Written by Dimitra Didangelou, Psychologist, M.Sc., Writing Therapist
“The words emerge from her body without her realizing it, as if they were visiting her from the memory of a forgotten language.”
Marguerite Duras
When we write, we allow ourselves to express feelings that have been buried, pushed aside, repressed. This process of externalization can lead to an “inner cleansing” – or so called catharsis- bringing relief and mental uplift.
Catharsis is an emotional release and as a term it is used both in the psychotherapeutic-clinical context and in literature, writing and theatre.
Aristotle’s definition of tragedy includes catharsis as a necessary component, in the sense of liberating the viewer from the drama of the protagonist. He taught us that when the spectator watches a tragedy, he sympathizes with the heroes, feels with them fear, sorrow, anguish, and in the end, along with the hero or heroine’s deliverance from suffering comes the spectator’s catharsis.
In psychoanalysis, Freud believed that catharsis played an important role in relieving grief and emotional distress. He believed that repressed unpleasant emotions could cause various psychological symptoms between them and hysteria, so its cure came through their release (Nichols & Efran, 1985; Scheff, 2001). Freud’s student, Joseph Broyer, developed a cathartic treatment through hypnosis for people suffering from symptoms of hysteria.
The catharsis has two dimensions: an emotional dimension, in which there is a release of emotions, and a cognitive dimension, in which the person receives new information about a situation and changes his or her perspective on it.
Clearance can occur during or after writing. When emotions that were repressed are released we can see catharsis as a result of or part of a larger healing process. It is often described as a discharge, relief or redemption. In terms of expressive writing, if catharsis occurs, the process of wound healing and change can be accelerated but we would say it is one of the goals rather than the end goal.
Cathartic writing, can be very helpful when there are strong emotions, such as anger or aggressive behavior. In this case, writing can help to have a “controlled” outburst on paper, without consequences that are painful for the person and their relationships. “Cathartic writing is done under the pressure of intense emotions that call for an immediate outlet. It can be a simple sentence like “I’m so angry!” or “I’m crazy about her!” But it can also be twenty pages of emotional outbursts.” as psychotherapist Kate Thompson (2011, p. 53) states.
Catharsis occurs when writing is honest and uncensored and when it is usually focused on the emotions, allowing them to ‘come unstuck’ and surface. When a person writes for themselves, such as when they write in a journal for the purpose of personal expression, they allow themselves to express themselves without the fear that someone will judge what they have written (if there is no obstacle of self-criticism). That is when writing becomes free and authentic. He can come a little closer to painful emotions, acknowledge their existence, understand their function, and perhaps stop avoiding or fearing them. “When one uses cathartic writing, the journal can become a container for all the reactions and emotions that threaten to overwhelm the person and can poison the self and relationships. It is a kind of ‘writing in flow’ and – since there are no boundaries – it allows all emotions to be emptied onto paper.” (Thompson, 2011, p.37).
After the experience of catharsis, the person feels lighter. Many describe it as if a great deal of weight has been lifted off their shoulders. Like watching a movie and crying: there is a sense of relief left at the end. Karolina, during a writing exercise was confronted with the feeling of fear and could not complete it because she started crying. After her tears stopped flowing, she exhaled loudly and with a sigh of relief, she continued writing. After a reflection, she noted: “Relief, only relief. A massive weight lifted from the chest, appearing as though its roots extended to the heart. This time I will manage to uproot it, I am stronger. I’m breathing more easily.”
The tears or loud outburst that may come after a cathartic writing will then bring relief, redemption. Sophie experienced a powerful cleansing experience after writing and described it symbolically as a “biological cleansing” of the soul.
Thompson (2011) observes that intense emotions are released and the writing itself becomes a “cleanse” when it is particularly performed by hand. She observes that intense emotions can influence handwritten work and that letters may deviate from the norm, expanding as the lines progress, overflowing into the margins, or failing to adhere to the lines. There may even be instances where words are omitted or sentences appear incomprehensible. John, following a writing exercise, reflected: “When the fermentation was complete, the text went away automatically. It ran from my inside to the paper at once. Of course, the words were squeezed so tightly to come out that eventually they fell out crooked and unintelligible, almost coded, unreadable probably to other eyes. I don’t care! I wrote it for me and no one else. And I don’t care if tomorrow even I, when I try to read it again, am missing some words. I don’t miss them now, and I’m sure I won’t miss the meaning of the act tomorrow either, because it ran through me until it reached the paper and that’s enough for me.”
Writing may produce catharsis, but it is not an end or objective in and of itself; rather, it signifies the start of a process that may result in additional outcomes. It is not a recurring phenomenon, but should it do occur, it has the potential to be a unique, illuminating and transformative experience.
References
Τhompson, Κ. (2011). Therapeutic Journal Writing: an Introduction for Professionals, London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Nichols, M. P., Efran, J. S. (1985). Catharsis in psychotherapy: A new perspective. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice, Training, 22(1), 46–58. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0088525
Scheff, T.J. (2001). Catharsis in Healing, Ritual, and Drama, Lincoln, NE: iUniverse.com.
