5 Facts about Healing Power of Writing Therapy

Writing therapy offers a safe way to get thoughts and feelings down on paper or electronically so that you can deal with them effectively. When you feel like you have got so much going on in your head and your heart that you are going to explode, having an outlet for your feelings is a way to stop the train of thought from going around in circles so that you can start the healing process. These 5 facts about the healing power of writing therapy will help you understand the effectiveness of this tool for personal growth.

1. Writing therapy can boost your immune system.

Research studies have shown that spending 20 minutes a day for three or four days will increase the body's immune system functioning. Texas researcher Dr. James Pennebaker found that the release of stress had a positive effect on his study participants and it helped them to fight off disease and infections.

2. Writing therapy can help to heal stress, depression, and trauma.

Writing down thoughts and feelings is not a cure, but it can be part of the treatment process. A person can learn to identify triggers for mood swings and develop coping skills with the help of an experienced therapist. Another way writing therapy can help with the healing process is to remind a patient how far he or she has come in recovery. Often, progress is very slow and a person can look back over journal entries to remind him or herself of how far he or she has come in treatment.

3. Writing therapy improves the health of people with asthma, arthritis, and chronic pelvic pain.

Studies have shown that asthma patients who participated in a writing therapy program had improved lung function compared to the control group. Arthritis patients who participated in a laboratory-based program reported less pain. Women living with chronic pelvic pain also reported less discomfort after participating in a writing therapy program. Having an outlet for their thoughts, feelings and concerns that was guided by an expert therapist was helpful for these patients, and they may have benefited from the idea that they were not alone in their health concerns.

4. Writing therapy leads to lower blood pressure and improved lung function.

The act of getting troubling thoughts or experiences down on paper or on the computer means a client doesn't have to feel burdened by them anymore. It can feel like a weight has been lifted off his or her shoulders. The stress of these emotional experiences shows up in physical complaints like high blood pressure. Getting them out can mean the client feels physically lighter and more able to cope with events in his or her life.

5. Writing therapy can improve mood and working memory.

When people are less stressed and feeling good about themselves and their life, they find it much easier to focus on things and events around them. Stress makes even everyday things much more challenging. Short-term memory can be impaired, leading to more stress, which turns into a vicious cycle over time.

Writing down areas of concern or stressful situations are a way for a client to take back control of a situation. In some cases, the cause of the stress is a relationship that has ended, but the feelings are still very much in the present. The client can write them down, deal with them, and move on.

When faced with intense thoughts and feelings that have no where to go, writing therapy can help a client deal with them in a safe manner. Writing them down has a number of healing health benefits.