Healing through Writing
Many therapeutic treatment modalities integrate some form of writing for self-reflection. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, mindfulness-based interventions, and others use journaling as a source of personal exploration. Occasionally, some clients already find enjoyment in writing as a hobby. For these clients, using journaling as a treatment tool does not present much of a challenge. Others may feel differently about the concept of journaling, maybe that it’s too much like homework. I have also heard about some therapists presenting journaling as a fix-all for client problems. In these scenarios, clients have felt that journaling was thoughtlessly assigned while dismissing larger presenting problems.
It is not my goal to use the process of journaling as simply “homework” or a cure-all to gloss over valid issues. Rather, it’s an exploratory process I hope to introduce, and personalize to your therapeutic goals and preferences.
Writing can bring about emotional relief and release stress. Reading over what you have written can increase your self-awareness and bring new insights into the work you do in therapy sessions as well as in daily life between sessions. If you begin the journaling process and do not like it, we can talk about why and make adjustments so that it could work better for you.
When starting out with journaling, I ask everyone to have one item to write with and one item to write in or on. I recommend using something pleasurable to write with. For me, this would be a gel pen with dark ink that writes smoothly. Others may prefer a rainbow of colors to match their mood, a sharp pencil, a wide marker, or typing into a computer program or journal app. I recommend writing in a notebook or journal that closes, rather than on scrap paper or an open notepad, for privacy and the ability to open and close the journal. For me, to open it allows a writing session to begin, and to close it allows you to physically and mentally “put away” your thoughts for another time.
For those who are able and do not already have a preferred item to write with and item to write in, I “prescribe” a small shopping trip. It does not have to be costly. If there is an option to look through supplies you already have, that is a free experience. There are also inexpensive selections at dollar stores that might strike your fancy. For me, it’s important to find a combination of journal and writing instrument that lifts your spirits when you see them. My personal combination of lined hardcover spiral-bound books and dark gel pens stretches back for decades (as does my own journaling habit). I have found that a book with a cover I can flip behind the pages is very grounding for me and helps me maintain a flow of writing.
You never have to share anything you write in your journal with me or anyone. Although I’ll “prescribe” starting the process, the process then becomes all yours. I may ask about how you have used it, and I will always be open to hearing as much as you’d like to share. I don’t see myself as an authority figure reading over your shoulder, though. I’ll guide your process as much as you would like, but not force you into discomfort with it.
Through my career, I have worked with many formats of journaling as self-expression. It does not always have to happen with a pen to paper in a book. When I worked with very young children, whose writing skills were not yet developed, we would create pictures of what they wanted to say. They could speak their story out loud and I could help them caption their picture. This manner of creating also works well for people whose writing skills are developed, but for whom writing is a taxing process. I have helped clients create everything from collages on paper to auditory song lyrics that they could sing and remember without writing down. If you get a nice book and something to write with, but find that you don’t like the process of writing words, we could explore unlimited other ways to use your items as tools for your self-expression and reflection.
There are many resources you can check out on the benefits of writing, but I want to leave you with one from the NC Psychological Association. They offer a free live training in August on this topic if you want to check it out: Ask a Psychologist with Dr. Elizabeth Jackson: Write Your Heart Out. There are several free recordings available here on other topics as well!
Happy writing!