Table of Contents
How to use writing to heal trauma?
Your goal is to write about an event that causes emotional strain in your life. This may be a past traumatic experience that continues to affect you, or something that is bothering you in the present. You can write about the event itself, the feelings you had while it was occurring, or the feelings you have now. The authors concluded that: ‘writing about earlier traumatic experience was associated with both short-term increases in physio- logical arousal and long-term decreases in health problems’ (Pennebaker & Beall, 1986: p. 280). both physical and psychological health, in non-clinical and clinical populations. Many people with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder find that writing can help them to understand their PTSD and the symptoms they are experiencing – whether that be a diary of thoughts, notes on a scrap of paper, or by writing a novel. Several studies suggest that daily expressive writing helps reduce stress, improve quality of life and may help people navigate challenging physical and mental health conditions. It’s simply writing down your thoughts and feelings to understand them more clearly. And if you struggle with stress, depression, or anxiety, keeping a journal can be a great idea. It can help you gain control of your emotions and improve your mental health.
How to use writing to heal trauma?
Your goal is to write about an event that causes emotional strain in your life. This may be a past traumatic experience that continues to affect you, or something that is bothering you in the present. You can write about the event itself, the feelings you had while it was occurring, or the feelings you have now. Within respondents’ narratives, we identified three overarching themes of suffering: (a) suffering as lack of control; (b) suffering as loss; and (3) the personal value of suffering.
Can writing heal trauma?
Research suggests writing about trauma can be beneficial because it helps people re-evaluate their experiences by looking at them from different perspectives. Studies suggest writing about traumatic events can help ease the emotional pressure of negative experiences. Benefits of Journalling for Trauma Journalling, or expressive writing, can help people understand and process PTSD symptoms such as anger and anxiety. Trauma and PTSD impact our ability to effectively self-regulate our emotions, so writing about them on paper can offer valuable insight and perspective. Benefits of Writing Therapy In fact, participants in a study who wrote about their most traumatic experiences for 15 minutes, four days in a row, experienced better health outcomes up to four months than those who were instructed to write about neutral topics (Baikie & Wilhelm, 2005). While a journal cannot replace a therapist, it can be therapeutic. What a journal can do is help you to notice patterns in your behaviour and emotional responses. It’s an opportunity to reflect on your experiences, feelings, thoughts and behaviour. Something as simple as writing can relieve stress, reduce anxiety, and help to ease feelings of depression.
How do you journal to heal trauma?
The expressive writing protocol consists of asking someone to write about a stressful, traumatic or emotional experience for three to five sessions, over four consecutive days, for 15-20 minutes per session. Research has found it to be useful as a stand-alone tool or as an adjunct to traditional psychotherapies. Expressive writing can result in a reduction in stress, anxiety, and depression; improve our sleep and performance; and bring us greater focus and clarity. These effects of writing as a tool for healing are well documented. Expressive writing can result in a reduction in stress, anxiety, and depression; improve our sleep and performance; and bring us greater focus and clarity. These effects of writing as a tool for healing are well documented. James Pennebaker was the first researcher that studied therapeutic effects of writing. He developed a method called expressive writing, which consists of putting feelings and thoughts into written words in order to cope with traumatic events or situations that yield distress (Pennebaker & Chung, 2007). 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.
Why is writing so healing?
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. In this regard, Pennebaker developed “Written Emotional Disclosure Paradigm” that refers to the importance of not only verbal but also written disclosure of feelings and thoughts. He suggested that written emotional disclosure improves physical and psychological health. The process of writing your thoughts down helps to solidify them. Seeing them on the paper allows you to see them more clearly and will push you into taking action. This doesn’t just apply to negative thoughts or problems; writing down your ideas and ambitions for the future is the first step to making them a reality. Journaling helps you declutter your mind, which leads to better thinking. Writing in a journal also sharpens your memory and improves your learning capability. There’s a reason why when you take the time to pen your thoughts, plans, and experiences, you remember them better, while also feeling more focused.
How can writing be a therapy?
Writing therapy posits that writing one’s feelings gradually eases feelings of emotional trauma. Writing therapeutically can take place individually or in a group and it can be administered in person with a therapist or remotely through mailing or the Internet. While a journal cannot replace a therapist, it can be therapeutic. What a journal can do is help you to notice patterns in your behaviour and emotional responses. It’s an opportunity to reflect on your experiences, feelings, thoughts and behaviour. Writing equips us with communication and thinking skills. Writing expresses who we are as people. Writing makes our thinking and learning visible and permanent. Writing fosters our ability to explain and refine our ideas to others and ourselves. 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.