Writing Therapy

Paper Summary:

This paper examines how the written record of one's own thoughts, feelings and perceptions, especially of traumatic experiences, can help restore emotional or physical health. It looks at how journal or expressive writing enhances creativity, helps one cope with stress and provides a record of memorable life events. More importantly, it also shows how expressive or journal writing benefits those who suffer from psychological and physical illnesses and how by expressing their traumas in writing, they can reconcile emotional conflict, develop awareness, regulate behavior, solve problems, reduce or control anxiety, become more reality-oriented, and increase self-esteem.

From the Paper:

"Journal, writing or expressive therapy allows one to express his personal or hidden thoughts and feelings, especially those considered impossible or unacceptable to himself and, in the process, the reflection, processing and integration of these thoughts and feelings as a whole into the mind-body self (Adams 1999). Writing these down and keeping a record of secret or objectionable thoughts, feelings and experiences enable the person to discover underlying patterns of thinking and behavior that have governed them. The discovery then provides them with the opportunity to change or redirect these undesirable or harmful patterns into desirable and workable ones to improve themselves, their relationships and their lives. The journal or written record of one's own perceptions is something that no one else can write (Adams) and the spontaneous self-detection of one's aberrations and self-redirection away from them represent the most authentic kind of body and mind healing."

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