Writing to Heal: A guided journal for recovering from trauma & emotional upheaval [Hardcover]

James W. Pennebaker (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2004

The simple act of expressing your thoughts and feelings about emotionally challenging experiences on paper is proven to speed your recovery and improve your mental and physical health. This book, written by one of America's most distinguished research psychologists, guides you through a brief, powerful series of directed writing exercises you can do right in the book. Each will leave you with a stronger sense of value in the world and the ability to accept that that life can be good - even when it is sometimes bad.

Editorial Reviews

Review

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

From the Publisher

· Clinical trials indicate that writing about painful experiences can enhance immune response, reduce recovery times, and promote physical, psychological, and social well-being
· This book is the first guided journal written by the preeminent psychologist working in the field of expressive emotions therapy: a step-by-step guide to emotionally expressive writing
· Designed to be the perfect gift for someone struggling with trauma or emotional difficulty, the package of this book is attractive; it is certain to become a valued keepsake

For the first time, a leading authority on expressive emotions therapy, or EET, translates these powerful techniques for emotional healing into a book accessible to general readers. Through guided journal writing exercises, this book helps readers translate their traumatic, emotionally disturbing experiences into powerful writing that is clinically proven to promote recovery.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: New Harbinger Publications, Inc; 1 edition (January 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1572243651
• ISBN-13: 978-1572243651
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 7.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #291,028 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

59 of 62 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Valuable Resource, April 13, 2004

By 

Kay Porterfield - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Writing to Heal: A guided journal for recovering from trauma & emotional upheaval (Hardcover)

Writing to Heal: A Guided Journal for Recovering from Trauma and Emotional Upheaval by James Pennebaker presents clear suggestions for using journaling to recover from life's difficult periods. Pennebaker, a researcher, discovered the healing power of expressive writing in the mid 1980s by accident. He writes in his introduction, "Ever since then, I've been devoted to understanding the mysteries of emotional writing." He's also been devoted to sharing what learned so that ordinary people can put this knowledge to good use.

Writing to Heal is an excellent resource for anyone who wants to try writing through trauma. In addition to expressive writing, Pennebaker covers how to construct story in order to understand and overcome a traumatic event. Other topics include looking for and writing about positive emotions, finding benefit from the experience, and forgiveness. Of special note are his instructions about using pronouns to shift perspective, a technique that arose from his research.

In my own work with bereaved people, I've repeatedly seen the mysterious power of writing to heal. Pennebaker's guided journal stands out because in it he shares technique without providing specific prompts that too often distract people from reaching inside to deal with their unique emotional issues.

I also like the fact that the book is written in a simple style. Pennebaker's concise, no-nonsense writing means that this book is useful to a number of people, including those who normally don't read many books and those who are too emotionally distraught to concentrate on a longer book. I will definitely recommend Writing to Heal in my workshops and when I speak at conferences.

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Writing to Heal, August 6, 2006

By 

Mindfull - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Writing to Heal: A guided journal for recovering from trauma & emotional upheaval (Hardcover)

I found the exercises in this book easy to do. I also found it interesting that you were asked to limit the number of days you wrote. I guess I have a tendancy to want to dwell on things. Writing as I did, did seem to help me deal with the issue on which I focused. Pennebaker is a credible researcher and this approach is based on empirical study. I recommend it to others.

15 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I couldn't agree more, March 4, 2006

By 

Madison Avenue Publishers "MadisonAvePublishers" (Scottsdale, AZ USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Writing to Heal: A guided journal for recovering from trauma & emotional upheaval (Hardcover)

This is a wonderful book for anyone who has experienced loss.
For some reason, the literary community is lagging this re emergence of narrative that is insightful, painful and ultimately healing. I applaude the author and the authors who have written books on personal travails that have changed their lives - Second Chance Ranch, A Year of Magical Thinking, to name only a few. I highly recommend it!