When Jean Allen first decided to write her life story she admits she wrote with a vengeance, hoping to expose her mother, who abandoned her as a baby, and the abusive foster parents she survived during her childhood. Today, years later and with her memoirs just recently completed, Allen recognizes that her writing changed from a project fuelled by anger to one of surprising and significant healing.

"I learned a lot about myself," says the wide-smiled, 65-year-old woman, "and through the writing down of my ­story I realized that my childhood wasn't all bad times, so the book became somewhat sunshiny as well."

It wasn't until Allen's fifth attempt that she was able to complete her life ­story. The first four times the emotions attached to her years of mental and physical abuse while growing up in the foster care system of her native England were too strong to deal with. On her final and successful journey into her past, a tutor accompanied Allen. "She asked me lots of questions, which brought up some good memories, too."

One such memory is of Allen's "Aunt" Joyce--a cleaning lady who worked at one of the homes Allen lived in. "She always had time for us kids and even made us bacon and egg sandwiches," she remembers. Allen is still in touch with her Aunt Joyce's family today, even though she's a world away from the child she used to be and has lived on British Columbia's Sunshine Coast for 11 years. Allen also fondly remembers her many foster brothers and sisters and that going to school was her safety net, where she enjoyed learning and discovered her love of writing.

Allen is not alone in her discovery of the benefits of life story writing. Many people find by telling their stories, or even one or some of their life experiences, that they see the big picture and meaning in their lives, and can more fully understand their past and present.

The foundation of scientific research into the benefits of what became known as "life review" was done by pioneering gerontologist Robert N. Butler, who died July 4, 2010, at the age of 83. His findings, back in the 1960s, described psychological, emotional and even physical benefits. He once wrote, "Life review can result in resolution, reconciliation, atonement, integration and serenity."

Today's research confirms ­Butler's conclusions. Researchers of a meta-­analysis published in the journal Aging & Mental Health (2007) looked at 15 controlled outcome studies and concluded, "Reminiscence in general, but especially life review, are potentially effective methods for the enhancement of psychological well-being in older adults."

Life history through autobiography has experienced a resurgence as of late, perhaps due in part to Frank McCourt's 1996 Pulitzer Prize-winning memoir, Angela's Ashes. Today there is a great number of interesting and inspiring life stories published about so-called ordinary ­people.

Another area in which life review is emerging as beneficial is the hospice movement for quality at the end of life. We have a greater number of elders in our population today than ever before, most of whom will experience death due to chronic conditions that make end of life a process, rather than the event it was through most of history. A 2008 Japanese study (Psycho-Oncology) found that life review improved the spiritual and psychosocial well-being of terminally ill cancer patients.
Benefits of life review are not, however, just for the reviewer alone. Sharing the intimacies of a life lived is also a meaningful way to help and connect with others. Butler saw our elder generation not as stereotypically ill and senile (he coined the term "ageism," by the way), but rather as dependent, dynamic and possessing legacies that future generations could learn from. A memoir, life story, autobiography or legacy letter is a way to pass valuable information onto children, grandchildren and one's community. Without such efforts, a person's history, life experiences, and lessons often die along with them.

A recent study titled, "After life review: autobiography as art of the future" (Studies in Continuing Education, 2010), concurs. The author, Irene Karpiak of the University of Oklahoma, Department of Education Leadership and Policy Studies, says, "A case is made for autobiography's power as an instructional method to bring new light to the past and deepen our sense of self and others."

Jean Allen's book, The Tenacity to Win, has not yet been accepted by a publisher, though she hopes that it will, to help others who have experienced similar challenges. For now, however, Allen is thankful for how the process of writing her story has helped her. "Writing my life story made me examine my thoughts, look inside myself and, in the end, has made me stronger. I enjoy life now."

With her newfound perspective, confidence and increased writing skills, Allen plans to put pen to paper in the ­direction of detective stories. Her life story continues.

Sandra Tonn is a freelance writer, editor and member of the Association of Personal Historians. She is a volunteer hospice worker and works at the Powell River Public Library.

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