Craft Your Thunder Jacket

How to Limit Re-Trauma When Writing

By Melissa Fraterrigo

The rain starts, a soft thrum, and Dylan, our pandemic lab-collie mix darts from his bed and hurls himself at my ankles. His soft fur is plush against my skin but he’s trembling, rattling my desk, and I have work to do. Hard work.

“It’s okay, buddy,” I say. “I’ve got you.” I retrieve Dylan’s thunder jacket, a soft polyester coat that slips over his front legs and Velcro’s at the midsection like a straightjacket. The fabric hol...