About the Circle

Each writing circle consists of 6 gatherings and aims to offer a safe and nurturing space for individuals to explore their thoughts and emotions through writing. Guided by the writing therapist Dimitra Didangelou, participants will engage in written exercises designed to foster self-awareness, emotional healing, and personal growth. This workshop welcomes everyone interested in the therapeutic power of writing, there is no need for previous experience.

What to Expect

• Guided expressive writing exercises that will help you unlock your inner voice and unfold your authentic self
• Biblio/poetry therapy techniques
• Group sharing and discussion (optional)
• Techniques for integrating writing into daily life
• A nurturing and non-judgmental environment
• Connection with others in a meaningful way

About the facilitator

Dimitra Didangelou is a psychologist, M.Sc. and author passionate about helping others express themselves through writing. Her expertise in the field and compassionate approach make her an inspiring and effective guide for this journey of self-discovery and expression.

Learn more about Dimitra here.

Event Details

1^st circle: October –December
2^nd circle: January –March

Mondays 18.30 – 20.30
Dates:
14 October
28 October
11 November
18 November
2 December
16 December

Location: Expressing MySelf Institute, Rue Americaine 36, 1060, Brussels (opposite Horta Museum)

Fee: 50€ for one workshop
240€ each circle of 6 workshops

If you are new, you can try one workshop for 50€, and if you decide to follow the whole circle, this amount can be reduced from the total of 240€.

How to Register


Spaces are limited to 10 people, so we encourage you to register early.
To sign up, please fill out the following form:
[contact-form-7]

or contact Dimitra at dimitra@expressingmyself.org

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Our comprehensive training program is conducted entirely online, offering flexibility and convenience tailored to individual needs and schedules. Whether you’re a seasoned mental health professional or exploring new avenues in therapeutic interventions, this course is designed to equip you with invaluable skills and insights.

What distinguishes it from other online courses is that every month you have an indivudual live meeting with the facilitator, covering the curriculum, discussing any questions and checking your progress. The rest of the month the communication is done through the e-learning platform. Additionally, the rhythm of the program is customised to your time and needs.

📝 About Therapeutic Writing:

Originating in the USA during the 1960s, Therapeutic Writing has gained significant recognition in recent years across Europe. Backed by scientific research, this approach has demonstrated remarkable success in providing psychological support to individuals, yielding profound benefits at both psycho-physical levels.

🎯 Who Should Attend:

This course is specifically crafted for specialists in mental health and related professions, including psychologists, psychotherapists, psychiatrists, mental health counselors, social workers, and more.

INFORMATION

The training is certified by the official international certification service Libero Assurance and gives to the participants 235 Continual Professional Development (CPD) units and 7.8 ECTS/ECVET.

The training is intensive and includes:

• Live online teaching once every month
• Study of the literature and supplementary educational material
• Written home tasks
• Experiential exercises
• Supervised practice

After completing the training, you will be able to use the techniques immediately in your professional practice. You will receive a certificate of attendance which will list CPD and ECTS/ECVET credits.

Registrations are open all year round.

To register you can download the

APPLICATION APPLICATION FORM

fill it out and send it along with a detailed CV to:

dimitra@expressingmyself.org

An interview will precede the selection of participants.

For questions and the study guide which includes all the details and the cost, you can contact Dimitra at dimitra@expressingmyself.org

About the facilitator

The program is designed and facilitated by the licensed psychologist, MSc, PhD candidate Dimitra Didagelou, who has extensive expertise and specialization in the field of expressive writing and bibliotherapy.

With her background in psychology and writing, coupled with advanced training in Therapeutic Writing Dimitra brings a wealth of knowledge and practical experience.

You can see her personal website here. 

The post Certified Training in Therapeutic Writing for Mental Health Professionals appeared first on Expressing MySelf Institute.

“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.

The post Catharsis in writing appeared first on Expressing MySelf Institute.

Dimitra’s approach through expressive writing techniques encourages life reflection, self-exploration and creative expansion.

The workshops are useful for all individuals, while the practice of expressive writing can particularly benefit those seeking to gain insight into their inner lives, increase self-awareness, listen to their inner voice and connect with their full creative potential.

The writing focuses entirely on tapping into our inner selves, without any concern for narrative structure or grammar rules.

Although we discuss in English, you do not necessarily have to write in English and you don’t have to be a native speaker in order to join. There is no need for previous writing experience.

The group will welcome new members until December, but if you wish to participate later than December, you can ask for it as there might begin new groups and you will have priority.

The first meeting will open with the following poem, which is going to be the basis for the rest of the writing:

Reinvent your Life
Charles Bukowski

Invent yourself and then reinvent yourself,

don’t swim in the same slough.

invent yourself and then reinvent yourself and

stay out of the clutches of mediocrity.

invent yourself and then reinvent yourself,

change your tone and shape so often

that they can never categorize you.

reinvigorate yourself and accept what is

but only on the terms that you have invented

and reinvented.

be self-taught.

and reinvent your life because you must;

it is your life and its history and the present

belong only to you.

INFORMATION

The meetings will be held through Skype the first Monday every month, from October 2021 until March 2022.

Time: GMT time 16.00 -18.00
UK (+1GMT) 17.00 – 19.00
Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Croatia (+2GMT) 18.00 – 20.00
Greece (+3GMT) 19.00 – 21.00
India (+5.5 GMT)  21.30 – 23.30

Duration: 2 hours each workshop
Cost: 40€ (payment through pay pal or bank transfer)

For booking your spot, please fill out the following
_APPLICATION and send it to dimitra@expressingmyself.org

Learn more about expressive writing here:
https://expressingmyself.org/frequently-asked-questions-about-expressive-writing/

Facilitator’s short cv

Dimitra Didangelou  is a psychologist MSc, science journalist and author. After filling thousands of pages for personal and professional purposes, she quickly discovered the power of the written word. She’ specialized in therapeutic and expressive writing, helping people gain insight into their lives, listen to their inner voice and enhance their creativity.

