“What I found words for, I also found relief from.” - Kathlyn (64)
Therapeutic writing has emerged as a powerful tool for self-exploration and emotional healing; it can be practised alone, with a facilitator, or in a group setting with friends. The process involves writing to explore your thoughts, feelings, and responses to deepen self-awareness and foster personal growth. Any writing medium can be used in therapeutic writing, from stage plays to list-making. Unlike traditional creative writing, which often focuses on style, structure, grammar, and spelling (and, in many cases, marketability), therapeutic writing prioritises self-expression for insight and reflection.
Even if you don't see yourself as creative, therapeutic writing can help people find the right words or images for difficult-to-define experiences. The process encourages you to write freely and authentically, allowing thoughts to flow to be expressed without judgement. What we can put into words can be processed, but perhaps more importantly, it can also be challenged, changed, and adapted. What stays prelinguistic often lingers and grows in the shadow of silence.
“You're as sick as your secrets.” - 12 steps adage.
Journaling, poetry, expressive prose, and letter writing are all common forms of therapeutic writing. Each offers numerous, well-researched benefits. Including:
1. Emotional Release
Have you ever felt emotionally numb or blocked? As if there’s a feeling you can’t access but is causing you inner pressure? Writing can provide a safe way to defrost these frozen feelings. This is helpful for difficult-to-articulate feelings.
“It was purple, a big sloppy sluggy purple feeling.” - R.B
The subsequent emotional release of expressing these difficult-to-articulate feelings can alleviate stress, anxiety, sleep problems, and depression by providing a sense of relief through catharsis.
“Once the slug was out, my energy blasted.” - R.B
2. Self-Reflection and Insight
Have you ever wondered why you are behaving the way you do? Writing down our experiences can help us gain clarity into why we respond to situations the way we do.
“Doing night pages helped me see that every time I was late for work I would think my co-workers were hating on me and get defensive - K.J (40)
This self-reflection can lead to a deeper understanding of personal patterns, triggers, and motivations, paving the way for positive change.
“I saw it was me hating my lateness. It was easier blaming them than not pressing snooze on my alarm!” - K.J (40)
3. Enhanced Communication Skills
Regular writing can improve our ability to articulate our thoughts and feelings. This enhanced communication benefits all your relationships by fostering a greater understanding of yourself with others.
"Finally, I was able to ask my partner for what I wanted. In the past, I was like, “if you can’t figure it out then…” but since writing, I saw that it was me who didn’t understand what I needed and that’s why I was leaving it vague, but all that did was let resentment build instead.” - Kate (28)
4. Increased Creativity
Writing encourages creativity. Creativity can help with all types of problem-solving. By allowing yourself to explore new ideas and perspectives, you gradually find yourself approaching life with more avenues available to you. As your empathy is deepened and difficult feelings, such as helplessness, loosen their grip, your creative problem-solving ability blossoms.
5. Empowerment and Agency
Therapeutic writing can offer a sense of control over your life's narrative. By documenting your experiences, you can reclaim your stories and appreciate your resilience. If working with a facilitator, you will be offered ways to take ownership of your story, re-script moments where your empathy is narrow, and liberate yourself from shame, silencing, and guilt, especially helpful for people in the wake of abuse.
“My dad was an alcoholic and was unpredictable. As a grownup, I would still tiptoe around people. I would constantly try to see myself through the eyes of other people—how they saw me, what they thought about me, you know—so I could adapt and play safe. Writing in first person gave me back my own perspective; it was hard at first. I had to keep asking, how does Kyle feel? What does Kyle think? I then had to affirm that, not question it or bully it. Over time, I came to appreciate having my perspective back. Our perspective is our reality. Writing gave me my reality back from my dysfunctional dad who had hold of it for years." - Kyle (53)
6. Healing Trauma
For those who have experienced trauma, therapeutic writing can be a valuable tool for reprocessing and recovery. Writing about traumatic experiences can help you make sense of your emotions, reduce feelings of isolation, and promote healing. When working with a facilitator like me, you can also include EMDR/hypnotherapy in your sessions.
“I learned how to freeze scenes and shrink feelings. Memories that bothered me for years were turned on their heads. I could no longer feel the same way about them." - Kate (28)
7. Goal Setting and Personal Growth
Writing can help you set goals and track your progress. By articulating aspirations and reflecting on your achievements, you can foster a sense of purpose and motivation. If you work with a facilitator, you can also benefit from having accountability along the way.
Why not try therapeutic writing for yourself? A simple method is to start with either morning pages or night pages; see the short “how to” article here. Ready to go even deeper? Book a session with me or click subscribe to hear about the upcoming course and writing workshops.
Happy writing,
Alexandra
References
(No date) Forming a story: The health benefits of narrative, Pennebaker... Available at: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/(SICI)1097-4679(199910)55:10<1243::AID-JCLP6>3.0.CO;2-N
James W. Pennebaker et al. (2002), Putting stress into words: Health, linguistic, and therapeutic implications, Behaviour Research and Therapy. Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0005796793901054
Stapleton, C.M., Zhang, H., and Berman, J.S. (2021), The event-specific benefits of writing about a difficult life experience, Europe’s journal of psychology. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7957853/
Pavlacic, J. M., Buchanan, E. M., Maxwell, N. P., Hopke, T. G., & Schulenberg, S. E. (2019). A Meta-Analysis of Expressive Writing on Posttraumatic Stress, Posttraumatic Growth, and Quality of Life. Review of General Psychology, 23(2), 230-250. https://doi.org/10.1177/1089268019831645
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