Writing is Healing

Pennebaker (1997) wrote about writing as therapy.  Here are some gems from the article:

"For the past decade, an increasing number of studies have demonstrated that when individuals write about emotional experiences, significant physical and mental health improvements follow."

"The mere act of disclosure is a powerful therapeutic agent that may account for a substantial percentage of the variance in the healing process."

In ancient indigenous cultures in Mexico, there was a community leader called "Comedor de Pecados" or "Eater of Sins."  It seems we have always needed a place to put it - a ritual for disclosure.


In this article, Pennebaker shares the standard script or writing directive used in his studies:

"For the next 3 days, I would like for you to write about your very deepest thoughts and feelings about an extremely important emotional issue that has affected you and your life.  In your writing, I'd like you to really let go and explore your very deepest emotions and thoughts.

You might tie your topic to...
...your relationships with others including parents, lovers, friends, or relatives
...to your past, your present or your future
...or to who you have been, who you would like to be or who you are now.

You may write about the same general issues or experiences on all days of writing or on different topics each day.  All of your writing will be completely confidential.  Don't worry about spelling, sentence structure, or grammar.  The only rule is that once you begin writing, continue to do so until your time is up."

"Even though a large number of participants report crying or being deeply upset by the experience, the overwhelming majority report that the writing experience was valuable and meaningful in their lives."

Writing has been found to be associated with...

• significant drops in doctor visits from before to after writing
• beneficial influences on immune function
• long-term improvements in mood and indicators of well-being compared with writing about control topics
• significant reductions in distress
• improvements in grades among students who write about emotional topics
• getting new jobs more quickly and reduced self-reported alcohol intake among Senior professionals who have been laid off from their jobs 
• lower rates of absences among university staff members who write about emotional topics compared to control participants

"When individuals write or talk about personally upsetting experiences in the laboratory, consistent and significant health improvements are found.  The effects are found in both subjective and objective markers of health and well-being.  The disclosure phenomenon appears to generalize across settings, most individual differences, and many Western cultures, and is independent of social feedback."

Reference:
Pennebaker, J.W. (1997).  Writing About Emotional Experiences as a Therapeutic Process.  Psychological Science, 8(3), 162-166.