Writing therapy

Writing therapy; relieving tension and emotion, establishing self-control and understanding the situation after words are transmitted on paper

Writing therapy[1][2] is a form of expressive therapy that uses the act of writing and processing the written word in clinical interventions for healing and personal growth.[3] Writing therapy posits that writing one's feelings gradually eases feelings of emotional trauma;[4] studies have found this therapy primarily beneficial for alleviating stress caused by previously undisclosed adverse events and for those suffering from medical conditions associated with the immune system.[5] Writing therapeutically can take place individually or in a group and can be administered in person with a therapist or remotely through mailing or the Internet.[6]

The field of writing therapy includes many practitioners in a variety of settings, usually administered by a therapist or counselor. Writing group leaders also work in hospitals with patients dealing with mental and physical illnesses. In university departments, they aid student self-awareness and self-development. Online and distance interventions are useful for those who prefer to remain anonymous and/or are not ready to disclose their most private thoughts and anxieties in a face-to-face situation.[7]

As with most forms of therapy, writing therapy is adapted and used to work with a wide range of psychoneurotic issues, including bereavement, desertion and abuse.[8] Many interventions take the form of classes where clients write on specific themes chosen by the therapist or counselor. Assignments may include writing unsent letters to selected individuals, alive or dead, followed by imagined replies from the recipient, or a dialogue with the recovering alcoholic's bottle of alcohol.

  1. ^ Kelly RE, Wood AM, Shearman K, Phillips S, Mansell W (June 2012). "Encouraging acceptance of ambivalence using the expressive writing paradigm". Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice. 85 (2): 220–228. doi:10.1111/j.2044-8341.2011.02023.x. PMID 22903911.
  2. ^ Thiel L, Sage K, Conroy P (3 April 2015). "Retraining writing for functional purposes: a review of the writing therapy literature" (PDF). Aphasiology. 29 (4): 423–441. doi:10.1080/02687038.2014.965059. S2CID 145121933.
  3. ^ Ruini C, Mortara CC (2022). "Writing Technique Across Psychotherapies—From Traditional Expressive Writing to New Positive Psychology Interventions: A Narrative Review". Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy. 52: 23–34. doi:10.1007/s10879-021-09520-9. PMID 34538888.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Pennebaker 1997 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Singer, George H.S., Jessica Early, Talitha Buschor, Destiny Hoerberg, and Hui Zhang. (2023). "Writing as Physical and Emotional Healing: An Umbrella Review of Meta-Analyses." The Routledge International Handbook of Research on Writing. 2nd Ed. Rosalind Horowitz, ed. Routledge Taylor & Francis, New York: 394-407. 401;403
  6. ^ Ruwaard, Jeroen, Alfred Lange, Bart Schrieken, and Paul Emmelkamp. "Efficacy and effectiveness of online cognitive behavioral treatment: a decade of interapy research." Annual Review of Cybertherapy and Telemedicine 2011 (2011): 9-14.
  7. ^ Siegel-Acevedo D (1 July 2021). "Writing Can Help Us Heal from Trauma". Harvard Business Review.
  8. ^ van Emmerik AA, Reijntjes A, Kamphuis JH (2013). "Writing Therapy for Posttraumatic Stress: A Meta-Analysis". Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics. 82 (2): 82–88. doi:10.1159/000343131. PMID 23295550. S2CID 21918738.