The Value of Monologues

What does it mean to heal oneself through journaling? Do the words have to be exceptional? In one sense they do—healing happens when people yield to honest emotions. Self-healing doesn’t mean performing extraordinary feats or putting on a brave face. In fact, compliance, conformity, self-sacrifice, denial of hostility or anger, and non-expression of emotion seem to be related to poor health. Long-term studies are underway and suggest the personality traits that actively enhance longevity are a sense of meaning and purpose in life, a sense of personal responsibility for one’s health, an ability to express one’s needs and emotions while maintaining a sense of humor.

In his book, Peace, Love & Healing, Dr. Bernie S. Siegel gives many suggestions for ways to stay well or get better if you’re not well to begin with; one of his prescriptions is: “Do things that bring you a sense of fulfillment, joy, and purpose, that validate your worth. See you life as your own creation, and strive to make it a positive one.” If you accept the value of his statement, journaling can help by allowing you to explore your own sense of fulfillment free from outside influences. Writing solely for oneself voices the internal monologues. Write about the best possible outcome for your situation. Don’t worry about whether it is practical or immediately attainable. Assume the role of a scientist and research what works best for you. Put your explorations down on paper or on a computer. Write down the inner ramblings, trust your instincts, and become more aware of what truly makes life worthwhile. No one else can define “joy, truth, or love” for you. Finding the words to express those values is one prescription each of us should write for ourselves.

Elegy at the Death of a Friend

My thoughts drop off.

Logic’s loops unwrap.

Half-drunk beverages litter the house.

My thoughts fall off an emotional cliff.

My mind cannot grasp the idea.

Writing becomes self-healing when it taps into emotions

In our writing workshop it continually happens that people find things out about themselves by writing. We provide a writing topic each month, but we always leave the door open for the subconscious mind to bring up issues that are percolating beneath the surface. The topics we write about are like incentives. We give the mind permission to open up to the hand — and (with a little practice) people find that the heart also gets involved. They uncover wonderful, challenging things that they did not realize before they wrote about them.

People find themselves writing about:

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

When this happens, writing becomes self-healing.

Dear Cancer Patient,

I am sorry about your diagnosis. Everyone who goes through cancer treatment has a different experience. I cannot understand all of what you are going through but can relate to some of it. The last five years have not been easy for me either. Seven surgeries, nonexistent white blood cell count, two courses of chemotherapy and resulting heart damage have made me an expert—not about cancer—but about myself.

What has helped me survive an aggressive form of the disease? Good question. I was diagnosed before the latest advances that allow doctors to know immediately whether chemotherapy is working. So the doctors took their best guess, gave me a chance to fight back, and I went along with the decisions, not particularly confident of the outcome.

The “sinking in” of the possibility that I could have died has come back recently with the diagnosis of cancers affecting two close family members. They have aggressive forms of the disease too. Will they make it? Nothing is certain.

The immune system is the police and border guard for the body. It seeks and destroys invaders. A cancer is a mutation, and by the time a cell is cancerous it is identifiable as different from the rest of the body. By rights, no one should get cancer and yet we do, because the immune system gets switched off by environmental factors or as a response to unrelieved stress. Obviously my policing system was not working well. The important part of that sentence is: that was in the past. Lately, the immune police have returned to duty.

Ultimately the power to survive comes after the aggressive medical treatment. The “adjunct” therapies are what pushed me onto the road toward survivorship. After the initial shock and after the doctors had done their best to knock down the cancer, I was able to link mind and body and spirit. Somehow I tapped into the power the mind has to heal the body. My body parts demanded permission to be sick. I told them they also had the power to get better.

Items known to be self-healing include: yoga, therapeutic writing, tai chi, acupuncture, social support, stillness meditation, hypnosis, and guided imagery. What is important for each patient is to explore what techniques work best for him or her. My solution arrived in several separate shipments. I investigated therapeutic writing first then yoga. Later on I learned all I could about meditation, guided imagery and medical hypnosis. Which technique saved my life? The answer can only be: my exploration of the possibilities.

Simplicity

Arrange for some time to sit quietly in a place of refuge. Allow yourself to become calm and attentive, using breath to settle yourself in your body and heart.

