I began writing whilst learning to live with the complex condition Functional Neurological Disorder (FND). When illness and loss changed life as I knew it, I turned to my journal and I wrote. I wrote about the treatment I received, the techniques I learnt, and the progress I made. I wrote to remember the people I met, the laughter and tears we shared, and the stories I became a part of. I wrote when I no longer had a voice to speak out and I didn’t know what else to do.

Through my writing, I started to uncover the layers of the human condition. I explored the vulnerabilities and complexities of mind-body connections, and I discovered the subconscious power within us all to self-sabotage or self-nurture. When I faced four months of hospital admissions in one year, my journal became my friend. When I later began practising mindfulness, it added a deeper dimension to my writing, helping me to make greater sense of myself and the world around me.

With my background as a professional musician, it’s perhaps no surprise that I am drawn to the music of language, the sound of words and the rhythm of sentences. I appreciate poetic writing and writing with an immediacy that takes the reader to the heart of a story. I took a year of creative writing classes, where imaginative storytelling began to influence how I present my real-life memoirs. I came to realise how valuable an expressive vehicle writing is for me, and how passionate I am about using words to bring to life the unimaginable, helping to make sense of suffering that often belies rational explanation.

My journaling continues and it developed into my blog and a book I am quietly working on. I am a member of a local writing group where we share our work, and support and encourage each other with our writing projects. I recently started volunteering for The Breathworks Foundation as a copywriter and editor. In this work I am privileged to learn about inspiring people and wonderful projects that are taking place to enable as many people as possible to benefit from mindfulness. It is one way I can give back a little to the charity that so generously supported me in my own training.

“Laura has been a delight to work with remotely on editing and copywriting as a very enthusiastic and passionate volunteer for The Breathworks Foundation.  Without her very well balanced, clear writing style and eye for detail we would not have the wonderful new website or fundraising leaflet we launched in 2019.  She has been able to turn her hand to synthesizing lots of detailed reports, previous sites etc into enjoyable partnership case studies, alongside bringing out the best in others blogs through some great editing skills.” – Karunatara (Rachel) Green, Business Development Manager, Breathworks CIC