Left Write Hook: Empowering survivors of childhood sexual violence to reclaim their lives

The need

The statistics of child sexual abuse and gendered violence are simply staggering, with one in three women and one in five men having lived through these experiences growing up.

For so many, the symptoms that emerge in later life include depression, hypervigilance, shame, guilt, selfblame, low self-esteem, anxiety, complex post-traumatic stress disorder, nightmares, flashbacks and self-destructive relationships. The effects of these debilitating symptoms often result in alcohol and drug abuse.

Victim-survivors are also more at risk of heart disease and lung cancer and have 20 years less life expectancy than the average person. Tragically, many take their lives long before this statistic is realised.

“Despite causing massive social, health and community problems, survivors are typically only offered ‘talk therapy’,” says Dr Donna Lyon, a senior lecturer in film and television production at the University of Melbourne’s Victorian College of the Arts.

“They’re rarely given programs that encourage them to engage with their bodies in safe spaces and connect with other survivors, particularly through merging creative arts practices with physical modalities.”

The research

Dr Lyon’s aim was to develop, test, and document the effectiveness of a community-based recovery program using boxing and creative writing to empower survivors of child sexual abuse and gendered violence to reclaim, rewrite and release their trauma.

In 2020, the Left Write Hook project was formally accepted as a University of Melbourne research program and, since then, has attracted strong academic and industry recognition of the effectiveness of its approach: integrating creative writing techniques with an evidence-based physical program that channels healthy aggression to enable survivors to feel strong and safe, reconnect to their experiences and bodies, and help them move towards post-traumatic growth and healing.

Going to market

Working with University of Melbourne medical researchers, Left Write Hook successfully demonstrated the economic value of its program in terms of offering health benefits to survivors and, in turn, alleviating the pressure on the social services needed to help them live more positive lives. This evidence-based analysis led to the awarding of funding from the University of Melbourne’s Proof of Concept Scheme for the development of a ‘train-the-trainer’ professional certification program as well as a $600,000 grant from Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF).

This crucial funding and support meant that Left Write Hook could be established as a social enterprise, enabling researchers, survivors and charities to determine the program’s effects on health and wellbeing and to evaluate how best to deliver Left Write Hook to as many survivors as possible.

Importantly, University of Melbourne seed funding has helped finance the eponymous Left Write Hook documentary film that premiered at the Melbourne International Film Festival in August 2024.

“The Left Write Hook documentary is crucial to our business model and potential impact as it plays a pivotal role in breaking the taboo on gender-based violence, particularly child sexual abuse,” says Dr Lyon. “In documenting the program’s success, the film provides a scalable blueprint for other communities, encouraging the replication of our innovative trauma recovery approach.”

The outcome

In a pilot study conducted between 2023 and 2024, researchers surveyed 30 survivors of child sexual abuse to assess their mental health and wellbeing before and after they participated in the eight-week Left Write Hook program.

“Knowing that our innovative approach, backed by research, helps diminish their trauma is incredibly heartening,” Dr Lyon says. “It’s profoundly moving to witness their transformation as they regain self-belief, emotional wellbeing and trust in others.”