Writing Therapy: How Language Helps Us Heal

What is writing therapy?

Writing therapy is seen as any form of emotional disclosure through writing which allows a person to investigate their thoughts and feelings.

A clinical version of writing therapy, called expressive writing, emerged from the research of Dr. James Pennebaker in the late 1980’s. His research showed that expressive writing helped strengthen the immune system, improve mental and physical health, and reduce chronic pain. Among the many benefits, it can also help us make meaning from our lived experiences, particularly when they were upsetting, confusing, or traumatic.

The purpose of expressive writing is to share feelings, attitudes, and opinions; thus, it is more about the value of the process and not the final outcome. It may feel a little wild, but that’s because the emotional landscape is a kind of wilderness in and of itself. The felt experience of expressive writing is not unlike wandering down an unknown forest path only to get lost, narrowly elude a predator, find strength in your ability to persevere, and emerge a wiser, more cohesive self.

Pennebaker’s original work on expressive writing focused on healing trauma, but more recent studies on writing therapy speak to its potential as a positive intervention to promote psychological well-being. For instance, many recovering artists may already be quite practiced with writing therapy in the form of Morning Pages from Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way. For those unfamiliar, Morning Pages serve as a type of morning meditative practice entered through stream-of-consciousness writing. The purpose of morning pages is to clear psychic burdens, thereby allowing the space for creative processes to flow more freely. If it sounds like expressive writing, that’s because it is—just applied toward creative recovery.

Whichever variation you choose to work with, writing therapy is a powerful method that allows you to tell your own version of the story, and the way you choose to relate to the events outside of your control. It has a profound impact on your confidence to move forward, your ability to persist in the face of difficult circumstances, and how you nourish yourself through life.

 “Story is far older than the art of science and psychology, and will always be the elder in the equation no matter how much time passes.” – Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estés

How does writing therapy help you heal?

A surprising finding in Pennebaker’s research was that people who kept their traumas to themselves seemed to have worse health outcomes than those who confided in someone. It turns out that not talking about important life issues poses a risk to physical health and science can prove it: the act of writing about emotional topics has a relaxing effect on the body, lowering blood pressure and heart rate almost immediately.

A word of caution is in order. In the short term, writing about traumatic events can intensify painful feelings, so it’s best to reserve some time afterwards to reflect and take care of yourself. Pennebaker recommends not writing about anything you don’t feel ready to reflect on; for instance, a traumatic event that happened very recently and which may feel too raw or disorganized. Despite the pain that comes from confronting difficult emotions, it’s worth sticking with it. Long term effects of expressive writing include reduced depressive symptoms, rumination, general anxiety, and enhance a person’s social life.

However, expressive writing doesn’t have to be all about revisiting past traumas. It is also considered a “flourishing” practice in some contexts, helping to develop resilience and increase overall happiness. In my coaching work, I frequently use this type of narrative construction with my clients, guiding them to reflect on their strengths and past success so we can build momentum—we acknowledge the pain of being stuck, but we keep an eye toward what comes after.

Writing therapy provides relief and hope with little more than a pen and paper.

Through the lens of positive psychology, writing therapy can promote greater degrees of health and happiness. Martin Seligman, widely considered the founder of positive psychology, found that autobiographical narratives such as writing out gratitude, times when you were at your best, and acknowledging good things in life to be evidence-based interventions to promote happiness. When we write using exercises designed to build self-efficacy, this can help us gather resources and skills to move forward with greater confidence and intention.

To be honest, it is hard to find anything that expressive writing can’t do in terms of improving our emotional health and well-being. It strikes me that one of the most wondrous benefits of writing and storytelling is their ability to affect a person such that they are more self-aware, understanding, and open-minded—all practices that develop empathy.

“The arts, in some sense, do “teach us to love” and to live—beyond simply offering a way to “purge” our most distressing emotions.” – Megan Hayes, PhD 

Why creative writing classes are a great space to write therapeutically

While we use expressive writing to be honest with ourselves first and foremost, it can help to have the support of a trusted community to hold you through any process of growth or healing. Writing alongside your peers, in an inclusive, value-aligned space isn’t necessarily about making the therapeutic practice more effective—you don’t need to share what you wrote about to experience the healing benefits of writing—but community can serve as a container for support and self-care.

Research shows that clients in group coaching programs consistently report greater success in working toward their goals, in part because of the shared learning, sense of belonging, and emotional support. Some forms of expressive writing may resurface painful experiences, inevitably causing us physiological stress. Fortunately, humans are wired to relate and regulate together—we find our center just being in the presence of others who are grounded. When we have people who can participate in and witness our experiences, we are more resilient, feel less isolated, and build community through shared story.

If you’re looking for the space to build community and share your stories, be sure to check out the online creative writing courses at Writers.com. 

Writing therapy prompts

If you’re curious to get started, a first step may be to set an intention around what you want to get out of writing therapy. Is it to find new meaning after emotional upheaval and distress? Are you feeling stuck and unmotivated? Or, perhaps you are seeking to cultivate happiness and a life that centers your values.

As for a procedure, Pennebaker suggests writing 15-20 minutes a day, continuously without regard to spelling or grammar. Don’t write to impress anyone. You can even burn it if you like—the point of this exercise is for your benefit only.

