Summary of Nichole Sach's journaling process

Hi All,

I dear friend of mine, Deborah Sevy wrote this, and I want to share. This is based on her direct experience using Sach's work.

Andy

TMS writing exercise (adapted from Nicole Sachs Journal Speak practice)

Spend 20 minutes a day writing down a completely raw uncensored version of your feelings. Write a list of things that happened in the past and things that are happening now that may be scary or painful to feel. Pick something from your list to write about. You are free to feel and say anything. Write as if you are a small child having a temper tantrum.

When a child says, “I hate you Mommy” it does not mean that child hates their mommy. It is just an expression of a feeling in that moment. So be like that child and allow yourself to write whatever you feel and know that it is not the truth, just a feeling in the moment. It is Ok to be hateful, angry and mean on paper. Just feel free to let your worst self out. Sometimes I just say the same things over and over again then eventually it shifts to something else. Just allow the writing to go wherever it wants to. These are just raw feelings that need to be purged from your system. Do it even if you feel like you don’t know how. Spend the time and let your feelings rip. Do this exercise for 28 days and see what happens…

I like the visual of a family that has been traveling for days in airports, waiting on lines endlessly, as they come up to another line in the airport their young child falls on the floor and has a total temper tantrum. All of the adults around would actually like to do the same but of course that is not socially acceptable and unrealistic. But the beautiful thing is you can express that temper tantrum on paper when it is appropriate.

Last you don’t even need to be able to read what you wrote. When you are finished please throw it away. You can also tear it up, or burn it.

It is also suggested that you do some kind of loving kindness meditation for ten minutes afterwards. I find that gratitude is the opposite of the fear that is driving TMS. So I recommend spending some time during the day being grateful that there is nothing wrong with you physically, that you don’t have to spend your time going to Doctors, looking up symptoms on the internet, worrying about yourself, getting medical treatments or taking drugs that don’t work.

 

Love this. Thank you!