Words Can Heal
I’ve always believed that writing could heal our wounded souls. Now there’s evidence that this may be an actual fact. And not just our emotional and our spiritual selves, but writing can heal our physical bodies as well.
The Journal of the American Medical Association recently published a clinical study showing that writing can have a big impact on physical symptoms. They found that patients who spent just 20 minutes a day for three days in a row writing about their problems felt better, took fewer drugs to relieve their symptoms and saw their doctors less often.
David Servan-Schrieber reports on how writing for medical purposes is a time-honored way of treat post-traumatic stress disorder and depression. The patient’s task is to describe the details of the experience that haunts him or her. The simple act of putting the words down on paper often brings considerable relief. Deliberately turning images into words can alter the way experiences are encoded in the brain thus shifting the brain’s balance and helping to lessen the impact of uncontrolled emotions. Again, proven as a scientific fact.
If writing for three days in a row can help relieve the symptoms of arthritis, cancer or post traumatic stress, then it certainly can help with the emotional pain of a broken heart or a wounded ego. It can certainly help to sort out confusing emotions and reactions. Writing can also serve to open up parts of our brain that aren’t activated any other way.
There are also so many benefits to using writing as a personal growth tool. Whether you’re writing through your fears and anxieties, or writing your gratitude prayers, or just making lists, writing has a way of bringing substance to our thoughts and feelings. And now we know that writing can actually change the functioning of our brains.
Try it for yourself. Write about something that is a problem, an issue, or a question in your life. Write for 20 minutes at least three times a week. Stick to your timetable with discipline and dedication. See what happens. See if it can bring relief to what ails you.
Powerful Question:
(Every week I write a post for the purpose of encouraging you to journal)
What do you want/need to be writing about in your life?
Tags: David Servan-Schrieber, journaling, words can heal, writing as a personal growth tool
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