JOE Bakhmoutski credits a unique trauma recovery program with transforming his own life, and now he’s bringing it to his community, hoping it will reach the men who need it most.
Left Write Hook combines non-contact boxing with creative writing to support adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse, gendered violence and complex trauma. The eight-week, research-informed program runs each Saturday from 1 August to 26 September at a Frankston gym.
Bakhmoutski, originally from Ukraine, will co-facilitate alongside Daniel Rylatt, both of whom are former participants of Left Write Hook.
“This is the first one that is for men, run by men, and I think that gives an extra layer of shared understanding,” said Bakhmoutski. “We men have a unique way of dealing with things that sometimes creates even more isolation and a greater sense of shame when it comes to experiencing sexual abuse.”
The program was founded by Dr Donna Lyon following her own experience of healing from trauma. It brings together creative writing, group sharing and non-contact boxing, with each weekly two-hour session split between the two disciplines.
In the writing component, participants respond to prompts designed to find words for experiences that can feel unspeakable. Sharing is optional but Bakhmoutski said the act of writing and hearing others’ words could be profound.
“Just being in the presence of other people who’ve been through it, even just emotions echoed through writing, it made me really feel like I’m not alone,” he said. “You know that logically, but to actually feel it makes all the difference in the world.”
The second hour involves a certified boxing coach guiding participants through non-contact exercises, including work with pads and punching bags, with the physical intensity building across the eight weeks.
“The boxing really helps to take those emotions that might have been stuck in the body and let them out in a physical way, to allow them to move through the body,” said Bakhmoutski.
The Frankston program is supported by Frankston City Council, and Bakhmoutski said it was the right fit, having previously run personal development workshops as a community grants recipient. He cited Australian statistics – saying approximately one in five men experience sexual abuse before the age of 18 – as motivation to bring Left Write Hook to his home suburb.
The program will be launched with a free screening of the multi-award-winning Left Write Hook documentary that’s currently screening on Netflix, followed by a Q&A with program founder Dr Donna Lyon, plus Bakhmoutski, Rylatt and other past participants and creatives. The event is at Cube 37 on 25 June from 6–8:30pm.
Attendance is free but registration is required. Tickets are available via the Frankston Arts Centre website.
Men interested in the eight-week program can register their interest at leftwritehook.org
First published in the Frankston Times – 9 June 2026
