Pen to Paper

The act of putting pen to paper encourages pause for thought, this in turn makes us think more deeply about life, which helps us regain our equilibrium.. 

~Norbet Platt


When I was studying psychology, my professor was very clear that there were no such things as bad feelings.  He emphasized that the attached or follow up behavior from our feelings is what could be defined as good or bad.  These statements always led to discussions on exploring our feelings to learn the truth of our whole being.  Our written assignments always led to valuable self-discovery.

OPENING UP, The Healing Power of Expressing Emotions, by James W. Pennebaker, Ph.D. is an engaging book on  "how putting emotionally upsetting experiences into words can affect your thoughts, feelings, and physical health."  In addition to therapeutic sessions, using a journal can assist and deepen the journey to self-discovery and acceptance.

Years ago, while listening to the stories of senior women, I quickly realized that any kind of trauma or emotional experience was rarely discussed.  They were not eager to report incidences as they falsely assumed personal shame and guilt instead of placing responsibility on the person inflicting the action.  The word 'sex' was never spoken out loud in the home, and any subject on feelings was never discussed, so these women carried the burden of their experiences without any healthy outlet.

In our current life styles, we have access to a variety of people whom we may deem trustworthy, such as:  best friend, relative, therapist, doctor, minister, or mentor.  Even so, there are many individuals wandering through their lives as wounded children.  They have repressed their experiences, ignoring them through over working, excessive sports or drinking, or other inappropriate behavior.  These negative behaviors impact our mental, emotional, physical and spiritual aspects of healthy living.

Dr. James W. Pennebaker has researched the end results of writing for well being.  He suggests that "writing clears the mind, helps resolve trauma, helps in acquiring and remembering new information and fosters problem solving." 

Some people have the impression that we need to let 'sleeping dogs lie' but research is showing the correlation between our mind, body and spirit.  When our thoughts are being repressed, they are a distraction or a mental block to clear thinking.   If we 'stuff our feelings' our bodies begin to be impacted producing poor health and medical issues.  Lastly, we can become depressed, breaking our authentic spiritual self, losing our connectedness with others.  In each of these stages, writing can be used as a successful coping technique.  It is affordable, easily accessible, and confidential.

There is great reward in having a trusted individual in our life to listen as we voice our words as our stories need to be told.  Listeners can offer support, encouragement, and guidance.  It is important to have those who can stand present in our life.  There are also times, however, when we cannot yet speak our truth out loud.  It is during these episodes that writing can be invaluable.

Keeping a journal is not just for trauma or negative experiences.  Writing can help keep a balance in our daily life.  It can help organize our emotional make up.  Recordings can reflect gratitude and a thankful heart that will be encouraging and supportive when re-read later when life is not running quite so smoothly. Jotting down favorite prayers can be uplifting at a later time when rediscovered.  Writing can be considered a vital tool in maintaining a healthy mind, body, and spirit. 

Journals are all different and writers are unique as well.  It doesn't matter if we write daily or only when we are struggling.  The importance is having an arena to express unfiltered thoughts and words that can lead to insights and discovery.