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ABSTRACT: Inspired by the researcher's experiences as a memoir writer, this qualitative narrative inquiry research study examined the transformative and empowering dynamics of writing a memoir in connection with transcendent/pivotal experiences. The study was informed by Maslow's theory of creativity and metamotivation. The five participants were esteemed writers with at least one fulllength memoir. The study offered a comprehensive profile of each participant showing the relevance of writing as a transpersonal practice. Data collection included memoir excerpts, interviews, lectures, and observations. Data analysis was done using thematic analysis. The findings contribute to the ongoing knowledge of writing as a transpersonal practice. The results illustrate the transformative and empowering dynamics of writing a full-length memoir. The writing experience offered the participants a chance to review their lives, find resolution and redemption, find inner peace, and establish the clarity of mind to move forward in their lives.
KEYWORDS: memoir, transformative writing, empowerment, creative transcendence, transcendent experiences, Abraham Maslow, B- (being) creativity, D- (deficiency) creativity, metamotivation.
When I was 10 years old, my grandmother committed suicide in the room next to mine. More than four decades later, after my first cancer diagnosis, I realized what a transformative event that had been. This awareness set me on a path to discover the reason my grandmother took her life and resulted in two published memoirs, Regina s Closet: Finding My Grandmother's Secret Journal and Healing With Words: A Writer's Cancer Journey that helped me understand, grow, and become empowered. This study examined the transcendent or pivotal experiences that inspire memoir writing for transformation and empowerment in esteemed writers. Many memoir writers choose this genre as a way to find or reclaim their voice, share a family secret, or tell a story. The act or experience of writing brings a sense of awareness, a transformed identity, and a deeper understanding of the individual writer's place in the world (Krippner, 2002; Yagelski, 2009).
In his discussion of creativity, Csikszentmihalyi (1996) said, "The real work begins when the emotion or idea that sprang from the uncharted regions of the psyche is held up to the light of reason ... it is here that craft comes into play'' (p. 263). The decision to write a memoir is dependent upon both intrinsic and...