Journaling as Therapy - Getting to Know Yourself

The most widely recommended tool by therapists and counselors to supplement therapy is journaling. People who consistently journal report better understanding of themselves, being more in touch with feelings, and being better able to deal with the past. Journaling can be done by all ages, without worry of grammar, spelling, or vocabulary. It is the ultimate self-help tool and also the most cost efficient.

Mary sought help with a therapist because of continuing anxiety. She had a difficult time pinpointing the things that produced her feelings of nervousness. She just knew she seemed progressively less able to cope with her daily life. Her therapy was helping but she felt she could go deeper than an hourly session could permit, and on expressing this to her therapist, she suggested journaling. Mary told the therapist she had attempted journaling in the past, but had never been very successful at it. The therapist, after further questioning, learned that Mary’s fear was not “doing it right.” Mary told the therapist she had repeatedly purchased expensive leather journals, only to stare at the blank page and not know what to write that would be important enough to “mess up the clean page.”

There is no “right way” to journal. The journaling experience can be as unique as the person doing it. It can also be adapted to suit the individual’s needs. Buying an expensive journal is not necessary. In fact, most therapists report better results when their patients use an ordinary spiral notebook or legal pad, at least in the beginning. This reduces performance anxiety of having to write something profound. One therapist advised her client to write on the first page of her notebook, in large letters, “There is no RIGHT way to do this!”