Creative Journeys Interview #4 with Elizabeth Reece

Join me as this courageous woman shares her survival story of abuse & trauma and how her writing is the health of it all

photo of Elizabeth Reece and her dog Jonnie. photo courtesy of Elizabeth Reece

Sometimes when your life is throwing you a bunch of challenges you just have to keep hitting those curve balls. Sorry for the baseball analogy - after spending hundreds of hours watching my boys play when they were young, it just became ingrained in me. One of those sons also brought me to Substack. And thanks to him, this is where I’m meeting so many brilliant and creative minds. Even though parts of my “creative career,” might not be leading me where I think I should be by now at the age of 53, whatever that means, it surely is introducing me to people that I am finding to be particularly inspiring! And as an artist, I’m always seeking inspiration. Dear Substack, thank you for delivering the goods!

This week my Creative Journeys segment is with author and writing coach,

Elizabeth Reece

. I’m about 1/2 of the way through her novel, The Patterns & Chaos of UNTREATED Minds, an autobiographical story that was written in 28 days, based on the traumas and abuses she had survived in her very own life. The main character, Eliza, begins her existence by learning how to navigate physical and psychological violence directed at her as a toddler. This book has gripped me since the prologue and now I can’t put it down. I’ve been cheering for her character, Eliza, from the beginning pages, and now I’m frantic to find out how she survives all the rest.

I hope you’ll watch the entire interview with Elizabeth Reece here on my LaurieMaves ART YouTube Channel:

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Elizabeth always wanted to write beautifully and perfectly. Throughout the interview we discuss various issues presented to her in her seemingly precocious childhood. We explore how her writing and creative process helped her not only to maintain her sanity as well as sobriety, as an adult, but likely also lended itself to her very own survival.

As a child and a “classic daughter of a narcissistic mother,” she often found herself seeking her independence, praying to find a way out of her ever present abusive situation. As as adult, Elizabeth found herself developing a career in a similarly abusive corporate world, where she performed very well, but also at great cost. She discusses her past of using alcohol and its historical roll in her own family system. Reflecting of generations of trauma, Elizabeth realized that her, “alcoholic subconscious was running the show the entire time.” Following the much needed exit from a corporate career that was going to send her mental health into the crapper, she followed a man she was in love with to France. Unfortunately, however, she found herself being manipulated by him and suddenly in a very terribly unsafe situation.

“What just happened and how do I get out of this situation?” She had asked herself at the time, now realizing there’s a whole world of women in the same situation living in day to day fear in “the most subtle and insidious of coercions,” desperately trying to find a way to safety and out of the hands of their psychotic abuser. She thought she was going crazy. From the patterns of her own thinking, to the chaos around her and all the untreated minds in between. She found herself living in a truly “twisted,” existence. And it’s a miracle she was able to write about it at all. I’m not going to give the rest of the story away. You’ll have to get the book and read it for yourself to see just what unfolds.

“I wanted to get (this book) to women -for the black sheep the scapegoat, the glass children everywhere, - being the black sheep being the scapegoat, in your family situation, sets us up, has the potential to set us up for a lot of difficulty in our lives…its alright to put a label on something so that we can understand it. We don’t have to wear those labels for the rest of our lives, but we might end up wearing the consequences if we don’t look at it”.

Today, Elizabeth writes every day for her creative practice, pen and paper, always making notes. She’s enjoying a life right now without routines. She is now giving herself joyful rituals to follow after walking away from a life of trauma, danger and abuse. She states, “It’s quite magical some of the things we are doing creatively, and self advocacy is really important. My legacy is my memory.”

“Elizabeth believes that whilst many things can be real at the same time, there is only one truth. Stripping back layers of false reality is an underlying theme in all her writing and research.” - quoted from her book The Patterns & Chaos of UNTREATED Minds

In the near future, Elizabeth is making some beautiful and joyful plans indeed. Currently she is planning health and wellness writing retreats in the Southwest of France with her dear friend,

Sally Sole

(Sally was my first participant in this interview series) in case you missed that, you can read it here:

Sally will be leading yoga segments and Elizabeth will be leading writing workshops. In the meantime, Elizabeth provides individualized coaching for those looking to improve their writing or reach their writing goals. She’s developed a writing course “The Novices Guide to Not Novel Writing,’ injecting humor into the coaching of writing. Elizabeth states that, “Just because you want to write a book doesn’t mean you should.” As a coach, she helps other writers whittle down what is and is not working in their current writing practices, and helps those get on the proper path discovering the real thing they want to experience and accomplish.

For more on Elizabeth, please visit her website: Quiet Waters Coaching and Consultancy .

Her Substack:

Elizabeth Reece

and Social Media: @seeking_quietwaters and @quietwaters_coaching

While Elizabeth isn’t writing or coaching, you can find her cooking, taking long walks (and waits) with her rescue dog, Jonnie, visiting the many Brocante shops hunting vintage items in the Southwest of France, or simply taking photos that mark a daily practice of gratitude.

everyday gratitude practice with photos, images courtesy of Elizabeth Reece

Do you have a creative journey that you’d like to share? If so, leave a comment below or send me a direct message. Until next time!

Ciao, Be Free, Be Well and Arrivederci!