WritingTherapy PDF

Writing as therapy
Writing is often an integral part of therapy, such as using thought record

sheets and mood or activity diaries. Additional therapeutic techniques that
involve writing may be helpful at particular times. There are many benefits
to writing, including „getting it out of our head‟, seeing things from another
perspective, a part of exposure work (distressing memories), or
externalising the problem – perhaps even just putting words on paper seems to really
help. You might choose to set a time limit for your writing.
Rainy Day Letter to Self
Some people find it helpful, when they‟re feeling well and able to cope with daily life, to
write a letter to themselves, to read when they‟re not feeling so good, or are struggling to
cope. The well, stable and strong you, writes a letter to the more vulnerable you.
If you don‟t feel you‟re ever in a good enough place to write a letter in this way, you
could try imagining that you are feeling well, strong and able to cope, or perhaps older
and wiser, and write a letter from the future, to your present more vulnerable self,
offering guidance and support for how to get to that better place.
You might decide that you can read this letter at certain times, when you‟re feeling a
certain way, or when you‟re struggling with particularly dark thoughts.
In your letter, include:

 What helps you feel better at those times
 What you‟ve found that helped in the past
 Guidance on what you need to do (e.g. talk to someone, do
something, be with others)
 Advice on what not to do – as you know from experience that it
doesn‟t help you in the long run
 Your personal strengths and resources
 What you need to know at that time
o I understand, I‟ve been there, I care, others care – even
though it might feel like they don‟t, you can get through this, you‟ve done it
before, remind yourself to use particular techniques to help get you through,
“it will pass”
 Be compassionate, caring, supportive, understanding, encouraging to your
vulnerable self
Writing your story
It can often be helpful to write down what‟s happened to you, either over
your lifespan, or perhaps a particular distressing memory. Take some time,
when you won‟t be disturbed, and write down everything you can remember
about that time. Get it all on paper. Once it‟s there, you might choose to re-
arrange it so that it reads like a chronological story, as it happened. You
might choose to write it as a story, or in note form, using bullet points with a brief
description. The more you can write, the better. You can build it up over time.
Describe the circumstances, the ages and size of people involved. Perhaps consider
the bigger picture – what was going on not only for yourself but for others involved
too. Describe what you felt, thought and did at that time.
This helps to put the story together (it‟s often fragmented in our memories), helps get
it out of our heads, and often enables us to see a different perspective on what
happened.
Once it‟s on paper, we can read it through as often as we need to, in order to put the
memory in its proper place – as a story, a memory, from the past, that belongs in the
past.
www.getselfhelp.co.uk © Carol Vivyan 2010. Permission to use for therapy purposes. www.get.gg
Letters to others
Sometimes it‟s helpful to write a letter to others, perhaps about what you
really think or feel about them or what they did that hurt you so much, or to
express how much you appreciate someone, or want to say sorry, or that
you want to forgive. You might want to wait a while, and perhaps discuss with your
therapist or a wise friend, before deciding whether it‟s a good idea to actually send the
letter (if the person is still alive and known to you), or you might choose to deal with it
differently.
Some people find it helpful to (go outside and) burn the letter, watching the smoke rise
up, particularly if the person has died. Or just imagine the letter arriving at its
destination, the person reading it, and seeing the reaction you want them to have. Or
maybe it‟s enough just to have written it, so another option may be shredding it, or
watching it slowly disintegrate whilst soaking in water.
A Better Future
Sometimes, when we‟re feeling really hopeless, believing things can never
change, it can be helpful for us (or have a trusted someone else) to write an
account describing us in a desired future, maybe in one, five or many years
from now. Someone who‟s been depressed, anxious, in debt, unemployed
and unable to support their family financially – may write (or have written by
someone else) a letter describing them finding a satisfying job, getting on with
colleagues, positive feedback from the management about how you‟re getting on at that
time, bringing home the money your family needs in order to cope, and even put some
aside for a holiday. Describe how the family relationships are so much better……
Random Writing – The Mind Dump

It can be helpful to just write down whatever comes into our heads, perhaps
for a certain period of time – 10 minutes or half an hour. It may read as
nonsense, and that‟s okay. That‟s how our minds work. Write down all the
random, apparently nonsensical words and sentences, anything that comes to
mind. You might include brief descriptions or sketches of any images that
come to mind. Don‟t change or edit anything. Simply write.
You might then look back and see if there‟s anything there worth spending time thinking
about, or you might decide that it‟s okay to just leave it there, on the paper. You can
choose what you then do with the paper – to keep or destroy it, and how to do that.
Keep a notepad with you

If you have trouble sleeping, it can be useful to have a notepad and pen or
pencil on your bedside table, so you can jot down any worries that come to
mind, and tell yourself you can deal with or pay attention to them in the
morning. Carrying a notepad in your handbag or pocket means you can
write down anything, anytime.
Keeping a Journal
You can write, whatever you want to write, every day, or whenever you
need to, your thoughts, feelings, responses. These can be intensely private,
what you wouldn‟t share with anyone else. Write at times when you feel
just okay, when you feel great, and times when you‟re really distressed or
struggling to cope. It helps to put things in perspective, get it out of your
head and onto paper (or on a computer), and means you can look back on it
at another time, if that would be helpful – to see how you coped, that things
can and will be better, that you can survive, that this will pass.
www.getselfhelp.co.uk © Carol Vivyan 2010. Permission to use for therapy purposes. www.get.gg

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Writing as therapy

Writing is often an integral part of therapy, such as using thought record

In your letter, include:

Random Writing – The Mind Dump

Keep a notepad with you

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