Then in a gentle way review your current life. Bring to mind each of several areas, including work, your relationships or family, your finances, your leisure, your possessions, your goals, your spiritual life. One by one, as each area comes to mind, ask yourself the following questions: What would it be like to simplify this part of my life? What could I let go easily? What could I do to make this part of my life more quiet and simple?

Write about the choices that arise from within. At first, jot them down without censoring or editing. For now, just capture them on paper. Allow a great many ideas to emerge.

Later go back to read what you wrote. Notice which ideas feel comfortable and which feel difficult or frightening. The object is not to change anything immediately. In this moment you are simply noting where you desire more simplicity in your life and where this is possible. How can you make room for simplicity? Take the time to become aware of what steps you might take then make a resolution to make changes.

Reinforce the notion that simplicity is possible by choosing one idea and actually putting it into place. As you change your attitudes about your habits and lifestyle, it becomes easier to simplify.

Engage both sides of your brain

There is one writing technique that deserves a column of its own, and that is putting the pen or pencil in your non-dominant hand. When I first say that, people look at me funny. They say something like, ‘It’s hard to write that way and defeats the purpose of trying to get your emotions down on paper.’

But the purpose of therapeutic journaling is to help you understand how to look at life in new ways. If writing with the wrong hand is too hard at first, start out by doing other things that you don't normally do with your non-dominant hand. Brushing your teeth, eating lunch, dialing the telephone, flipping a coin, etc... By exercising both hands you are giving the opposite side of your brain a chance to perform. A right-handed person will always be using the left side of their brain and the other side will never get a chance to learn how to do certain activities. Allowing the non-dominate side of the brain to do activities it doesn't normally do will quickly create all sorts of new associations in that part of the mind. This is an easy exercise, and it has excellent results.

And so it is with journaling, it is an opportunity to find talents, joys and sorrows that were deeply covered over by the habits of a lifetime. Give yourself permission to go inside. You may be surprised by what you find if you open yourselves to the process.

Remember to trust your instincts too. At first, you may find that writing makes you feel worse, but do not get caught in a spiral of self-pity. If writing does not provide benefits or solutions, seek guidance from a doctor or professional counselor. Journaling is not a substitute for medical treatment. It is a method of self-help that has helped many people in a wide variety of situations.

In future posts, I will explore other writing methods.

Writing is a Great Way to Disengage

The first research studies in the 1980s showed that journaling about one’s deepest emotions had health benefits no one expected to find. Later studies questioned the writing process. How could expressive writing work so well? The researchers began to focus on “content” analysis. They evaluated the essays participants wrote, looking for the use of insight words, causal words and words associated with cognitive activity and found these types of words correlated with health benefits. The people who expressed more positive emotion (relative to negative emotion) enjoyed the greatest health benefits. Finding something good to write about, even when recalling negative experiences, helped people disengage from the trauma.

Here are a few writing techniques that help put distance or a new perspective on a difficult experience:

• Third-person point of view instead of “I said” change to “He said…she said.”
• Second-person point of view, “You said…”
• Humor/Satire, no one will read it, so let the jokes fly.
• Role Playing (take someone else’s part)

In future posts, I will explore more writing methods.

Pencil Experiments

Using a variety of writing techniques will make journaling more interesting and revealing. Here are four writing methods that can help you get at the heart of a matter:

• Write a fan letter to yourself. People often are more considerate of others than they are to themselves. Take the time to nurture yourself and appreciate all your accomplishments. You have been braver than you realized. Though you were scared you managed to do wonderful things for yourself and others. You do not need to mail the letter to obtain the health benefits of writing, but this time consider actually mailing the letter. When you open the envelope, it can reinforce a sense of accomplishment.
• Rapid writing or stream of consciousness is meant to capture whatever bubbles up from the subconscious mind. Start writing about your favorite color or time of the year and then follow the connections wherever they take you.
• Consider writing play dialogue, using the present tense. It will amaze you how the dramatic format taps into feelings. Step into character. Create or recreate a conflict and then resolve it. This may help you find the emotions that lurk just below the surface.
• Or create a self dialogue between the inner and outer person. Let your inner self tell higher intelligence anything that needs to be said.

