Journaling Tips

Q:  You've mentioned journaling several times.  Can you give a concise formula that works best? A.N.

A:  Here is the text of the journaling tips I give my clients:

Did you know that "journaling" is so effective that it has acquired a sophisticated clinical name?  It's called "Scribotherapy."

Here is an approach to journaling, or scribotherapy, that may work for you:

1.  Pick a person whose choices have affected your life in a way that has caused a problem for you, large or small, past or present.  Write a letter addressing that person.  The purpose is NOT to communicate with that person, but to further your own process.  If you want to actually communicate with the person, it will be in a different manner, not in this particular letter.  The person will NOT see the letter you are writing, therefore, explore your feelings thoroughly as you write.

2.  You can write the letter by hand, or you can keyboard it.  The physiological effect of "ex-press-ion," which means "pressing-out," is putting it outside your body, which has stored the emotional memories until now.  The stored energy flows through your arms, hands, and fingers, and onto the page, or the screen, with your intent.

3.  There is no hurry.  You may start the letter one day, continue it another, and finish it later.  Perhaps more than one letter will be needed in order to fully complete the process.  That's okay.  There's no "right" or "wrong" way to do this, and your process will be unique, not exactly like anyone else's.  That's okay, too.

4.  Focus on two factors as you write the letter:

• What are your own feelings - "then and now"?  You can start with the beginning of the relationship, how you felt when you met that person, or if it is a parent, your earliest recollection of feelings toward him or her.  Record the feeling you experience right now, as you are writing the letter, and any feelings in between.  The important thing is that you fully and thoroughly focus on your own feelings.
• How has that person changed or impacted your life?

5.  You needn't keep the letter you have written.  You can burn it or delete it, or simply not save it, or you can send it to yourself in an e-mail.  The effect will be the same, now that you have ex-pressed it.