Writing to Heal » (New Edition)

Heal Your Pain Now with Expressive Writing

What do diarists and journal writers know that can help anyone dealing with a traumatic or emotionally challenging situation recover from pain and regain their peace of mind? They know that the act of putting thoughts and feelings on paper is, itself, a powerful exercise that makes them feel heard and acknowledged-a way of regaining perspective and control over the events that move through their lives.

In this book, the preeminent psychologist and researcher in the growing field of expressive emotions therapy, or EET, takes readers through a series of guided writing exercises that help them explore their feelings about difficult experiences. Each chapter begins with an introduction that explains how to proceed with the journal exercise and what it is structured to help accomplish. Readers are encouraged to do the exercise in the journal itself-each chapter provides plenty of ruled space-so that they can frequently refer to their own work and gain insight and clarity from their own words. The text offers encouragement and gentle advice for breaking through those inevitable moments when mental block make writing impossible; stream-of-consciousness and automatic writing clears away the obstacle and inspires the journal writer to even deeper levels of self-expression. The text stresses throughout the power for understanding and coping with difficult times that lies in storytelling, whether through fiction, dance, or art. In all, the exercises will leave readers with a strong sense of their value in the world and the ability to accept that which is sometimes hard to accept-that life can be good even when it is sometimes bad.

For the first time, a leading authority on expressive emotions therapy, or EET, translates these powerful techniques for emotional healing into a book accessible to general readers. Through guided journal writing exercises, this book helps readers translate their traumatic, emotionally disturbing experiences into powerful writing that is clinically proven to promote recovery.

• Clinical trials indicate that writing about painful experiences can enhance immune response, reduce recovery times, and promote physical, psychological, and social well-being
• This book is the first guided journal written by the preeminent psychologist working in the field of expressive emotions therapy: a step-by-step guide to emotionally expressive writing

About the Author:
James W. Pennebaker. Ph.D., is professor of psychology at the University of Texas at Austin and has been recognized by the American Psychological Association as one of the top researchers on trauma, disclosure, and health. He is the author of Opening Up: The Healing Power of Expressing Emotions.

	Preface	v
Part I	The Essentials of Writing
Chapter 1	Why Write about Trauma or Emotional Upheaval?	3
Chapter 2	Getting Ready to Write	17
Chapter 3	The Basic Writing Technique	25
Chapter 4	Looking Back at Your Writing	51
Part II	Experimenting with Writing
Chapter 5	Breaking Mental Blocks: Stream of Consciousness and Semiautomatic Writing	61
Chapter 6	Appreciating the Good in a Sometimes Bad World	71
Chapter 7	Constructing and Editing Your Story	85
Chapter 8	Changing Perspectives	101
Chapter 9	Experimenting with Context	119
Chapter 10	Writing Creatively: The Power of Fiction, Poetry, Dance, and Art	139
	Resources	157
	References	161