Writing to heal – a short exercise

Dr James Pennebaker, author of 'Opening Up: The Healing Power of Expressing Emotions' shows you how to make sense of distressing, embarrassing or traumatic events with this simple writing exercise

Getting ready to write

• Find a time and place where you won’t be disturbed. Ideally, pick a time at the end of your working day or before you go to bed.
• Promise yourself that you will write for a minimum of 15 minutes a day for at least three or four consecutive days.Once you begin writing, write continuously. Don’t worry about spelling or grammar. If you run out of things to write about, just repeat what you have already written.
• You can write longhand or you can type on a computer. If you are unable to write, you can also talk into a tape recorder.
• You can write about the same thing on all three to four days of writing or you can write about something different each day. It is entirely up to you.

What to write about

• Something that you are thinking or worrying about too much
• Something that you are dreaming about
• Something that you feel is affecting your life in an unhealthy way
• Something that you have been avoiding for days, weeks, or years

Warning: Many people report that after writing, they sometimes feel somewhat sad or depressed. Like seeing a sad movie, this typically goes away in a couple of hours. If you find that you are getting extremely upset about a writing topic, simply stop writing or change topics.


Read Big White Wall’s Q&A with Dr James W. Pennebaker here

Text taken from Dr James Pennebaker’s website

Dr James Pennebaker is the Professor and Chair of Psychology at The University of Texas. His book ‘Opening Up: The Healing Power of Expressing Emotions’ (Guildford Press),  is available to buy for $16.95 (US) or £12.50 (UK)

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