Writing therapy

Writing therapy^[1][2] is a form of expressive therapy that uses the act of writing and processing the written word in clinical interventions for healing and personal growth.^[3] Writing therapy posits that writing one's feelings gradually eases feelings of emotional trauma;^[4] studies have found this therapy primarily beneficial for alleviating stress caused by previously undisclosed adverse events and for those suffering from medical conditions associated with the immune system.^[5] Writing therapeutically can take place individually or in a group and can be administered in person with a therapist or remotely through mailing or the Internet.^[6]

The field of writing therapy includes many practitioners in a variety of settings, usually administered by a therapist or counselor. Writing group leaders also work in hospitals with patients dealing with mental and physical illnesses. In university departments, they aid student self-awareness and self-development. Online and distance interventions are useful for those who prefer to remain anonymous and/or are not ready to disclose their most private thoughts and anxieties in a face-to-face situation.^[7]

As with most forms of therapy, writing therapy is adapted and used to work with a wide range of psychoneurotic issues, including bereavement, desertion and abuse.^[8] Many interventions take the form of classes where clients write on specific themes chosen by the therapist or counselor. Assignments may include writing unsent letters to selected individuals, alive or dead, followed by imagined replies from the recipient, or a dialogue with the recovering alcoholic's bottle of alcohol.