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Does writing therapy work?
Researchers have found that expressive, or therapeutic writing, can have numerous physical and psychological health benefits, some of which include: better immune function. fewer doctor visits. less stress. It has been demonstrated, across a variety of investigations, that writing activities yield a number of intellectual, physiological, and emotional benefits to individuals. These bene- fits include improve memory function, decreased symptomatology, and greater feelings of happiness. Graduates use writing in a variety of important ways. Whether reviewing literature, contributing an article to an academic journal, writing a report about their own research, or keeping detailed client notes, psychologists continually use writing to advance both their careers and the profession as a whole. Writing helps your brain grow Given that many areas of the brain are engaged, the more you write, the more neural connections are formed within your brain. What’s more is that when you pen words on paper, the neurons in your brain fire signals at rapid speed, thus enabling you to make more connections. Some studies even show that writing by hand increases cognitive activity and can actually make you more intelligent—as long as you put the keyboard aside and write by hand. As Dr. William Klemm says in this Psychology Today article: There is a spill-over benefit for thinking skills used in reading and writing. Journal writing, or journaling, involves writing down your thoughts and emotions on paper. Journaling exercises bring amazing benefits for your mental health and well-being. It’s a great way to deal with anxious thoughts because it brings awareness to the present.
Why writing is the best therapy?
By writing, you put some structure and organization to those anxious feelings, he explains. It helps you to get past them. Other research by Pennebaker indicates that suppressing negative, trauma-related thoughts compromises immune functioning, and that those who write visit the doctor less often. Something as simple as writing can relieve stress, reduce anxiety, and help to ease feelings of depression. In a second study, scientists looked at dopamine release during writing. When people read a piece of writing, there is no dopamine release, but when re-writing the passage, there is a dopamine surge in their brain. Dopamine is a chemical that acts in our brains to increase reward and motivation. Why is writing so potent? Because writing is a form of thinking — a particularly powerful form, since those ideas can be re-read not only by you, but by millions of others as well. Writing changes minds, minds change behavior, and behavior changes lives.