Day 8 Lots of emotions

Hello,
There was relief when I read Dr.Sarno's book because it so described me in so many ways. I have begun this journey and I have put the chronic pain in my back and shoulders, and tingling in my legs, and face and neck at the back of my thoughts. I believe and hope they will improve but for now the journaling and letting out of my repressed feeling is what feels so important. There have been tears as I have worked through the first several journaling entries. Revelations and feeling that have been repressed for years flowing out. Writing about my sister who was sick for a very long time and her death has helped me understand , maybe for the first time, the profound effecdt it had on me 40 years ago and is still having. I am looking forward to writing more, but I know there is so much to deal with that I feel overwhelmed and wonder how I will do it but I plan to.
I hope you are all finding some sucess in whatever form that takes.
All the Best
Bruce

 

Hi Bruce - amazing that this came out for you, and what grief you must have carried around for so long. I guess a little bit a day will help; the fact that you are looking forward to doing it may make it easier. I am also on day 8 of this program (although I completed Alan Gordon's new 21 day program previously) and I am still trying hard to get to my emotions to come out - I have had some success, and thought I had got over the barrier, but it is not consistent, and I unlike you, find it more of a chore than an anticipated release. Strange, considering I actually love to write. Would love to be able to post a real win on this part of the journey!

 

Hey @JenVoo - these tips work for me:

1. Don't keep what you write - know up front that you're going to get rid of it. This might help you be more honest if you know that no one - including you - will ever see what you wrote. I don't use the word "journaling" for this reason - for me, it's just writing shit down.

2. With that in mind, it's vital that you do not edit what you write. You must write with complete honesty, AND you must pay attention to your brain when it tries to convince you that you don't need to write something down. The thing it doesn't want you to write down is probably the thing you need to write about. It might not be very important, and it might not be at all earth-shattering - but when you get into it, you might find an explanation for your repressed emotions and some hidden childhood stuff that will be helpful to uncover.

 

Thanks for the tips @JanAtheCPA! Good idea to absolutely be clear about the issue I am going to address. I do the non-editing and 'purging' (I actually doublewrite over my lines) and have followed Nicole Sachs 'journalspeak'. I also know you're right about having to write what I am resisting... (hence my occasional successes). Dani Fagan says the same as you... just write for the sake of writing, and get into the process... And as soon as I say I am just not trying hard enough, I know I'm beating myself up, so also not a good thing! It's just going to be a slow process for me I think, and that's okay too... my river will also eventually get to the ocean! Appreciate your post!

 

Hi JenVoo,
Thanks for your reply. After posting this comments, for a variety of reasons, I didn't do any journalling until today. Day 10 asked me to look at a current issue that is causing meTMS. I knew it was coming and I found it alot harder to write. It is a letter to my significant other and I was not looking forward to writing it. I am concerned about stopping for a few days because it was harder to restart this time. 2 steps forward, 1 step back as they say.
Bruce

 

This!!
I don't like to think of it as "journaling" either.
Writing shit down. Yes!
Definitely not a chore. Just a time to think about things. I actually would use the word FUN. Because even if I get into heavy stuff, it always ends positively. I enjoy it so much.

It's interesting what you say about not editing yourself, etc.
I agree and yet I also sometimes have the reverse situation!
I will sometimes be writing shit down and if I'm too "formal" or "clinical" about it, a little voice in my head will say, will correct me on a word to be more "real." I use an electronic writing pad so it's easy to erase and do what my inner child and inner self wants.

I'm oddly in tune with free flow writing and all these inner thoughts and inner voices. Is that weird??

 

I forgot to mention that it's really beneficial to find at least one thing from the day to be grateful for before you end your writing session. Doesn't have to be big. Doesn't have to be new and exciting. Anything, as long as thinking about it makes you smile. Sometimes the only thing I can think of is something I really enjoyed eating that day. Or that the cat was amusing. Maybe there was something about the weather that was enjoyable. Sometimes I just write it whenever it pops into my head, not necessarily when I'm "done".

Can't think why that would be weird! Sounds positive to me. I have always felt that writing is very freeing as long as you give yourself permission to just do it totally honestly. And there have been studies done which show that it's extremely beneficial for mental health. There was one with college students that measured significantly reductions in anxiety after engaging in a course of simply writing down their concerns once a day.