Keeping a journal – preferably writing in it every day (but you don’t have to!) – strengthens your immune system. Expressive writing – which is some of what you do when you keep a journal – helps you to come to terms with mental stressors. As a result, these stressors have less of an impact on your physical health. James Pennebaker should know. He was a principal player in putting these contentions to scientific test.
But James Pennebaker is just one of many researchers who have tried to establish how beneficial writing about our happinesses and our sadnesses can be. And one conclusion of the many is: the real trick is to write about both. Vent as much as you want but don’t forget to count your blessings too – for a balanced life and a deep sense of calm.
Keeping a journal is a cheap and easy way of discovering all sorts of things about yourself. People say it’s like having ‘having a counsellor in your pocket.’ So – no matter how difficult your life can be at times – keeping a journal will help you spark mentally, physically and emotionally.
And, while empirically demonstrated to be beneficial to many – from people suffering from brain-injury to cancer survivors – journal writing is a particularly powerful means of support for caregivers. It can be the light shining on their shadows.
For the science underlying these assertions – and the approaches to journaling that have developed from that science – see:
Adams, K. (1990) Journal to the Self. Grand Central Publishing
Baldwin, C. (1990) Life’s Companion: Journal Writing as a Spiritual Quest. Bantam Books
Baldwin, C. (2007) Storycatcher: Making Sense of our lives through the power and practice of story. New World Library
Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2008). Flow: The psychology of optimal experience. London: Harper Perennial.
Harris, A. (2006). Does expressive writing reduce health care utilization? A meta-analysis of randomized trials. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 72, 243-252.
King, L. (2002). Gain without pain? Expressive writing and self-regulation. In S. J. Lepore & J. M. Smyth (Eds.), The writing cure: How expressive writing promotes health and well-being (pp. 119–134). Washington DC: American Psychological Association.
Lepore, S. J.; Smyth, J. M. (eds.) (2002) The writing cure: How expressive writing promotes health and well-being. Washington DC: American Psychological Association.
Lieberman, M. D.; Eisengerger, N. I.; Crockett, M. J.; Tom, S. M., Pfeifer, J. H.; Way, B. M. (2007). Putting feelings into words: Affect labeling disrupts amygdala activity in response to affective stimuli. Psychological Science, 18, 421-428.
Lowe, G. (2004). Health-related effects of creative and expressive writing. Health Education, 106, 60-70.
NIHR (2011). Therapeutic writing for people with long-term conditions. (call for proposals, HTA No. 11/70). Retrieved 28 January 2012 fromhttp://www.hta.ac.uk/funding/standardcalls/11_70cb.pdf.
Pennebaker, J.W. Writing about Emotional Experiences as a Therapeutic Process. Psychological Science 8.3 (May 1997): 167.
Pennebaker J.W. (1997) Opening up: The healing power of expressing emotions. The Guilford Press.
Pennebaker, J.W., Kiecolt-Glaser, J., Glaser, R. (1988). Disclosure of traumas and immune function: health implications for psychotherapy. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 56 (2): 239–245.
Rasmussen, P. T.; Tomm, K. (1992). Guided letter writing: A long brief therapy method whereby clients carry out their own treatment. Journal of Strategic and Systemic Therapies, 11, 1–18.
Shapiro, S. L.; Carson, L. E.; Astin, J. A.; Freedman, B. (2006). Mechanisms of mindfulness. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 62, 373–386 .
Stahura, B. and Schuster, S.B. (2009) After Brain Injury: Telling Your Story: A journaling workbook. Lash & Associates Publishing/Training Inc.
Thompson, K. (2012) Therapeutic Journal Writing. JKPublishing
Wright, J.; Chung, M. C. (2001). Mastery or mystery? Therapeutic writing: a review of the literature. British Journal of Guidance and Counselling, 29, 277-291.
I am grateful to my colleagues from Lapidus (www.lapidus.org.uk ) for helping me to put together this list, to Barbara Stahura (www.barbarastahura.com) for her advice and guidance and to Kate Thompson (www.katethompsontherapy.com ) for her wisdom in supervision.
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