Journaling has become a popular ritual – for good reason. Lots of research backs up the benefits that those that regularly practice it find. Some keep a journal to record & reflect on their day. Others make a note of their achievements, big or small, that they’ve had.
When we’re writing for pain, there are a number of useful progressive steps to take and consider, and I thought I’d share...
three main pointers:
Releasing buried emotion
The main aim of this process is to carefully bring to the surface troubling emotions that we’ve suppressed deliberately or repressed unconsciously in the past, or to allow current challenging emotions to have their safe expression as they arise.
As they do so, we want to allow ourselves a few moments to curiously feel the sensations of those emotions in our body – a technique known as “somatic tracking” which helps us release the negative emotional energy from our systems.
There is good research and many happy clients showing us that when we allow ourselves to identify, acknowledge, feel, and express negative, fearful or “painful” emotions onto paper, our levels of associated physical pain can settle.
Gaining perspective
As these emotions are felt and expressed, the next essential step is to work towards bringing perspective to the events or persons involved in the emotions’ origins. I find imagining what others’ childhoods were like and where they probably learned their beliefs and behaviours to be helpful in taking away some of the blame we feel.
When we're able to rationalise and gain alternative perspectives, this can allow us to “move on & forwards” from the difficult memory and emotions, helping leave them in the past. Because when we ruminate and keep going over the same issue time and time again, we are reinforcing the brain circuitry associated with that emotion and thus the connected pain we feel in our body. The more that circuitry is used, the easier it is to activate again & trigger the pain.
Destroy for security
In order to be as honest as we can with ourselves as we put pen to paper about our emotional turmoil, past and present, we want to know that no-one else is ever going to read it. In fact, it’s good if we don’t re-read it either – as this contributes to more unhelpful ruminating, and it’s been discovered that those that hold on to their expressive writings tend to hold on to their pain too.
So, after you’ve completed each session of expressive writing, rip up, shred or even ceremoniously & carefully burn your work. Imagine you’re doing the same to your negative thoughts and emotions. An empowering step in itself.
Freedom From Pain
Effective journaling, emotional awareness and somatic tracking are all vital steps we learn, experience and practice throughout my Freedom from Pain programme. If you’d like to find out more, please do go back to the main website: www.CatherinePollitt.co.uk.
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