Series: From Sensation to Words — Part 3

You’ve had an upsetting conversation. You’re still thinking about it hours later.

Perhaps writing would help. You could put down what happened, what you wish you’d said, and what you’re feeling now. Or perhaps the prospect of spending twenty minutes alone with the whole thing sounds unbearable.

People often recommend journaling as though those two reactions are beside the point. Just write it out.

But what happens when people actually study writing about difficult experiences? And does it help everyone in the same way?

What did the researchers ask people to write?

In expressive writing studies, participants are typically asked to write for a short period on several occasions about a stressful experience and their thoughts and feelings about it. A comparison group writes about something less emotionally charged, such as how they spent their time.

This is more specific than keeping a diary. It also isn’t the same as writing a letter you intend to send, making a list of things you’re grateful for, or jotting down a feeling in the middle of the day.

Those may all be useful. They are different activities.

One result that caught my attention came from a study of expressive writing and wound healing. Forty-nine healthy adults, ages 64 to 97, wrote for twenty minutes a day for three days. One group wrote about upsetting experiences; the other wrote about daily activities. Two weeks later, the researchers made a small, controlled skin wound and monitored its healing. Wounds in the expressive writing group healed faster.

That is a striking finding. It is also a finding from one small study, under particular conditions. The researchers did not find significant differences between the groups in reported stress or depressive symptoms. Faster healing did not establish that participants felt emotionally better, and the study did not show why the wounds healed differently.

What if writing makes you feel worse?

A study coauthored by UCLA psychology professor Matthew Lieberman followed 116 young adults who wrote either about a stressful experience or about a comparison topic. Overall, expressive writing did not produce a significant advantage for anxiety, depressive symptoms, or physical symptoms.

There was, however, an important difference within the expressive writing group. Participants who were generally more comfortable expressing emotion reported less anxiety three months later. Those who were less emotionally expressive reported more anxiety.

That does not mean a person who struggles to express feelings should never write. A single study cannot tell an individual what will happen. It does challenge the idea that bringing up a difficult experience in writing is automatically helpful.

If you already have trouble knowing what you feel, an invitation to write about your “deepest thoughts and feelings” may be quite a lot to ask. If the experience feels overwhelming, stopping is a reasonable response. You haven’t failed at journaling.

Writing can give you room to find out

There are times when writing gives someone space that conversation doesn’t. You can stop halfway through a sentence. Cross out a word. Write I’m angry, then look at it and realize that lonely is closer.

No one is waiting for you to answer.

At other times, being alone with the page is exactly what makes the task difficult. You may need another person’s presence, questions, or understanding. Writing cannot supply all of that.

I wouldn’t want the lesson of this research to be that everyone ought to write about the most painful thing that ever happened to them. A smaller question may be more useful: When I write, does it help me become more connected with my experience, or do I feel more overwhelmed and alone?

You can pay attention to your own answer.

Across this series, we’ve looked at three related moments: noticing something in the body, finding words that fit, and choosing whether to put more of the experience into writing. None is a requirement. Each can be a way of learning a little more about what is happening—and what you need.

From Sensation to Words

Part 1: I Can Feel Something Happening. Why Can’t I Tell What I’m Feeling?
Part 2: Does Putting Feelings Into Words Really Help?
Part 3: Can Writing About Difficult Experiences Help?

About the Author

Anne Lindyberg, LMHC (Iowa), LCPC (Illinois), integrates the experiential therapy of Virginia Satir with Deep Brain Reorienting (DBR) and the Alexander Technique. She specializes in helping adults with complex and developmental trauma create lasting emotional change through therapy.

This article and other informational content on this website are provided for educational purposes only. They are not a substitute for individualized professional care, do not constitute advice specific to your circumstances, and do not establish a therapist-client relationship.

This work is created on the traditional and unceded lands of Indigenous peoples; a fuller acknowledgment of the land, its history, and its peoples is available on this website.

References

Koschwanez, H. E., Kerse, N., Darragh, M., Jarrett, P., Booth, R. J., & Broadbent, E. (2013). Expressive writing and wound healing in older adults: A randomized controlled trial. Psychosomatic Medicine, 75(6), 581–590. https://doi.org/10.1097/PSY.0b013e31829b7b2e

Niles, A. N., Byrne Haltom, K. E., Mulvenna, C. M., Lieberman, M. D., & Stanton, A. L. (2014). Randomized controlled trial of expressive writing for psychological and physical health: The moderating role of emotional expressivity. Anxiety, Stress, & Coping, 27(1), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/10615806.2013.802308