an argument and feel like a scolded child. That child might have a thing or two to say about the situation. Or you might like a broader perspective to a situation to which you’re too close. Your higher self (the sum total of all you have been, are now and will ever be) could have some in-depth ideas to contribute.

Try writing with these other aspects of yourself—using your non-dominant hand. (Translation: if you’re right-handed, you’d use your left hand.)

The magic in this form of communication is that you’re so focused on trying to write down the letters, however awkwardly, that the message “sneaks” out—it sneaks by the dominant parts of you, uncensored. I’ve been using this technique for years. It’s terrific for gaining insights into other aspects of myself.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• A pen or two
• Paper (not small scraps but a journal or sheets large enough for the writing to flow)

1. 

   Find a quiet place where you can be left alone for several minutes. Take a few moments to center yourself and imagine the clutter of the day floating away from you so you can focus.

2. Think of a problem you’re dealing with, where in your life you could use some insights. Write out the question with your dominant hand.

3. 

   Think of which part of you could shed some light on that area, which part you might not have easy access to. It could be your wounded inner child, your higher self, your artistic self, your angry adolescent.

4. Shift the pen to your non-dominant hand and ask for an answer. Let the non-dominant hand write what it wants. It may just scribble and scratch for a few moments to get warmed up. It may write very simple words (“Sad,” “Mad”) to get used to this new technique.

5. 

   Write some follow-up questions, “How old are you?” “How did that fight make you feel?” This will help you get a feel for which part of you is communicating now.

6. Continue asking questions and writing answers, trading the pen back and forth (or use two different colors of pens), working in the meaty questions that you’d like help with.

Tips & Warnings

• Try writing simple questions to begin with.
• Practice every day for a few minutes or frequently throughout the week.
• This technique will seem awkward at first—you’ll feel you can barely hold the pen in your non-dominant hand, the letters will look as if they’ve been written by a four year-old, you’ll wonder if you’re just making stuff up. After awhile, you’ll see the different syntax and ways of expression of the different parts of you.
• This is not intended as medical advice. If you need supervision and advice from a mental health professional, please seek it out.

[LadyVenne]

on 4/10/2007 This is just what I needed to teach my class about non-dominant hand writing. I had been a part of a group therapy years ago and now am teaching intervention work with college students. This article is straight to the point and something they can understand.