Trauma and Autobiography

The relationship between trauma and autobiography can be understood in different ways. A growing field of literary criticism on the nature of personal trauma as it is expressed in literature addresses how trauma is expressed in fiction and narrative nonfiction (including autobiographies) and the influence of personal trauma on the creative writing process. Additionally, writing about personal trauma, or jour-naling, has been shown to have therapeutic effects.

Another aspect of the relationship between trauma and autobiography is how exposure to trauma results in a disruption of the normal narrative of one's own life. A number of studies have shown that individuals with the diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or depression with a history of trauma exposure have impairments in their ability to recall autobiographical information. ...