There was an article written for CNN Health in 2000, “Writing for therapy helps erase effects of trauma,” which strikes a chord. It says, “Dozens of studies have found that most people, from grade schoolers to nursing home residents, med students to prisoners, feel happier and healthier after writing about deeply traumatic memories, says James Pennebaker, Ph.D., a professor of psychology at the University of Texas and leader or co-leader of many of the studies.
Pennebaker’s interest in the potential of writing therapy was sparked by conversations with government polygraph operators. A criminal’s heart rate and breathing, he learned, is much slower immediately after a confession than before. Since then, he’s spent much of his career proving that we can all feel better after confronting the past through writing.
The effect isn’t just emotional, Pennebaker says. One of his studies, published in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology in April 1988, found that college students had more active Tlymphocyte cells, an indication of immune system stimulation, six weeks after writing about stressful events. Other studies have found that people tend to take fewer trips to the doctor, function better in day-to-day tasks, and score higher on tests of psychological well being after such writing exercises, he says.”
10 Day Book Clubs is an outlet for writing for therapy. A good story is written with passion. Now it can be told. http://www.10daybookclub.com
