Psychotherapists highlight the benefits and healing power in the simple act of writing
Diving into pages, with a nib that pours one’s heart out, is where writing starts. For some, it may be a rudimentary every day task. For others, a haven of solace where they pour bouts of their grief onto blank sheets of paper. All in all, writing comes with an abundance of therapeutic offerings.
A Gentle Tap
“Writing things down nudges you to first tap into thoughts to understand the emotion you are feeling,” says Harleen Bagga, Psychotherapist and Wellness Coach, Founder of Soul Therapy from Hyderabad. It is a gentle tap on your shoulder that makes you aware of what you are feeling. She explains that gauging a plethora of emotions can feel tedious. Writing helps you filter what you feel from a web of complex emotions.
Rajeshwari Luther, Psycho-logist at Hope Trust from Hyderabad, opines that jour-naling often acts like a mirror that helps reflect inner turmoil. Emphasising that once the pain or grief begins to surface, managing it only gets easier. She says, “I have seen people through heartbreak, grief, anxiety, also episodes of burnout. These individuals have come out with more clarity and calm after investing in writing habits.” She quips, “It may not always ‘fix’ things, but it softens the intensity of emotions by paving way for a release.”
Structuring Emotions
Think of writing as structuring what you feel. The rationale behind writing is a mix of psychology and neuroscience. Psychologists call it ‘emotional labelling.’ You start by ‘calling out’ on emotions you feel. It makes you aware of the feeling and churning that goes on within. Rajeshwari explains, “We don’t realise but naming feelings helps reduce their intensity.”
The penning down of emotions into words further makes them seem easy to deal with. Another blind spot that writing hits is that it recognises previous thought patterns, enabling you to actively gauge yourself. And thanks to the journal, it helps you identify (through records) similar instances or people that have triggered a certain emotion.
Healing Power
It was psychologist James Pennebaker from the University of Texas at Austin who pioneered research on the ‘healing power of writing’. He found that people who engaged in active journaling of traumatic events experienced improved physical and mental health. They didn’t need any person to help them feel better. Just revisiting a certain memory or event with a different point of view and writing it down did the trick. Harleen explains, “Repeated thought patterns make a belief.”
Harleen opines that its important people feed themselves with memories that provide a sense of positive beliefs. Harleen adds: “For instance, if I believe I am loved, that enables me to become secure and better but if I believe I am constantly judged, it would simply create a web of insecurities and doubts.”
Stay Within Limits
While writing as a habit could prove to be beneficial, don’t overdo it. Without the right guidance, journaling too can backfire if one is pre-tuned to only having entries centered around self-doubt. Such a person would end up feeding oneself with a bag full of shortcomings. Most of which may not even be true. Harleen adds, “Also, if your entries are about being infatuated with someone, it would simply act as a catalyst, a perfect recipe for disaster in the long run.” There also comes a thin line of difference between venting and journaling. Rajeshwari points out that venting can be cathartic. “Journaling is more about writing with a sense of gratitude and acceptance.” It is normal to have negative experiences, but there should be an intentional effort to maintain a healthy balance of expression.
Perhaps, the power of writing is more than just letters or words. It’s about finding solace and warmth from a range of wildly dancing emotions to a space of soothingly calming words!