Here are a few prompts to get you started:

• Morning pages: As soon as you wake up in the morning, hand write stream-of-consciousness style until three pages are filled. You can write what you’re thinking about, feeling, hearing, or noticing. Track your thoughts and feelings as they occur.
• Creative block: Write about a time in the past when you experienced a block around your writing. How were you feeling at the time? What about your past experience is similar to your block now? What do you think is keeping you from getting started?
• Emotional experience: Pick something that has deeply influenced your life that you feel ready and safe to write about. You can write about the event itself or explore how it affected you—what you felt then, and how you feel about it now.
• Finding Forgiveness: Recall a situation where you were not treated well by someone. How did you feel before, during, and after the event? How might that person have felt and why? What do you think was going on in their life during the event? If you feel as if you can forgive them, write out what you would say to them.
• Monster Story: Write a story about a person who was overly critical or made you feel down about your creative talents in some way. Be specific about the event, what they did or said, and how it made you feel at the time.
• Self-Sabotage: What are three self-destructive habits that keep you from nurturing your best self as a writer/friend/parent and cause shame or guilt? Write about these habits and how they make you feel. How might they be sabotaging your dreams and aspirations for yourself?
• Chronic Contemplation: Write about something you desire to be different but hesitate when it comes to taking action. How is keeping this situation the same negatively affecting you? What might be the benefits of changing? How would it feel to shift this pattern?
• Creative Champion: Write a letter to a person who championed your creativity, perhaps a teacher, friend, or parent. Explain how their actions made you feel at the time and how they continue to have an impact on your creativity to this day.
• Childhood Room: Describe your room from when you were a child. What did you love most about it? What do you love most about your current room? How did it make you feel, and how might you recreate that in your current environment?
• New Origin Story: Rewrite a narrative from a time where you faced struggle. Focus on lessons you learned and strengths you gained through the experience of adversity.
• Obituary: Write a life summary through the eyes of a grandchild or student. What stands out to you? Is there anything that you would like to do differently?
• Values Exploration: Write about a time when you felt like you were living in alignment, with a strong sense of purpose and meaning. What were you doing? Who were you with? What values were you living in this experience that you want to center in your life now?
• Three Good Things: For each day of the week, write about three good things that happened. Expand on why these good things happened. How can you have more of them in the future?
• Wiser Self: Imagine you are your older, wiser self. What did you do in mid-life that you’re proud of or that you enjoyed? Be as specific as possible. What would your wise, older self like to tell you now? What dreams might they encourage you to pursue? Write a letter to yourself as your older, wiser self.
• Younger Self: Remember yourself at eight years old. Describe what you liked to do, and what your favorite things were. What would your eight-year-old self tell you now? Write a letter from you at eight to you at your current age.

Here are several tips to harness the most benefit from expressive writing:

• Name emotions. Give space for positive and negative feelings about your experience.
• Find new meaning. Start to reconstruct your reality by building a cohesive story.
• Shift perspective. Can you view your experience through another person’s eyes?
• Be open and honest. This writing should reflect who you really are, not seek to impress.
• Don’t over-analyze and get stuck. Keep moving forward by asking “What’s next?”

Writing therapy may change the trajectory of your life

A final word of warning about the power of expressive writing: you may never be able to go back to being the person you were before. Through my own expressive writing practice, and with the support of a coach, I took an honest look at my experience of burnout and what was holding me back—my shame, self-doubt, fears about releasing an old identity. I found that confronting these painful emotions freed up new energy for me to invest toward a more authentic vision of who I wanted to be. Something more congruent began to take shape. Eventually, I walked away from a depleting, misaligned situation to embark on a whole new way of living and working. Now I am a business owner and burnout recovery and resilience coach at Gentle Roots Wellness. I turned my tragedy into a whole new trajectory—don’t say I didn’t warn you.

I found that confronting these painful emotions freed up new energy for me to invest toward a more authentic vision of who I wanted to be.

As you begin or enhance your own exploration in writing therapy, remember that it’s not about the product, it’s the process. It’s not your writing ability, attention to grammar, or whether you write by hand or type on a computer that makes this practice effective. Write in any language and style that you like—it won’t matter. If you feel like something is too intense to write about, then leave it for another day. You don’t have to share what you write with anyone you don’t trust—you probably shouldn’t share it with people you don’t trust to accept the real you. According to Pennebaker there’s no single best way to “write about or to get past an emotional upheaval.” His advice, if any, is to “Stick with what works and drop what doesn’t. Above all, trust your own intuition to recognize whether you are going in the right direction.”

References & Further Readings on Writing Therapy

• Cameron, J. (1992). The artist’s way: A spiritual path to higher creativity. Jeremy P. Tarcher/Perigee.
• Hayes, M. (2017). The flourishing writer. Writing in Practice, 3. https://doi.org/10.62959/WIP-03-2017-12
• Pennebaker, J. W. (2004). Writing to heal: A guided journal for recovering from trauma and emotional upheaval. New Harbinger Publications.
• Tomasulo, D. J., & Pawelski, J. O. (2012). Happily ever after: The use of stories to promote positive interventions. Psychology, 3(12A), 1189–1195. https://doi.org/10.4236/psych.2012.312A176