27 February 2009
Writing to Improve Mental Health
Posted by Dan DeMuth under: PIM Articles .
Professors James W. Pennebaker and Janel D. Seagal, in their article “Forming a Story: The Health Benefits of Narrative,” explain why you should write about your negative experiences. The article states that writing about negative personal experiences in an emotional manner improves mental health. Participants in their study reported greater happiness two weeks later and improved physical health (e.g., reducing doctor visits).
The researchers contend that constructing stories promotes a sense of resolution, which in turn allows experiences to gradually leave conscious thought. Furthermore, writing in a story format serves the purpose of organizing complicated emotional experiences. Once a complex event is put into story format, it becomes simplified. The mind doesn’t have to work as hard to provide structure and meaning for the event.
They also comment on how to maximize clarity and resolve when writing about your experiences. Using a moderate amount of negative or emotional language is fine, they say. However, you want to be as descriptive as possible in your language and use words that also have a positive connotation. Also, make an effort to write about the experience in a plot-like format. That is, what happened first? How did it make you feel? What was the outcome? Was there any resolution?
