Author Jorja Jamison: “We Must Be Active in Healing Ourselves in Conjunction to Healing Others”
We periodically feature guest input from impactful authors we’ve worked with. Please enjoy this Q&A about the writing process with addiction recovery author Jorja Jamison, PhD, LP.
SPIRITUS BOOKS: Tell us a little about your book and why you wrote it.
JORJA JAMISON, PHD, LP: When I was training in my doctoral program in psychology, I loved getting to present at conferences. But there were usually not a lot of people who attended conference sessions, even at very large events. My advisor once encouraged me to write, saying I could reach a lot more people through my writing than my conference presentations. She was referring to publishing in academic journals. I never found that pathway fulfilling, but her words always stayed with me.
Now that I have established myself in my own career as a counselor educator, I wanted to write a book that combined stories from my life with all the little lessons I pass on to students in training to work with people with mental health and substance use issues. That is what Wounded Healing: The Art and Soul of Surthrival is about. It’s based on the premise that most health care providers are encouraged to present an all-knowing façade to our patients, and thereby push any wounded parts of ourselves deep down out of view. What I have learned is that we must be active in healing ourselves in conjunction to healing others. In my book, I weave together Wounded chapters, telling my own story of addiction and recovery, with Healing chapters, that share the pathway for doing this.
How has writing a book helped you personally or professionally?
I’m still learning how this book is helping me personally and professionally. So far, it’s helped me own my voice and share it proudly with the world. I used to think I couldn’t be fully authentic with my colleagues, my students, and my clients (because of that myth about needing to hide our wounded parts). I’m learning, and continuing to learn, that my wounded parts might be the strongest parts of me, and that other people who are going through their own things can connect to that. Professionally, I’m learning to help others find their way through this. I’m turning now to speaking publicly on larger and larger platforms.
What was the best or easiest part of the process for you?
I’ve been told over and over that I have a natural ability to teach and to tell stories, so the actual writing was not that hard. Many of the lessons I share in the book have been honed over years of teaching and working with clients, so I already knew how to convey the information to a reader in an understandable way that they could connect to emotionally. I claimed my Fridays as my writing days, and spent 18 months putting together the first draft of 60,000 words. As I worked, I shared various drafts with people close to me for initial feedback.
I also found working with my editor extremely rewarding. Jocelyn was the first person to read my writing who did not personally know me. In this way, I could get feedback of how the reader was going to encounter the book. It was very soul-filling to have my intentions reflected back to me in her feedback, producing a book that connected deeply with readers but was informative, too. The final draft came in at just under 80,000 words. If I ever write another book, I will definitely use Jocelyn again.
What did you find the most challenging?
LOL—everything else! I knew a bit about publishing in the academic world, but nothing about publishing a book for the general market. It was a steep learning curve. I tackled it with the same verve I tackle any unknown thing: Try to secure lots of knowledge (thanks, publishing guides, blogs, and podcasts!), and ask lots of questions. This got me pretty far, but there were still some areas that everyone seems to skip over—like more detailed information about all the various file formats used in print and e-book editions, and the step-by-step how-tos of KDP and Ingram Spark.
What surprised you, or what do you wish you had known ahead of time or done differently?
I spent about nine months trying to get noticed by a literary agent or publisher. I learned how to write a good query and proposal, but no one wanted to take my story on. I ended up pivoting to independent publishing. The time I spent trying to go the traditional route wasn’t exactly wasted, but it did delay me significantly. In the end, I feel I’ve made the right decision to self-publish, both in terms of ownership and royalties. If I had to do it over again, I wish I had been brave enough to just commit to the self-publishing route from the beginning.
What advice would you give to first-time authors?
Arm yourself with knowledge from a variety of sources. And ask lots of questions. And find a good editor.
Is there anything else you’d like our readers to know?
If you feel a strong, almost primal urge to write a book, you can write a book. Now, getting it to sell is a whole other thing…. 😊
Jorja Jamison, PhD, LP, is an award-winning professor and psychologist. She has taught at the Hazelden Betty Ford Graduate School since 2012, training counselors to work with individuals with mental health and substance use issues. She has presented nationally, including at the American Psychological Association, the ACA Association for Counselor Education and Supervision, and the National Conference on Addiction Disorders. In addition, she maintains a small private practice in Forest Lake, Minn.
