Journal Writing

Researcher, Dr. James Pennebake found that writing about important personal experiences in an emotional way for little as 15 minutes over the course of three days brings about improvement in mental and physical health. This finding has been replicated across age, gender, culture, social class and personality type.

Journal writing is more than a chance to vent emotions. Research has shown that emotional venting without cognitive processing has little value. For healing to occur, you have to begin to tell a different story about yourself. Once you give the experience structure and meaning, the emotional effects of that experience are more manageable.

Examples of Journal Exercises:

Here are some questions you can ask yourself.

• Do I use anger as a way to make me feel safe?

• Do I use guilt or anger to control or manipulate others?

• Do I use the grievance as a way to avoid communication?

• Do I use silence as a weapon?

• Do I hold onto the pain from the past as an excuse for not taking charge of my life today?

• Do I secretly wish to punish the offender?

Think about these questions, and write down your responses:

• Is there anything in the other person’s background that could explain the offensive behavior?

• What was his/her life like growing up?

• Write down what you think may have been happening at the time of the offense.
  
• What was the offender’s self-image at the time?

• How would your offender explain the harmful acts?

• Try to figure out what the motivation might have been.

If you’re forgiving yourself, use your journal to record your development of self-compassion. We learn self-compassion by remembering that when we behave badly, it is because of deep feelings of pain.

• Was the offense an accident?

• Was I negligent or did I offend on purpose?

• Is there anything in my background that would explain my hurtful, inconsiderate or otherwise poor behavior?

• What feelings and pressures made me behave badly?