Question: Has anyone tried journaling

Question: Has anyone tried journaling
I hate to journal, but I have journaled throughout the last year - on a hit and miss basis.

I sat down last week and read through all my journaling and it was an incredible experience. I could see how far I've come. But the hardest part was facing myself and seeing how far I still have to go.

But the clarity in journaling is present in the moment of journaling, but even more apparent when reading back over the ways of thinking, experiences, and feelings.

I type on the computer for my journal. I hate writing - and I can bury my journal deep in the computer and it seems a little more private.
 
I have tryed to keep a daily log . It can be good and bad . some times you will have a very positive day and some times not . If you look at what you write over a long time you will see a lot of things slowly come out that you may not have ben conchus of by reading between the lines
The hardest person in the world to see is your self

MICHAEL
 
LNH,

When I first started in counseling and recovery, I journaled every day, it was very helpful. Now I journal when I feel the need and often post what I journal, It is a methed I use to help me straighten out my thoughts and feelings and make some sort of sense out of them. By posting, I get some very valuable insights from the brothers here and that also is very helpful.

Love ya

Darrel
 
I do a lot of writing. Early on it helped me get out some things that I could not physically say. Often I would share stuff with my therapist by handing what I wrote to her to read. She would often read it and the encourage me to read it outloud in our session. By saying the words, it helped me for the first time "break the silence".

Now during my somatic therapy sessions, I do a lot of writing afterwards. The writing helps me put things together and often my doctor has had me read stuff outloud to him. Reading it outloud has been quite an experience.

But the biggest thing is do something that helps get your thoughts out. It could be any form of expression. Even writing thoughts down in whatever form, can do a lot.

Don
 
John,

We are kind of journaling here are we not?
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What a great way to think of this place. It's a record of our progress in healing. I had never thought of it that way, but sure, you are absolutely right.

Hmmmm. Definitely something to think about. Thanks for sharing that idea.

Much love,
Larry
 
I found journaling to be an empty experience for me, I over dramatized the notion by writing my experiences on paper then I climbed up a winter hill on the high dunes off the coast of West Michigan and I burned it.......trying to cast off my ties to my past. It didn't work. All the shit I was trying to deal with 12 years ago is still with me, and just as strong. Journaling didn't help me, but we're all different........it might help someone else much more.
 
I journal, though probably not as often as my T would like to see.

I have two modes of entry: (1) visible; and (2) invisible. For my visible entries, I use a regular black pen (fine tip so I can fit more on a page). My invisible entries consist of a UV-fluorescable ink that I write with under the aid of a handheld LED blacklight (375 nm wavelength). Nobody can see the ink on the page unless they shine a UV light source on it. Great for when I'm having moments that my PTSD has me thinking that my room about's to be invaded. It makes me feel really safe and like I have a say or an outlet in what happens to me during my memory. In a way, I guess I can try to rewrite some of the past.

Best,
Scotty
 
Hauser, I think the ritual of burning of our ties with the past can only be effective if we give meaning to them.
We can take the example of dipping in water during baptism, it means being born again, but it works only if we believe it to be true.

That way our belief is what creates the reality for us. If we continue to believe that it is an unsafe place we live in, it would be so for us, we would continue to feel unsafe and keep ourselves busy with planning various escape mechanisms and establushing new fighting techniques, till we exhaust ourselves, and learn to surrender. That for me has been my biggest freedom.
 
Thanks for the replies, keep them coming. I started my journal in a hit or miss manner. It has helped, I am writing my way past my emotional nadir.

I don't know why, but getting the poison down on paper in front of me keeps it from eating at my insides as much.

I'm smoking less weed as well....

Very interesting indeed.
 
Tim,

I don't know why, but getting the poison down on paper in front of me keeps it from eating at my insides as much.
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Putting it down on paper is a way of focusing and gaining a perspective. It helps us to see that we really were only innocent defenseless kids, and seeing that empowers us now. We are better able to reject blame, refuse to believe the bad feelings we have about ourselves, and keep to the hard work of recovery.

I'm smoking less weed as well....
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I have been down that road, my friend, and while I feel that weed itself did me no harm, for broken and ravaged people I do think it tempts us on to more dangerous things. At least, that was my case.

Weed is just a temporary way to numb the pain. I see you play guitar. I learned to forget the drugs and take up the blues instead. What a difference! :)

Much love,
Larry
 
Guys,

I have been journaling throughout my 22 year recovery journey and just recently, last October, started blogging as an alternative. I have found this to be terribly engaging.

Blogger is a great place to start.

https://www.blogger.com/start

Ron
 
I will concur with what Sans Logos has said!! I keep a survivors blog on this very same site.

I write all sorts, not only issues relating to my recovery, daily stuff, problems being in a bi-lingual marrage, work, friends and all sorts of political stuff.

I find it very cathartic, its in the public domain and anyone who wants to read it can!

PM me and I will send you the link (if your interested, God knows why you would be :D )

Hold on!?!?!?

Survivors Blog

Try this!!

Peace and Love
 
J, thanks so much for the link. Nothing interests me more than the inner life of my fellow survivors. What a joy to share your story in an ongoing basis. I have bookmarked your blog for daily reading. :-)
Thanks,

Ron
 
I have journaled for years also. Infact now it is a hobby I think. When I find myself NOT journaling I tend to see that I am not facing something in my life. To make it fun my wife and I both started adding stickers to our pages. Its a quick and cheap way to add something to your journaling if you want to make the message stronger.....just a thought.

Tobey
 
I not actually journaled for say, but maybe it is. When I just need to get a way, I work on what I call my book. I love murder myster type books, as such I loved to one actually write a series about a guy that who is faced the murders of people who he knows, but his not sure how he knows these people. I have the idea of how what it to all work out, but I'm not sure if I can carry it through as a series as I want to. As I said, it's a way of getting a way. It somethink special for just me to read at this point.
 
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