Therapeutic Writing in my book, is also known as therapeutic journaling, reflective writing or reflective journaling.
This is a method of de-stressing I use after having a hard day at work, whether that is sharing some difficult news, having a client with behavioral issues or processing ANYTHING.
Journaling is a tool I have always used. The early parts of my journaling days were “dear diary” inspired. Then (unfortunately) I stopped, it didn’t matter as much after growing up. When I entered the nursing program, reflections were actually a part of our clinical assignments. We would 1) choose a situation that occurred in clinical 2) write about it 3) talk about how it made us feel 4) do an evaluation- positives or negatives- takeaways 5) analyze – how did my reaction align with the nursing code of ethics, or how did the code of ethics/best practice guidelines influence my response.
Similarly, I use these same principles when doing a meditative devotional writing session. 1) What is the theme, topic, situation…write about it 2) How does it make me feel? 3) Evaluation- positives and negatives 4) Analyze- what does the word of God say? Am I using His word to guide my life and instruct me? Am I allowing God to change my heart?
Note: The type of writing I do is devotional style – it involves worship music, scripture reading, prayer, quiet time and of course writing.
Unlike journaling, therapeutic writing is more directed, and often based on prompts or exercises, and it is focused on (as mentioned above) thinking about, interacting with, and analyzing the events, thoughts, and feelings that the writer writes down.
It’s a method used to observe our thoughts and feelings- feel your feelings
- Write and then contemplate
- The “why” of our emotions
- Write out issues, worries, and fears.
- Go back to read, and process those emotions.
- Write out wins, triumphs and joyous moments then….
- Use them as reminders.
Your words are a revelation of your heart to you.
Elizabeth Sullivan said “Most of us do not think in complete sentences but in self-interrupted, looping, impressionistic cacophony,”. Writing helps us track our spinning thoughts and feelings, which can lead to key insights (e.g., I don’t want to go to school; I feel betrayed by my friend; I’m no longer passionate about my job; I am figuring out how to solve that problem; I’m really worried about my current finances- but why though?)
I personally find that emptying my mind by writing helps bring a clearer perspective. Writing things out, helps give the full picture.
Benefits:
- We hold worries, fears and memories in our bodies.
- Everything we feel causes some chemical reaction in our bodies- happy (realeases dopamine and serotonin). When we are up, we are hopeful, cheery, calm smiling, which is good for the body- muscles are loose + relaxed
- Fear & anxiety: Causes cortisol to be released- nature’s built in alarm system (fight or flight) – tense muscles, increasing blood pressure, breathing issues. After longer periods- headaches, stomach problems, permanent blood pressure problems- wary immune system.
- E.g. If you smell a familiar fragrance it can bring joy or anger based on who or what the fragrance is attached to.
- Studies have proven that if you write out your trauma, and worst experiences, it can lead to better health- a better immune system.
- Takes the weight off your chest.
- Writing helps us release and face some of the worries and fears we experience, which in turn again causes better health.
- Regular therapeutic writing can help individuals find meaning in their experiences, shift their perspectives, and see the silver linings in their most stressful or negative experiences (Murray, 2002).
- It can also lead to important insights about yourself and your environment that may be difficult to determine without focused writing (Tartakovsky, 2015).
Analogy:
Your life is like a garden, and you are the gardener. Garden’s cannot avoid the things that come with nature, they just have to be intentionally tended. For example a garden cannot avoid the wind, it is a part of the environment. With the blowing of the wind comes wind pollination- this is when the wind carries the seed of a plant to another location. The wind can carry the seeds of a dandelion (if you have seen them, you know they spring up just like that), but unfortunately one will not know that this random dandelion seed had landed in the garden unless it starts growing. To see the weed growing and not deal with it, leaves room for the weed to populate the garden.
Similarly, we can’t control the people or the situations around us. These things are like the wind, and will bring those seeds into our lives, that need addressing. For example dealing with the corona virus, and the emotions, feelings and difficulties that have been brought with it. We just have to be determined that in the midst of trouble we are going to work, ensuring we come out on the other side of this in good standing.
Therapeutic writing/ reflective journaling is a tool we can use to aide our well-being during this time. It is the emptying of ourselves, and the rebooting of our minds (I usually feel rebooted after I get some stuff off my chest during a writing session).
In other words, it aides in clearing the cache of our minds – a cache is a collection of items of the same type stored in a hidden or inaccessible place.
DO:
This process can be uncomfortable, especially to those doing it for the first time.
It can feel awkward and weird, because the only rules here are worship and silence.
What you put in is what you are going to get out.
- Put on paper whatever comes to the forefront of your mind. Write it down!
This is all about being OPEN- let skepticism go, get comfortable with this, it will take time, but you also have to give it time. - Write at your own pace- long or short. Organized thought, poetry, words, or a letter to the person that stands at the forefront of your mind (you may never send, it can be a letter to yourself) it helps with the processing of emotions.
- Don’t worry about what to write, just focus on writing and giving it your full attention.
- It isn’t about how well you write – the important thing is to write down what makes sense to you and what comes naturally to you.
- Avoid “putting on a show” write authentically. Write as though no one will read it. Just express the truth of how you feel!
I hope you enjoyed this read. I hope it helps you. Look out for the upcoming Reflective Journaling – Online Session.
Have a blessed day!
Ashley #followerofChrist
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