Written words as therapy
French writer Anais Nin, known for her long commitment to journaling, felt that “writing serves to heighten our awareness of life...to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospection.”
Journaling or therapeutic writing, is a form of self expression that can be a wonderfully powerful tool to incorporate into our wellness and healing practices. Exploring the magic of putting pen to paper (or fingertips to keyboard) through a dedicated practice either individually or with the guidance of a therapist, coach or group facilitator, can propel us towards greater self-growth and spiritual development.
Personal journaling is well regarded for empowering people to connect with memories and emotions, observe patterns of behaviour, identify impulses, work through avoidance, reflect on vulnerabilities and suffering, celebrate strengths, consider dreams and goals, acknowledge hidden desires, and ultimately, make better sense of our own experiences.
As long as you enter into the process sincerely interested in learning more about your own human condition, through writing authentically, you’re bound to find it helpful. The desire to connect more deeply and understand further your relationship to self and to others, is really the only prerequisite. You don’t need to be ‘a writer’ to benefit from writing therapy. Dispense with concerns over spelling, grammar and structure and write as if no one else will ever read it. Release yourself of expectations regarding what you produce. A few sentences is fine. So too are several pages. Don’t worry about the quality of the writing. This is personal. It’s just for you.
There are many different approaches to therapeutic writing. Journaling tends to be more free form, where the writer simply scribes thoughts or ideas, or documents events as they come to them. Writing therapy seeks to focus more on reflection and analysis of thoughts, feelings, behaviour and relationships. It is often more directed or focused and may follow prompts or exercises either individually set or suggested through a supported process. Sometimes it can be easier to organize our thoughts and feelings in written words, rather than articulate these things verbally, and engaging in a process that looks to address a particular concern or goal in written form, can often bring about surprising results.
Research supports the notion that therapeutic writing can have tremendous benefits in allowing people to process their life experiences, find meaning in events, consider things from different perspectives and promote their human progression.
Some different ways to engage with journaling or therapeutic writing include:
Gratitude diaries - cultivate an attitude of gratitude through daily documentation
Manifestation lists - help bring visions to life
Writing letters to yourself - perhaps a younger or older version
Writing letters to others - not necessarily to be sent
Writing a poem
Free writing - capture thoughts, feelings, memories
Brain dumps - download whatever is on your mind
Mind mapping - identify an issue in the middle of the page and then create branches representing different aspects of the issue to help you better understand it.
Sometimes including drawings or photographs to promote the process is helpful. Another tool is to utilise sentence prompts to get started EG. Advice to my teenage self... a favorite childhood memory is… the words that best describe me are… the things that I currently wish to work on in my life are...
Some tips for setting yourself up to write:
Decide how you will write. Perhaps having a dedicated notebook or journal and a nice pen will aid the process.
Decide on the format you will use to write.
Establish a plan for when and how you will write. EG. A daily 10 min practice with your morning tea or coffee or perhaps you will settle in to a period of writing in the evening before bed (don’t use a device for this!) Maybe setting aside some time once a week on a Sunday morning for an hour to sit and write appeals to you more than a daily practice.
Protect the time - try to reduce potential disturbances.
Keep it private - support the process by ensuring you are not worried about others reading your writing.
Gaining greater clarity about ourselves through this type of practice can lead to improved emotional intelligence and personal accountability, resulting in a greater degree of stability in how we operate in the world on a daily basis.
If journaling or therapeutic writing doesn’t appeal to you though, perhaps creative writing does. For some literary minded folks, utilizing the written word to fabricate characters, alternative worlds and storylines becomes a fabulous outlet that for most of us, gets left behind in childhood. You don’t need to set out to write a book, just build a story. Once again, no one need ever read it, but you. Lose yourself in the process. Many famous novelists, essayists and poets, discuss the solace they find in the process of writing and the importance of the relationships they develop with the characters and narratives they are creating on the page.
Ernest Hemingway said “there is nothing to writing, all you do is sit down at the typewriter and bleed.” Well, perhaps he is understating his talent, but pouring oneself onto the page either through a personal journaling process or a creative writing endeavour, can certainly often be a cathartic experience. Like most things though, balance is important. When tackling difficult subject matter, it is a good idea to be aware of not becoming obsessive or ruminative in the process. Consider how you will check in on yourself.
Similarly to writing, there are huge benefits to spending time within the pages of a great book. In addition to the now well documented cognitive enhancements brought about through reading, the social and emotional benefits are also described in the literature. Increases in vocabulary, reductions in physiological markers of stress, improved sleep, increases in empathy, decreases in levels of depression and anxiety through escapism, connection to storylines, characters, prayers and poetry are all considered to be positive by-products of reading.
Bibliotherapy is the practice of prescribing reading for therapeutic effect and has ancient roots growing modern day interest. There are indeed specially trained Bibliotherpaists but more generally, many therapists, counselors and coaches include the encouragement of reading specific materials in their work with clients, in the acknowledgment of the power of shared written words.
As any avid reader will likely tell you, book selection can often be a type of medicine as we instinctively gravitate towards devouring words that speak to whatever we are personally desiring or seeking at the time. Great comfort, connection, inspiration and relief can come through finding a really good book, just when you absolutely need it.
Virginia Woolf wrote, “the impact of poetry is so hard and direct that for the moment there is no other sensation except that of the poem itself. What profound depths we visit then - how sudden and complete is our immersion! There is nothing here to catch hold of; nothing to stay us in our flight...The poet is always our contemporary. Our being for the moment is centered and constricted, as in any violent shock of personal emotion. Afterwards it is true, the sensation begins to spread in wider rings throughout our minds; remoter senses are reached; these begin to sound and to comment and we are aware of echoes and reflections. The intensity of poetry covers an immense range of emotion.”
If you’re not already a reader or a writer, and you wonder how you would carve out a little time to invest in these practices, which can sometimes (and mistakenly in my opinion) feel a little indulgent in our modern world, perhaps consider utilising your public transport commute, time spent waiting for the kids at sport or music training, or trading in some Netflix time (not that I don’t think this is highly important also!) Maybe adjust to carrying your journal or a book in your bag, so it’s always with you. When the opportunity presents itself, instead of pulling out your phone to scroll, you might read or write instead. However you choose to go about it, rewards will certainly follow if you allow some more space in your life for the undeniable magic that exists when we engage with the written form.
*I’m a passionate life long student and my blog posts intend to share information only. If something peaks your interest, I encourage you to do your own research, and seek further advice and support through your health and wellness providers. If you’d like to consult with me, please get in touch.*