In future posts, I will explore other writing methods designed to help you relieve stress and create a better sense of awareness.

Talking vs Writing

There are times when even the most emotionally open person will want to write about their feelings. For example, when a person is confused about what he would like to do. Writing helps to achieve clarity without the influence of other people. Consider the advantages of talking and writing, and use both to improve the quality of your life.

Talking	Writing
Talk is learned earlier in life. It is automatic.	Writing must be taught.
It takes less effort to speak than write, but either way of increasing understanding and insight reduces stress and enhances a healthy lifestyle.	Writing takes some thought. Increasing understanding and insight reduces stress and enhances a healthy lifestyle.
Talk is spontaneous.	Writing is deliberate. Rewriting to create a coherent story produces benefits.
Talk depends on the social context. (Acceptance from listeners is crucial to talk becoming therapeutic.)	Writing is independent. It is therapeutic if it allows you to experience your emotions.
Unless it is tape recorded, talking doesn’t leave a record.	Writing can be as permanent as desired. When people in studies expanded their stories to include positive emotion words, it predicted better health in the upcoming months.
Speech has simpler syntax and grammar.	Because it is more complex, there is more retention in reading and writing.
Talking is influenced by the personal presence of others. This can be either good or bad.	Writing promotes self-awareness, free from outside influences. It allows you to reconcile events in ways you can be comfortable with.

Journaling Allows You to Create a Private Space

Each of us has a different idea of happiness. Each of us has certain items that speak to us as a token of fulfillment. We strive so hard to overcome life’s problems we don’t take the time to treat ourselves with kindness. Journaling means giving ourselves permission to go inside. Writing helps us define what comforts and inspires us.

Try this: Number a page from 1 to 25. List twenty-five things that represent contentment. Don’t take the time to rank them in any order of importance; just capture the first 25 things that come to mind. For example:

1. Green tea
2. Extra pillows on the bed
3. Toys for the children who visit
4. Family photos
5. An herb garden that attracts butterflies, and so on.

When finished, scan your list and select a symbol that you can use to celebrate contentment. Pick something meaningful to you, an item that conjures up one of the best times you’ve ever had. Then when you sit down to write, think of the journal as this symbol. Use it to bring back the feeling of contentment and make it part of your current experience. If you reinforce this symbol of contentment, you will be able to recall and use it when you need to relax.

The Role of Intention

Whatever reasons you have for writing in your journal, you can get more out of the experience if you start with an intention. Take a moment to think about what you hope to gain from journaling.

Write your intention down on the first page of your journal, if you like, but then place the goal in the back of your mind. Don’t worry about how you’re going to achieve it. Try to tap into the power of the subconscious. The mind and body relegate a good deal of high-level, sophisticated thinking to what is called the adaptive unconscious, which does an excellent job of sizing up the world, influencing our emotions, or initiating action.

Now that you have an intention, let go of it. Trust that small answers will gradually start to add up, and eventually something will click. Your mind may hand you a solution in a eureka moment. Maybe not today. Be patient with the process. Open up to the possibility that the subconscious and the body possess an internal wisdom. Give yourself permission to tap into the power inside.

Let Healing Happen

When you go to a doctor, he prescribes a medication for you to take, or a treatment you will undergo, your body starts the healing process before the medicine is in your system or the exercise or surgical procedure has taken place. For most people, just seeing a doctor gives confidence that healing will occur. Depending on the patient’s cultural background, this is true whether the physician is a neurosurgeon at the Mayo Clinic or a tribal witch doctor. What happens is that healing starts when you believe it will occur. Your mind buys into it and your body makes it happen. The great physician and humanitarian, Dr. Albert Schweitzer, said, "The witch doctor succeeds for the same reason all the rest of us (medical doctors) succeed. Each patient carries his own doctor inside himself. They come to us not knowing that truth. We are at our best when we give the doctor who resides within each patient a chance to go to work."

