Writing Trauma in Memoir and Story with David Roland

Learn how trauma shapes memory, language and narrative, and how to write the arc of post-traumatic growth in memoir and story.

This trauma-informed workshop is designed for writers and memoirists who seek to explore and express personal or witnessed trauma with care, skill, and authenticity. Through guided writing exercises, reflective practices, and thoughtful discussion, participants will learn how to portray trauma, healing and post-traumatic growth, and maintain emotional well-being while writing difficult truths. Ideal for those ready to tell powerful, honest stories that tap into vulnerability and resilience.

In this workshop, you will:

• Understand how trauma plays out in memory and psychology.

• Learn how to write a traumatic scene, drawing on sensory details (what you saw, heard, felt), and to write in third-person or from a distance if first-person feels overwhelming.

• Write a moment of turning, such as an insight, a release, a connection, or a new skill.

• Consider ethical considerations such as: whose story is this? Am I ready to share it? And if memoir, have I considered how this might impact those involved?

• Discover what personal self-care considerations you need to feel safe while writing.

Who is it for? This workshop is suitable for writers of all levels and writing backgrounds.

WHERE:  Byron Writers Festival HQ, 58 Centennial Circuit Byron Bay

WHEN:   Saturday 14 March 2026 | 9:30am - 12:30pm

COST:     $150 General | $110 Byron Writers Festival Festival Member + booking fees

About David Roland

David Roland is a psychologist, forest bathing guide and author of three books: The Confident Performer, How I Rescued My Brain: a psychologist’s remarkable recovery from stroke and trauma, and The Power of Suffering: growing through life crises. He contributes to electronic media and frequently chairs at the Byron Writers’ Festival.

David earned a BSc (Hons) from the University of Sydney and a PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Wollongong, focusing on performance anxiety in musicians.

For more than twenty years, David worked as a clinical and forensic psychologist, treating and assessing clients ranging from children to adults, for the Children’s Court Clinic and the Criminal Court. He holds an adjunct lecturer position at Southern Cross University and is a founding member of Compassionate Mind Australia. Additionally, he served as an advisor to the Young Stroke Project with the National Stroke Foundation.

David is a lead facilitator for the Healing Climate-Related Trauma clinical research trial through Southern Cross University. As a certified forest bathing guide, he facilitates connections with nature for well-being, drawing on research linking nature to mental health benefits

He is currently researching for a new book on ancestral connection through landscape.