Some say that adults even have to consider the consequences of a breakdown. In order not to worry our family members and to maintain our apparent dignity, we have nowhere to turn to when we urgently need emotional support, and seeking help from psychological services is another difficult step. Then, in the face of psychological distress, we can also try a convenient, timely, effective and safe self-regulation method - writing therapy.
Writing therapy is a type of expressive narrative therapy, which is a self-help therapy method that uses paper and pen to record life events, express opinions, vent emotions, and self-awareness. Writing has no strict requirements of time and venue, no training, and no need to read obscure psychology books. For ordinary people with emotional distress and stress, they can do it by themselves at any time.
The effects of writing therapy
In 1986, Dr. Pennebaker chose to use the experimental control method to study the impact of writing on personal mental health. He found that writing about traumatic events and their related emotional feelings resulted in a significant improvement in measurable mental health levels, which opened the door to expression. A scientific research paradigm on the relationship between sexual writing and mental health, and a large number of follow-up experiments have proved that writing can effectively improve mental health and alleviate chronic diseases. Some patients with depression, chronic diseases, and veterans who have experienced trauma have said that they have benefited from long-term writing therapy. Dr. Edward Murray, a professor of psychology at the University of Miami, praised writing as having the same healing effect as a psychotherapist.
So why is writing therapy so healing?
● Writing allows us to vent our emotions safely
Affected by factors such as living environment, traditional culture, etc., we are required to look down on the pompousness and neither joy nor sadness. Emotions are an important way for individuals to adapt to survival and development, and their attitudes towards stimulating events will inevitably lead to a series of physiological reactions. Even if emotions are temporarily suppressed, they will be manifested in other forms later.
Emotions need to be channeled, and writing therapy allows us to vent our troubles and emotions safely, without burdening ourselves or others, without caring about any moral criticism, not to mention secular rules and regulations. Wronged.
● Writing helps us reflect and accept ourselves
Cognitive neuroscientist Professor Adam Zeman of Exeter Medical School in the UK has found that the act of writing lights up the posterior cingulate cortex, an area of the brain associated with consciousness and thought, suggesting that when writing The brain helps us understand the relationship between life experiences and ourselves in deep and personal ways.
Presenting events in words and describing our attitudes and opinions can help us integrate the information at the time, understand why we respond in that way, and deepen our self-awareness and understanding. Psychoanalysis emphasizes that past experiences and experiences affect our present life, and when we experience bad moments, we involuntarily activate the defense mechanisms formed in the past to deal with them. After intense emotions dissipate and reason returns, rereading the written materials and re-examining the events themselves as observers can help us discover the key information that triggers emotions, accept and understand ourselves more, and avoid the repetition of negative events.
● Writing can promote the efficiency of thinking
The cognitive resources of the brain are limited. In the plethora of life information, there are times when the brain cannot handle it. Not only will it become more and more chaotic, but it will also make mistakes in the midst of the busyness. Feelings of anxiety and frustration will follow, and even lead to procrastination. . By writing, listing goals and plans, it is equivalent to freeing up memory for the brain and clarifying the priority of each goal, so that we can better focus on our work, and we will be more calm and confident, which invisibly improves work efficiency.
● Writing is a positive psychological suggestion
Self-fulfilling prophecy is a common phenomenon in psychology, in which people unconsciously act according to their inner expectations and eventually make their prophecies come true. When we record our inner expectations and encouragement to ourselves in words, it is like giving ourselves positive psychological hints to enhance your performance and confidence. In addition, the brain also tends to look for positive information that matches our expectations, making us feel lucky at all times, so life and work will go more smoothly.
How does the average person use writing therapy?
1 Clarify the context in which writing therapy is applicable
Writing therapy is suitable for ordinary people without mental illness or mental illness, that is, although the mental health status fluctuates occasionally, it does not reach the point of affecting the normal life of the individual.
Writing therapy is also applicable to a wide range of situations, such as those who have recently experienced small ups and downs in life, are committed to improving themselves, or are at a major turning point in life. But if you are going through a traumatic event, be sure to prepare yourself before writing, ask yourself if you are ready to face the trauma, and keep an eye on your state during the writing process. The worse it is, stop in time and seek professional psychological help.
2 Define the setting of writing therapy
In general, writing therapy does not have strict setting regulations. When psychologists have analyzed the efficacy of writing therapy in the past two decades, they have not directly found the impact of writing time and frequency on the efficacy. But in comparison, those who persist for a long time will benefit more.
For writing therapy, the ideal situation is to form your own writing rules and stick to them for a long time, starting at a fixed time and lasting more than ten minutes each time, in a quiet, relaxed and warm environment, using paper and pen instead of computers.
3 The topic of writing depends on personal purpose
The choice of writing topic depends on the current state of the individual and the purpose of writing formed after the integration of the problem. Only with a purpose can our exploration effectively relieve discomfort and evaluate the healing effect. For example, some people choose to write work plans to alleviate procrastination; some people choose to record daily life events to reflect on and optimize themselves; some people pour out unspeakable things to relieve anxiety.
There is no optimal theme for writing. Only by choosing the theme that best suits our current purpose and state can we promote our exploration and expression.
4. Writing content should be biased towards positive factors
When writing, the content of personal writing should be biased towards positive factors, pay attention to summarizing their successful coping methods and experiences in negative events, and be good at affirming and praising themselves.
Although writing therapy can provide a timely emotional outlet after experiencing trauma and setbacks, long-term immersion in negative events and negative emotions can easily form a negative self-awareness and fail to see one’s own positive factors and resources. Conversely, Affects personal development and interpersonal relationships. The purpose of writing therapy is to help us be a better version of ourselves, not get caught in a victim mental loop.
.jpg)
