Examples of Expressive Writing/Journaling for pain?

Kerrj74

Kerrj74

Well known member
I want to try the technique of expressive writing/journaling for my chronic back pain. Everything I have read about it just says to write down your thoughts and feelings, but not to analyze them. I am not sure what that should look like- i.e., how detailed or simple it should be. I wish I could see some examples. Anyone have any tips? Do you just write something like this?

"I am mad at my wife. My boss is unreasonable. I am scared of the medical procedure I am having. I fear I will lose my job..."

Thanks!
 
Kerrj74 said:
I want to try the technique of expressive writing/journaling for my chronic back pain. Everything I have read about it just says to write down your thoughts and feelings, but not to analyze them. I am not sure what that should look like- i.e., how detailed or simple it should be. I wish I could see some examples. Anyone have any tips? Do you just write something like this?

"I am mad at my wife. My boss is unreasonable. I am scared of the medical procedure I am having. I fear I will lose my job..."

Thanks!
Click to expand...
Kerry,

Here is a response I wrote earlier today on another thread in reply to Cricket 313's comments on journaling. It is my take on the process, I went pretty deep with detail at times, and did not really plan ahead what I was thinking but just started with something that was on my mind. It could be an old memory, recent event, reasons I thought I might be angry or sad, etc. I just let my pen wander where my mind took me. Good luck, some do not like the process, for me, it was a good venue for reaching some deeper thoughts I was shoving aside. Sometime brought up great sadness or anger. Processing, processing is what this is about.

When beginning to process my pain I found that the TMS journaling was essential for me. It kept me focused on the string of thoughts that seemed to arise randomly, allowing them then take me to wherever my mind ventured to go. It kept some order in my mind as I thought of whatever was needing to come out on paper. I had lots of anguish from past woundings brought out in my writings. It seemed to take me to deeper aspects of my remembrances as I wrote. After about two or three months of this deeply evocative and intense writing I found that I had explored so many and such deep canyons of my psyche that I did not need to do the journaling daily. I was done, more or less. The process of journaling eliminated after about two months, over one night, the terrible Sciatica I had been suffering from for several months prior to beginning the journaling. It has not returned, but I still have the other Hip, back, pain in different degrees, depending upon the day/hour. As I journaled I did not go to the physical cause, my mind took me to the emotional traumas of my past. The writing helped me dissect the deeper aspects of my hurts. It also led me to forgiveness of the oftentimes ignorance of others in how their actions were hurting me. Sometimes it was their non-actions the hurt. The lack of protection, lack of demonstrative love, avoidance, etc. The writings led me to think about individuals in my past in a different way. It led me to realizations, anger, hurt, and forgiveness in a different way that I had not before considered.
I may not have been able to do this some years ago, but as a senior, I found it freeing. TMS is not physical. It is created by me/you as a protection against our anguish; that we are not perfect enough, not ENOUGH. But, we are.
Journaling may not be for you, but for me, also a writer, it was essential. It is long and it is hard. Not all TMS sufferers journal. I found it rewarding in the first few months. However, I kept NONE of my journals, destroyed them, even destroyed some older journals that were filled with complaints. It felt good to trash them.
Lainey
 
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