Is shouting your strong emotions to a voice recorder healing you?

There is this approach to TMS that is being called journalling.

The idea is to write everything down that bothers you deeply, a diary. Important part: it really has to affect you. If it is just a "meh", you need to skip it.

As this didn't do anything for me so far, I wonder whether it is about expressing your feelings, so an audio recorder could work aswell or whether there is something magical about using a pen and a paper.

How do you understand the process?

 

Hi, I think the reason actual writing is recommended because you write slower than you think so you have that little delay where you can really feel and reflect what you are writing, not just haotically ranting like you do in your thoughts. That said I feel an instant reduction in pain after a phone call with a friend, when I just talk about how I am doing, but in a hopeful way not freaking out. I have read some experts that suggest leaving voice messages to yourself or just talking to a recorder.

 

I'm a poor writer and while I do keep an occasional written journal it isn't a big thing for me. I've done a few TMS writing exercises but certainly not the any of the journalling programs that are out there. The fact that writing is not my best way of expressing myself makes it just one more "should" that oppresses my soul. I have been successful at addressing TMS pain using mostly other approaches. The most helpful thing for me by far is Alan Gordon's TMS recovery program on this site. I'm an auditory learner so the recordings of other peoples' sessions really made a strong impact, I could see myself in them and apply the learning to myself. I went through the whole series of lessons and recordings twice, I only "got it" the second time through. Of course I haven't written my success story yet...because writing is hard.