Exceptional Cancer Patients

Any cancer patient interested in learning more about the advances being made in diagnsis and treatment should read CURE magazine. Cancer patients can receive a free subscription by signing up at: http://www.curetoday.com/. The magazine focuses on updates, research, and education for cancer patients and survivors. The Winter, 2005 issue has an article called, “Diagnostic Tools.” A small excerpt from that article talks about the exceptional recovery of a patient named Mr. Carley:

When Carley awoke from his third surgery, the surgeon told him that he had 38 tumors ranging in size from a marble to a golf ball. "He said they just closed me back up because there was nothing they could do. But I remember him saying, ‘Chris, they’re always coming up with new treatments.’ "

Five months later he began taking Gleevec. Within a month his tumors vanished, a response his physicians described as "jaw-dropping." Now a 10-year survivor with eight grandchildren, Carley has since founded the Chicago chapter of the Lance Armstrong Foundation and the Carley Cancer Research Center.

The gentleman that they gave as an example, Mr. Carley, sounds like one of the exceptional cancer patients we sometimes hear about, who defy the odds. The CURE article doesn’t go into the specifics of how he made such a remarkable recovery. If he followed the pattern of other exceptional patients, he had social support, expressed his emotions, asserted his basic needs without endangering his relationships, and he felt empowered, first by participating in his recovery and, in his case, after his treatment by finding something that he got excited about doing.

• Social Support can come from family, friends, church, or a cancer support group, which are available in most areas. If your medical facility doesn’t provide a support group, you may want to volunteer to start one. When I started a journaling support group, I got more out of it than anyone else.
• Expressing emotions is possible by talking to a professional or family OR by writing a journal. People are surprised by the notion that they should express their deepest feelings, but research has shown that doing so is essential to recovering from cancer.
• Empowerment happens in a different way for each patient. It can be as simple as guided meditation or as complex as beginning a research center like Mr. Carley. Bringing a sense of control back into the one’s life is the third trait of exceptional cancer patients.
• And finally, exceptional patients have a passion for living. They find something that brings them joy, and they pursue it with renewed vigor.

Carley founded a research center, but the rest us can’t or won’t want to do that. What we can do is find things that comfort us. I chose a symbol of comfort (something very meaningful to me) and keep it near my bed. Each time I see that symbol I remember that everything in life can work out well. Then to bring back a sense of control I chose to do things for myself that bolster the immune system. For me, that was as simple as eating more foods that contain antioxidants and practicing yoga. I believe that it is not as important what a person chooses to do, as it is to investigate what feels right, to trust one’s intuition, and then to actually make some kind of physical change. Putting a symbol of comfort by my bed reminds me, “all can be well.” If I practice yoga three times a week, it becomes an affirmation that, all is well.

Undo Stress

One theory of the mind/body connection is that thoughts and feelings are chemical. Every thought and feeling translates itself into a complex set of chemical triggers that cause neurons to fire. Even healthy, well-adjusted people have trouble dealing with life’s daily assaults. If we could reconstruct life’s events, we could also change the structure and pattern of brain activity and, in the process, minimize stress. When we are under fire, our bodies react with a “fight or flight” response. Blood is redirected to the arms and legs, preparing either to fight or run away. In this state, it is much harder for the mind to be productive, and the stress hormones the body produces make us more susceptible to illness.

As a practical matter, we cannot reconstruct our lives or undo physiological changes that happen without our knowledge or consent. We can, however, lessen the long-term harm with a variety of relaxation techniques. One of the ways that is receiving increased attention is journaling. Writing can help release stress and return us to a more healthy state. It can also capture, increase and allow us to relive the pleasure of happy times.

Journaling 101

Find a private spot.

• Write only for yourself
• It doesn’t matter how or where you write, but if you use a computer secure the files to keep them private

Get comfy.

Create a ritual, one that is meaningful for you:

• Play soft background music, choosing something that relaxes you without interfering
• Wear your favorite slippers or sweater
• Make some tea or cocoa
• Surround yourself with meaningful pictures or icons

Date your entries.

Write as needed.

• If worries or problems insert themselves into your life, you may want to write about it for 4 days in a row, at least 20 minutes per day
• By day 3 don’t repeat what you have already written
• Try to change to a different point of view or perspective
• By day 4 try to find a purpose or a benefit from the upheaval you are going through

Don’t edit as you go.

