Since the start of my work in clinical psychology close to 40 years ago, colleagues and I have viewed writing as a powerful therapeutic method. We found that it helped people cope more effectively with psychological trauma of various severity levels. Typically we asked the person to write their Life Story. Interestingly, writers found this experience beneficial even if they never showed their writing to a therapist. However, in cases of more severe and complex psychological trauma, it would be more appropriate for such writing to form part of psychological therapy.
Depending on the person and their difficulties, in my work I would either ask them to write their Life Story or to focus on specific traumatic events. Thereafter I would study the document before our next meeting and then read it aloud in the person’s presence, stopping to discuss the account as appropriate. This was one of my most effective therapeutic methods, used for a wide range of traumatic experiences, e.g. child abuse (sexual, mental, violence), loss experiences (death of a loved one, divorce, loss of health, anticipated death) and road traffic accidents. Depending on the person’s needs, the therapeutic writing would be combined with information about relevant coping skills, e.g. relaxation, anxiety management, depression management, assertiveness and other social skills, stress management and ways of improving a partner-relationship.
Outcome research
Research shows that writing about painful memories and trauma can be an effective form of therapy, e.g. Dr. James W. Pennebaker (1997).
An example of this method
Dr Pennebaker’s approach to therapeutic writing is widely used and typically includes the following instructions:
For the next 4 days, I would like you to:
a) Write your very deepest thoughts and feelings about the most traumatic experience of your entire life or an extremely important emotional issue that has affected you and your life.
b) In your writing, I’d like you to really let go and explore your deepest emotions and thoughts. You might tie your topic to your relationships with others, including parents, lovers, friends or relatives; to your past, your present or your future; or to who you have been, who you would like to be or who you are now.
c) You may write about the same general issues or experiences on all days of writing or about different topics each day. All of your writing will be completely confidential.
d) Don’t worry about spelling, grammar or sentence structure. The only rule is that once you begin writing, you continue until the time is up.
Caution and my (AoM) recommended approach
In my professional experience, this potentially therapeutic method can be dangerous, especially if the writer does not have immediate access to expert psychological support in the event of a crisis. Specifically, writing about traumatic experiences can trigger overwhelming psychological distress, including profound despair, extreme emotional agony, intense rage and suicidal thoughts. It is normal for attention to unresolved psychological trauma to stir up such feelings and thoughts to some extent — this is part of the therapeutic process and ultimately beneficial. However we don’t want to risk catastrophe. Therefore I generally used the following approach:
a) Write only if you feel mentally strong enough to do so. On rare occasions my clients found the prospect of this writing so distressing that they did not want to do it. I always respected their wishes and we immediately dropped this method.
b) Pace the writing. Writing session length, frequency and content can vary according to your resources (time, emotional strength) and other life demands. If at any time you feel over-taxed by this method (e.g. overwhelming emotional upset, sleep disturbance, unable to cope with other aspects of your life) stop the writing, at least until you feel ready to continue.
c) Consider seeking personalized guidance. Although therapeutic writing can be an effective method in its own right, people with a long history of coping difficulties and people with more severe psychological trauma will often derive additional benefit from the personalized guidance of a good psychologist.
Other Methods of Therapeutic Self-Expression
As an alternative to writing or in addition to writing, depending on the person’s interests and skills, I also often recommended art (drawing, painting, collage, sculpture), music (listening, playing a musical instrument, music composition, singing), dance, or other methods (e.g. the shamanic way of finding objects in nature — such as feathers or stones — that ‘speak’ to one) to represent the person’s experiences. I respected a person’s valued coping resources (on occasions this could be something unusual like the I-Ching or an astrology chart) and would try to utilize them in our therapy. I also paid attention to all dreams that people shared with me and often asked them to record their dreams — dreams are rich in useful information; they can reveal the essence of complex problems and ways of moving forward.
Effective psychological therapy, including self-therapy, is a creative process that can draw on many different resources and it can include attention to various aspects of one’s being: biological (e.g. diet), psychological (e.g. methods referred to above), social (e.g. developing and utilizing supportive interpersonal relationships) and spiritual (e.g. meditation). Ultimately this journey can involve increased awareness of the spiritual nature of life and the meaning of one’s suffering.
Offer to help with self-therapy
Anyone who wants to share their writing or other forms of therapeutic self-expression (e.g. images of your art) with me is most welcome to do so. My e-mail address is AspectsofMind@protonmail.com
I promise to do the following:
- Acknowledge receipt of your e-mail and any attachment(s).
- Study everything you send me and do my best to understand it.
- Treat all your information as strictly confidential.
As this would be self-therapy, I shall not comment on anything sent to me beyond the acknowledgement of receipt.
Aspects of Mind 