About Left Write Hook
Left Write Hook is a research-informed 8-week boxing and writing workshop for adult survivors of child sexual abuse and complex trauma. Our flagship program is designed to empower survivors to take back their power through the physical and creative expressive processes of writing and trauma informed non-contact boxing.
Our impact to date
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68
victim-survivor participants have completed the our flagship 8-week program. This number continues to grow.
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14
individuals with lived/living experience have been upskilled to become Left Write Hook facilitators with over 285 hours of training.
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10
programs have been delivered across various Melbourne suburbs.
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> 50%
of our participants return for a second or third program.
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In 2019, Donna Lyon, PhD, founded a grassroots version of Left Write Hook at her local boxing gym in Ferntree Gully, outside of Melbourne, Victoria. Her motivation: to connect with other survivors and release and express trauma.
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In 2020, Lyon teamed up with a group of interdisciplinary researchers from the University of Melbourne to measure the efficacy of the program.
The results showed that Left Write Hook reduced symptoms of PTSD, depression, stress, and anxiety, and increased personal agency, resilience, and a sense of belonging.
The team also began to draw on creative practice research methodologies with the intention to produce a book of writings and a documentary film.
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COVID and lockdowns saw the research project and face-to-face workshops move online. Lyon facilitated three workshops across 2020, organised in eight-week rounds.
During this time, the survivors generated an incredible body of writings that traced the profound impact of child sexual abuse and trauma on their lives and the positive impact of writing, boxing and peer support.
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After pitching the idea of a curated book of the writings generated from the workshops, in 2021 the Left Write Hook book was published.
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In 2022, Donna Lyon set up Left Write Hook as a not-for-profit company with registered DGR status, so the capacity for more survivor-led workshops could be increased. An incredible body of supporters began to join and grow the movement.
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Lyon and filmmaker/researcher Shannon Owen worked together with screen industry partners to create a feature-length documentary showcasing the program. The film premieres at the Melbourne International Film Festival in August 2024, followed by a cinema release in October.
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The sky’s the limit! We are working on setting up programs in new suburbs, formalising research with a randomised control trial via the University of Melbourne, upskilling our lived/living experience trainers, and more.
Our story
Praise for Left Write Hook
“This program has literally saved my life. No one ever taught me that I have to move the trauma out of my body…I have come further in 16 sessions of Left Write Hook than what I did in 20 years. Thank you for giving me a new lease on life.”
— Kellie
“By no choice of their own, survivors of childhood sexual abuse spend the entirety of their lives ‘in the ring’, fighting. Left Write Hook offers visceral insights into survivors’ fierce, compelling, and ultimately triumphant stories.”
— Dr Joy Townsend, Learning Consent