• Spelling and grammar don’t matter
• Writing skill is not important
• Putting your deepest thoughts and emotions into words is what provides health benefits

Start with an intention then let it go.

• Some people start writing about health issues but find themselves moving into marital problems. That’s okay. Go where the process leads you
• Tap into the unconscious mind

Express deepest emotions.

Record events, but also find meanings:

• Create a story with you and other people involved.
• Tie it to other events, childhood, family history or future
• How is the trauma affecting your life?
• Where can you go from here?
• What insight have you gained?

TRUST YOUR INTUITION

At first, you may find that writing makes you feel worse, but do not get caught in a spiral of self-pity. If writing does not provide benefits or solutions, seek guidance from a doctor or professional counselor. Journaling is not a substitute for medical treatment. It is a method of self-help that has helped many people in a wide variety of situations.

The Body-mind Connection

Today, let’s consider how physical experiences can influence the mind:

Think of lying down in the sand, the morning sun gently warming your skin, the ocean lapping at your feet, a rustle of pine needles somewhere behind you, a light summer breeze blowing, 78 degrees and not a cloud in the sky. Take your time and savor the experience.

The warmth of your skin is comfortable. Your breathing is easy, unimpeded by any resistance in the chest or the throat. Your muscles are so relaxed that you can not sense any pull. The sand supports all your joints. The body feels light, grounded but airy. You have the energy to move, but you prefer to remain quiet. The pleasure of the moment is felt in the body, but the sensations are so diffuse that it is difficult to describe precisely where it is happening. You have a desire to get up, but instead just stay put and savor the stillness.

Warmth passes sweetly through your blood. The breeze caresses your face. And these sensations eventually impress the mind.

If you direct attention away from the well-being of the moment and think about what is happening, your mind fills with pleasurable thoughts. What you usually regard as "body" and as "mind" blend in harmony. Any conflicts now ease. Any opposites now seemed less important. Thoughts jell around a word like, “tranquility.”

It is possible to bring the mind-body connection into journaling. When you concentrate on your feelings, define them, and then reinforce them with the physical act like writing, it captures good emotions and makes them part of your life experience. On the other hand when feelings are negative or unpleasant, writing them down has a way of telling your mind that you can handle it. You have dealt with the upheaval and can move on.

Start with an intention but then let it go

Whatever reasons you have for writing in your journal, you can get more out of the experience if you start with an Intention and then let it go. Determine what you hope to gain from journaling but don’t be concerned with the results. Write your intention down on the first page of your journal, if you like, but then place the goal in the back of your mind. Don’t worry about how you’re going to achieve it.

Try to tap into the power of the subconscious mind. Scientists do this when the work on a complex problem. The cure for Alzheimer’s is so huge that they cannot attack the problem in its entirety. They break it down into small, tiny subjects that they can work on. Gradually the small answers start to add up, and eventually something clicks. They have eureka moments when their minds seem to hand them a solution. The mind relegates a good deal of high-level, sophisticated thinking to what is called the adaptive unconscious, which does an excellent job of sizing up the world, assessing danger, or initiating action.

• Get comfy, relax. You may want to devise a ritual to help set the mood. Light a candle, make a cup of green tea, wear your favorite slippers. You may also want to go to a unique place away from work or home such as a library. Or if you write at home make one room look different with colored light bulbs or a special throw.
• Find a private spot. You may want to destroy or hide what you have written. It is enough to deal with your own emotional upheavals. You don’t need anyone else judging you or being offended by what you write.
• Date the entries.
• Write regularly. Each of you will define how often you need to write for yourselves. It doesn’t have to mean every day. Maybe you only want to write once a week. Maybe you want to write every day for four days, for at least 20 minutes, the way Dr. Pennebaker suggests, and then not come back to your journal until you feel the need to.
• Don’t edit as you go. Don’t overanalyze. Go with the flow. Whatever you write will be fine. Studies show that the education or writing ability made no difference in the therapeutic benefits of writing.

