by Ron Huxley on March 4, 2010
In our last post we talked about the anger myth about how venting your anger is not really healthy. As you would expect, there are opposite ideas that say letting your emotions out is healthy. It is all about how you do it and if your catharsis leads to constructive change or coping. Research suggests that “writing” your feelings can be very helpful in the coping/healing process. Writing has the ability to allow us to craft new narratives about our lives and the meaning that we give it. You become the author of your situation versus the victim. Do you agree? How have your used writing to help you heal? Tweet us @ronhuxley or leave a comment below…
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Research is starting to shed some light on the thorny issue of talking about trauma. Does it help to talk about traumas you’ve experienced or not? Is it a good idea for someone to write about traumatic experiences? It turns out, like most things in life, that it depends on how and in what circumstances.
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Although writing as therapy actually has an ancient history, a model was developed for research purposes by James Pennebaker, Professor of Psychology at the University of Texas 2 . The method consists of several writing exercises with an emphasis on expressing one’s emotions. It has been shown in numerous experiments conducted by him and his colleagues that this simple procedure leads to improvements in physical health.
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Let your hand and the pencil or pen guide you.
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Set aside a time each day
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| Find a place where you feel alone and comfortable |
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Write out how you feel. Don’t use big words and don’t talk about it. Show, don’t tell, as they say. “I feel _______ that ____________.”
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by Ron Huxley on February 27, 2010
There are lot of myths in our society about how to control anger and aggression. The biggest myth is that “if you let it out, it goes away!” This is called the “volcano myth” because on the venting that occurs and the destruction that results from just letting it all out.
It is true that when you let off a little steam you feel a little better. But where did the problem go? Is it gone? NO. In fact, letting it out may have caused a bigger problem to develop. If you got mad and stormed off in your car you may have gotten into an accident or received a ticket. Now you have something else to be mad about. If you punched a hole in the wall you will have to repair the wall…and maybe your hand. How did that help you? If you threw a tantrum and yelled at a loved one, friend, or boss what did that do to your relationship? Now both of you are angry and looking for revenge! “Letting it out” may feel good in the short-term but it doesn’t help you in the long-term.
Is there a volcano in your home? Let Ron help by setting up an online consult today!
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