The Pantarei of Writing – Your Unique Voice and The Craft of Writing

Writing has always been my companion, a way of connecting with my mind and soul. When I decided to write a book about the Pantarei Approach, I was sure it was only a matter of discipline. I thought all I needed was to allocate time in my schedule to get the words out on the page, and in a few months, my book would be ready for publishing. After all, I co-founded the Pantarei Approach, have trained practitioners, and maintained an active private practice with clients for over 30 years. I live and breathe this work, and I love writing. So, how difficult could it be to write about what I do?

Writing as part of the self-development path

A few months into the process, I realized that the practice of writing is way more than putting words on a page. Each time I took the time to write, emotions and personal challenges from my own life would be stirred up. Sometimes, writing took me on an unexpected journey full of uncomfortable yet meaningful discoveries. Sometimes, writing felt like drowning in a sea of my own ideas and desires of what I wanted to communicate. At other times, I struggled to harness all my passion for the subject matter and bring my accumulated experiences into an intelligible text.

When I was lost with my writing, I was blessed to have an ally on my side: my dear writing coach, Roxan McDonald. We met ten years ago at a writing retreat she taught at the Esalen Institute and have worked together in different ways and volumes since. We are of similar spirit and mind and believe in a holistic approach to writing and life. Roxan and I have both spent many years using our respective skills to serve people along their path of self-development. and we have come to realize just how much the craft of writing and the Pantarei Approach have in common.

Words are physical

In any hands-on Pantarei Approach session, I communicate with my clients through dialogue and touch; we explore the experience in the client’s body and also want to find verbal descriptions to accompany the client’s feelings. The experience of transformation is physical, and words have the power to add clarity to the process itself. Words, I have learned, are also physical, as they can easily impact what we feel and how we feel it. Words can hurt or heal, bring us down, or be a part of a desired change.

Our words. Our uniqueness

When approached from a place of curiosity and honor for each person’s unique voice, the practice of writing acts in a similar way to hands-on sessions; the words we look for ask us to connect to our body, emotions, history, and intentions. Describing our emotions is one of the examples of where Pantarei Approach sessions and writing merge so clearly. What words do you choose when you want to describe what you feel? How do you describe your joy? Anger? Excitement? One of the principles of the Pantarei approach is related to our uniqueness. Although we have all experienced sadness, each experience is different. The reasons for feeling what we feel are different, the way we behave is different, and so is what this precise flavor of sorrow reminds us of.

Does your sadness feel like a heavy stone weighing down on your heart that causes you to drag your feet like a child coming home from school with a bag that is too heavy? Or does your sadness feel like swimming in a deep ocean with your eyes closed, not knowing where the land is?

When clients search for the right words to transmit their experience in the hands-on part of a Pantarei Approach session, they often use images, just as writers use metaphors. When you can focus on your own experience and on words that describe what you want to express, you are connected to flow, transformation, and an experience of growth.

Try it out:

1. Write down what you feel right now. Which emotion are you experiencing?

2. Connect to your physicality; move, stretch, and breathe deeply.

3. Feel your emotions from within your body. Be attentive to your belly, legs, feet, head, and back, and let your entire body be a part of the experience. Notice the difference between describing your emotions through your head or connecting to your being and the entire experience.

4. Describe the physical sensation of the emotions. How do your belly, back, eyes, and fingers feel? Which color, structure, or texture do you connect this to? Can you include a metaphor or an image so we can feel it with you?

5. Reflect on your own experience; how has writing impacted you? Can you feel the potential in how much your writing can add to your personal growth? Can you feel how when you write from a more authentic and unique voice, you are more present in your body?

Better together

One of my main realizations when it comes to working in the field of self-development and healing is that we are better at it when we are not alone in the process. The same is true of writing. Once you have the right support and people at your side, your writing and perception of the world gain depth and clarity. When, as a practitioner, my clients experience their sadness like an ocean, my presence with them helps them stay afloat and find the resources within that can give space to their sorrow and, with it, to their hearts and love. A similar process takes place when we are accompanied through our writing.

After exploring this enriching space in which we combined writing, creativity, and self-development, Roxan and I wish to open up the experience to others. We know how difficult it is to make this journey on your own and how rare it is to find support in writing that sees you for who you are and gives not only constructive criticism but advice that might become part of the change you want to see in your life.

For you

If writing is a craft you want to get better at and this text speaks to you, we invite you to this space that we will hold; you can be an experienced writer seeking inspiration, someone who writes as a personal development practice, or a professional in any field who wants to craft more compelling messages to your community through newsletters, blogs, and social media posts.

Our vision

We envision forming a group that will meet regularly and grow together by joining our workshops, a group of people who will not only get their writing done and get better at doing so but also enjoy supporting others on this path. We envision future retreats and projects, and most importantly, we envision a path of self-discovery where writing and somatic wisdom share a rich language. Will you join us?

by Vered Manasse