From Newsweek
Story★★★★In its April 26, 1999, edition, Newsweek carried a story entitled “Pen, Paper, Power!” by Claudia Kalb. “Confessional writing has been around at least since the Renaissance,” she wrote, “but new research suggests that it’s far more therapeutic than anyone ever knew.
Since the mid-1980s, studies have found that people who write about their most upsetting experiences not only feel better but visit doctors less often and even have stronger immune responses. Last week, scientists reported findings that make the link even clearer. A study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) showed that writing exercises can help alleviate symptoms of asthma and rheumatoid arthritis. ‘It’s hard to believe,’ says James Pennebaker, a psychology professor at the University of Texas at Austin and a pioneer in the field of expressive writing, but ‘being able to put experiences into words is good for your physical health.’ “Even the best-adjusted and healthiest people acquire emotional baggage in the course of a lifetime-be it childhood angst over parental divorce, conflicts with friends and family or remorse over missteps and lost opportunities.
In the scientific studies, researchers ask participants to write about a disturbing experience for fifteen to twenty minutes a day for three or four consecutive days. Forget polish and politeness, they say. The point is not to craft a perfect essay but to dig deeply into one’s emotional junkyard, then translate the experience into language on the page.
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The point
Scientific research shows that writing about traumatic experiences has measurable physical and mental health benefits, confirming what faith traditions have long known.