Journaling for Reactions

[Eric "Herbie" Watson]

By putting into writing the steps that you have planned, you will easily see what works
and what doesn't.
There is something magical in identifying a problem as soon as you start writing it out,
you start working out ways to make things work. The fact that it is now all on paper
actually creates a space between you and the problem. And in this space that you have
created, new solutions have room to grow. You see, writing about events that occur
helps you to understand and process exactly what is happening in your life. When you
describe your life to yourself only in your mind, your imagination tends to feed back false
information about how things really are. You may be working with distorted information.
If you keep your life information just in your mind, your creativity can create scenarios
that really don't exist at all. But by writing it all down, you now can become more
factual, more realistic, more logical. Then as you reread what you have written, you
create new pictures in your mind. Once you see things as they are, rather than how you
think they are, you can see how to make them better.
It is all part of being responsible. It is all part of seeing things objectively to fully
understand the steps that you must take to make things better, to better prepare
yourself for the opportunities that lie ahead.

 

[Steve Ozanich]

Plus, it's a means of expressing what you fear to say, or don't know how to say, or didn't know was even there. Many people have inhibitions about expressing themselves. Writing is a way of not offending others, or being rejected. It really works too. People should read James Pennebaker's books to see how to do it effectively. Ira Progoff was the father of modern journaling for healing, although I'm sure it goes back to ancient times.

Also, it lays out the problems in linear fashion where they can be consciously identified. Repression buries things, that's what it's there for, to protect the self from being overwhelmed. So if you lay it all out in a fashion of "construct" you will more clearly see what the problems are. Free association often pulls out things hidden right underneath awareness, that people didn't even know existed.

Journaling is a way to express and discover. I prefer talking to people, but everyone has their own thing, or comfort zone. No matter what you do, there has to be forgiveness....eventually. When you forgive others it frees you, since you are them.

Steve

 

[Eric "Herbie" Watson]

Steve thanks man, You complete me
ill rewrite this post someday- I have so many ideas
when I do im going to add your wisdom to it
makes for a more complete post- thanks again
my fellow - Oh I love James Pennebaker