Journaling: How It Can Be Healing In Therapy?

Journaling: How It Can Be Healing In Therapy?

Journaling can offer a cathartic release from not only what you are going through in life but also what you are experiencing in therapy whether it is for an eating disorder, trauma or something else. Often times, clients ask for a notepad during therapy to write down key points or homework but often I encourage clients to be open to journaling outside of the therapy office. Eating disorders and trauma(s) can elicit a myriad of unanswered questions in which continuous exploration is necessary. So why not keep that journal handy to document your journey, triumphs and struggles? Approach journaling with curiosity by becoming a detective on your own life.

Don’t overthink it!

Too many people overthink it and feel a pressure to write, “x-amount of words” or paragraphs but it’s much more simple than that. Push aside that critical voice.  It shouts “you cannot write”, “you have awful grammar or punctuation” and “your journaling needs to be perfect”. Be raw! Let it go! Perform a few deep breaths and mindful moments to write down simple one-word answers. If words do not come naturally, you can jot down a picture to answer each question you come up with.

Here are a few ideas to get you started:

1. I am…
2. I need…
3. I love…
4. I want more of…
5. I want less of…
6. I enjoy…
7. I see…
8. I smell…
9. I feel…
10. I taste…
11. I think…
12. I believe…
13. I wish…
14. I wonder…
15. I fear…
16. I am learning…
17. I am grateful for…

Start small!

Start small and remember nobody is looking at this unless you share it with him or her. Delight in comfort knowing you have the control and the content can be whatever you want it to be. There are no hard-fast rules with journaling but rather it is another outlet for you to release whatever is coming up inside for you. Journaling – liberating thoughts, emotions and behaviors when needed.

Time to get journaling!

Execute action and get to jotting down what you are experiencing.  You can get a sketchbook or a traditional journal.  Whichever you choose, reflect back often to watch your progress.  Have fun with the process!

I originally wrote this as a guest blogger while working for a group practice in 2016.

© Erica Faulhaber 2016 – This blog may be shared or reprinted as long as the information is unedited and the author bio, including contact information is printed along with the blog.