As Julia Cameron notes in her book, the Right to Write an Invitation and Initiation into the Writing Life- I believe we all come into life as writers.
On the other hand, therapy is a process to resolve problematic behaviours, beliefs, feelings, relationship issues etc., in simpler words it is a journey to heal.
What is writing therapy?
Meaning of Writing therapy which is also known as journal therapy, is exactly what it sounds like, journaling therapeutic benefits. This form of therapy is flexible, easily accessible and unlike other forms of therapy, this involves low-cost. It can be done individually with just a person and his pen which is guided by a mental health professional.
The first step in healing has always been communication. The minute we decide we’ll share our thoughts and feelings with someone we’ve already taken step one towards a healthy healing process. In the case of writing therapy, we start off by communicating with ourselves. We share with ourselves about what exactly is going on within us by writing everything down. This medium of expression is as simple as writing a journal but it has little more to it,
- Writing a journal or diary is usually when the writer notes down everything that goes through their minds in the entire day, while therapeutic writing is focused on prompts or exercises.
- While writing in a diary or journal we tend to record events as they occur, while writing therapy is more directed towards thinking about and analysing the events, thoughts, feelings and problems that the writer writes about.
There are many writing exercises that one can follow,
- Writing a letter to yourself, this helps in personal growth
- Writing a letter to others, you can write a letter to your love’s ones or to the people who would’ve hurt you
- Writing a poem, poetry is known as natural medicine. You can pick out a few positive memories and write down your emotions in the form of a poetry
- Free writing, which is writing everything and anything that strikes your mind
Benefits of writing therapy:
In Individuals who have experienced disturbing and stressful events in their lives, expressing themselves through writing can have a remarkable effect. According to a study, when over 100 asthma, rheumatoid and arthritis patients wrote about the most distressing events of their lives, they experienced better health evaluations related to their illness.
I would like to conclude by saying, it might be difficult for us to get started with writing, but the first step is always the hardest. So, let’s try and adapt to this beautiful form of therapy and stay happy!
Written by- Jonathan Williams