Journaling for Health

Posted by Jeannie Delahunt Nov 17, 2008

Journaling is a therapeutic tool to help its author cope with just about anything. It may be used as a coping tool or as an accessory for other functions. I have a few of my own for different purposes.

My desired focus for now is for getting in touch with oneself. The journal and the collage were the two favorite forms of therapy tools used when I was a practicing substance abuse counselor. Clients enjoyed these methods, and so did I.

An important aspect of journaling is reflection. There wasn't enough room to include this facet within my article, so I wanted to touch upon it here. Every half a dozen or so entries, go back and reflect upon the entries. It might be good to leave some room between entries should you want to add to them later.

Reflection allows the author to grow. As I mentioned in my article, journaling allows all of the dimensions within a person to come together and unite. Depending upon how disconnected a person is within, it may take a while. Going back to reflect helps this process along. The mind can only process so much at one time. Repeated sessions helps the mind to process some more.

As I mentioned in the article, if there is or has been trauma, it is best to journal with the help of a trained professional. When trauma victims begin to journal there may be a tendency to release all of the emotions at once, which, on the one hand is cathartic, but on the other hand can be scary and disconcerting, especially if there have been a flood of buried negative emotions such as rage and fury. A trained professional can help to put these emotions into a safe region.

Journaling is one method of releasing negative emotions. Because the author controls when to begin and end, if the emotions are becoming too strong, simply putting the pen or pencil down and changing activities helps to stop the floodgates.

Journaling can help reveal secrets that the author may not know about himself or herself. That is why reflection is important. Reviewing allows the mind to connect again with the other facets of the personality.

I can't stress this enough, however: with trauma, such as incest, rape, domestic violence, etc., journaling with a trained professional is the way to go. Experiencing a sudden flood of emotions can be very scary. A trained professional can safely guide the process so that the author receives the maximum therapeutic benefits.

The recordings Princess Di created to help author Andrew Morton compose her biography was healing for this woman. I believe it helped her to put her life into perspective, including her destructive behaviors, thus allowing her to move forward.

So, what are you waiting for? :)