The Ethics of Writing Trauma: Crafting Socially-Responsible Nonfiction Narratives of Survival and Recovery

Estimates suggest that 70% of people will experience trauma in their lifetimes. We have a moral imperative to share these stories as research shows that such narratives can facilitate healing. At the same time, why and how we tell these stories is connected to their ability to assist or harm the recovery process. This philosophical essay applies a mixed methodological approach – autoethnography that draws from research, interviews, and literary analysis – to propose ethical considerations and craft techniques when writing nonfiction stories about trauma and recovery. Conceptually, the ethical principles of “veracity” and “beneficence” form the argument’s framework. The essay broadly considers nonfiction media in the form of the written word with emphasis on literary journalism and literary memoir. The research and analysis focus on three key points of ethical consequence that are relevant to nonfiction stories about trauma and recovery: disingenuous narratives; self-indulgence in exploiting, glamourizing, or sensationalizing trauma; and portraying an unrealistic, unattainable, or unsustainable recovery image.