Challenge Your Own Identity

Journaling is one way to become more aware of the joy and mystery of life. Get comfy, relax. You may want to devise a ritual to help set the mood. Light a candle, make a cup of green tea, or wear your favorite slippers. You may also want to go to a unique place away from work or home such as a library.

It is best to find a private spot. You may want to destroy or hide what you have written. It is enough to deal with your own emotional upheavals. You don’t need anyone else judging you or being offended by what you write. It is not necessary to show what you write to anyone to receive the health benefits of journaling.

Writing privately is a good way to explore what is at the center of your life. Write for twenty minutes about your sense of who you are. Begin with the phrase “I am…” For example: I am a person who loves children. I am often happy. I am sometimes frightened. I am confused about my work. I am strong…etc. Feel free to change the sentence structure and follow any line of thought. Without censoring or judging the sentences, simple keep writing continuously for at least twenty minutes. If you feel like going longer, feel free to continue.

Notice what you wrote. Notice what you feel when you read it. Are there certain themes, things that repeat? What predominant impression do you come away with? …Which sentences seem most troubling? Which seem most accurate?

Which phrase seemed most important? Tomorrow or the next time you write in your journal, spend a while reflecting on this single element, the one that felt the most powerful when you wrote it. Become aware of what it may want to reveal to you.

A Magic Pen

There are an infinite number of reasons for keeping a journal. The act of writing makes you more aware and helps you pay attention to details you would otherwise miss. Paper and pen provide you with a vehicle to bring actions and feelings into the open.

• Writing increases understanding and insight, reduces stress and enhances a healthy lifestyle.
• Writing is deliberate, and rewriting journal entries to create a coherent story or gain insight produces health benefits.
• Writing is therapeutic when it allows you to experience your emotions.
• Writing can be as permanent as desired. When study participants expanded their stories to include positive emotion words, it predicted better health in the upcoming months.
• Because writing is more complex than talking, people retain more.
• Writing promotes self-awareness, free from outside influences. It allows you to reconcile events in ways you can be comfortable with.

Use the Mind to Heal the Body

We cannot control emotional responses, and we shouldn’t try. Emotions are not a question of right or wrong — they just happen. Picture this: You are strolling down a quiet street, enjoying the sunshine. You pass a picket fence. All of a sudden a dog charges the fence, teeth bared. It jumps and almost clears the top. Your heart leaps in your chest and you shudder away from his angry bark. If you had a bad previous experience with a dog, the fear may be paralyzing, not really connected to the current situation.

Fear is not always rational. It depends on one’s coping skills and life experience. Each and every feeling translates itself into a complex set of chemical triggers that cause neurons to fire. Even healthy, well-adjusted people are subject to daily assaults, which make it much harder for the mind to be productive. Stress hormones make us more susceptible to illness, but we cannot reconstruct our lives or undo physiological changes that happen automatically. We can, however, lessen the long-term harm with a variety of relaxation techniques.

Thousands of self-help methods are available. No one system is right for everyone, but researchers have shown that journaling has some surprising health benefits. Putting a bad experience into words by writing it down has a way of telling the unconscious emotional channels that we have dealt with that issue and can move on. The mind can undo the effects stressful situations have on the body.

Who, Me?

Each of us has a different idea of happiness. Each of us has certain items that speak to us as a token of fulfillment. Sometimes we are so busy that we overlook treating ourselves symbolically in way that match our accomplishments. Take a piece of paper and number the page from 1 to 25. List 25 things that represent contentment to you. Don’t take the time to rank them in any order of importance; just capture the first 25 things that come to mind. For example:

1. Green tea
2. Extra pillows on the bed
3. Toys for the children who visit
4. Family photos
5. An herb garden that attracts butterflies, and so forth...

Once you have your own list, review it and select something that you can use to celebrate contentment. Choose something that has special meaning to you, because it reminds you of an experience or time in your life that was happy. It can be an object, color, texture, view. In your journal describe this item in specific detail. How it looks, feels, reassures you. Find out why it comforts you. Write about this special item's history. Speak quietly to this private symbol of contentment.

Then whenever you encounter this item in real life, you will be reminded of life's rewards. Or when you are under stress, you can visualize the symbol and draw on its power to bring contentment back into your life.