Alongside founding and editing a web-magazine that explores psychology, she is the founder of “Expressing MySelf”, an Institute which offers workshops promoting conscious and creative living.

Her training includes Advanced Study in Therapeutic Writing (The Center for Journal Writing in Denver, CO, USA), an MSc in Psychology and the Mass Media, a BA in Psychology and a Certificate in Philosophical Counseling and Psychotherapy.

Dimitra is a published author of two books and her short stories have been distinguished in many writing contests.

See Dimitra’s TED speech here.

Learn more about Dimitra here.

The post Reinvent Your Life – Online Expressive Writing Circle appeared first on Expressing MySelf Institute.

The conference will be held online on the 18th & 19th September 2021. You can find more and register here:

https://lapidus.org.uk/creative-bridges-international-2021

The post Express Gratitude through writing – workshop at the Creative Bridges Conference 2021 by Lapidus International appeared first on Expressing MySelf Institute.

“Be thankful for the good and the bad things in your life. They have both taught you something.”
Khalil Gibran

Gratitude has often given rise to the interest of the scientific community. During the last few years mainly, research that proves its benefits is increasing more and more.

The general outcome of the research is that expressing gratitude can have a positive effect on the soul, the mind and the body as well. Emphasis has also been given to its social dimension, and scientists claim that when we feel grateful we tend to analyze our relationships with other people and find out if and how they have supported us.

The word “gratitude” derives from the Latin word “gratia”, which means grace, courtesy. All the derivations of this word refer to generosity, gratitude, gifts, the joy of giving and receiving or just giving generously without taking something in return (Pruyser, 1976). The object of gratitude can be a person or an actual being – for example our friends, animals, etc. or something impersonal or other non-material entities – such as God, nature, the universe, and so on (Teigen, 1997).

It has been said that gratitude is an emotion, a behaviour, a moral value, a habit, a personality trait or a reaction (Emmons & McCullough, 2003) and can be applied in the past, present and future.

According to Weiner, gratitude as an emotion is a situation that depends on the outcome, which comes from a cognitive process consisting of two steps: recognizing the positive result and recognizing that there is an external source for this result (Weiner, 1985).

Robert Emmons, professor of psychology at the University of California, Davis, and  one of the most well-known experts on gratitude, claims that gratitude makes us appreciate the value of things – however little or big they are – and not take them for granted. He also believes that gratitude helps us be more active and focus on positive facts, so that the joys we get from life are multiplied (Emmons & McCullough, 2003).There have been numerous research in which took part thousands of people of all ages. Briefly, the basic outcome is that people who practice gratitude regularly have the following benefits:

On a physical level:

– Stronger immune system

– Less pain

– Lower blood pressure

– They exercise more and take care of their health

– They sleep more and feel more relaxed when they wake up

On psychological level:

-More positive feelings

– More awake, alive and active

– More joy and pleasure

– More optimism and happiness

On social level:

– More helpful, generous and compassionate

– More forgiving

– More extrovert

– Less isolated and lonely

(McCullough, Emmons, & Tsang, 2002, Emmons & McCullough, 2003, Emmons & Stern, 2013).

What happens when we keep a gratitude journal?

There are many ways of expressing gratitude, including keeping a journal. It has been proven that when we express our gratitude on paper, the beneficial effects can be many more compared to simply writing or expressing verbally.

Emmons and McCullough, in one of their studies (2003), instructed young adults to keep a journal of the things they felt grateful for. Other groups have been instructed to keep a journal of things that have bothered them or why they felt superior to others. Compared to other groups, those who kept the gratitude journal increased their determination, focus, enthusiasm and energy.

In a second research, the same researchers found that adults who kept a gratitude journal even for one week only, also had some benefits. They had greater optimism, exercised more, got sick less and had less pains (Emmons & McCullough, 2003).

Dr. Martin Seligman (2005), psychologist at the University of Pennsylvania and pioneer in the study of positive psychology, studied the effect of various psychological interventions on adults by comparing with writing assignment for early memories. When the assignment of the week was to write and give personally a gratitude letter to someone they had never thanked before, the participants immediately reported a huge increase in their happiness. This effect was much greater than any other intervention, with the benefits lasting more than one month.

Expressing gratitude through actions

Scientists point out that gratitude does not mean to believe that we are better than the others. Sometimes we feel grateful for what we have by looking at what others do not have or when we realize that they are worse than us. But this is not gratitude, it is just a comparison.

In addition, in order to have positive results from gratitude, it is necessary not only to assess the positive aspects of a situation, but we also need to take a step beyond that, to show or to express it. Gratitude not only encourages us to become aware of the gifts we have received, but to give in return as well. For this reason, sociologist Georg Simmel (1950) called it “moral memory.”

It is worthwhile wondering every day what is our act of gratitude for today. Ultimately, gratitude is a life attitude and a point of view. American politician Frank Clark was right to say: “If a fellow isn’t thankful for what he’s got, he isn’t likely to be thankful for what he’s going to get.”

Journal prompts on Gratitude

• Fill in the following sentence: right now I feel grateful for…
• Make a list of everything you have and feel grateful for. You can fill it up every day with something new.
• Make a list of the memories that make you feel grateful.
• Choose a moment for which you feel grateful and describe it in every detail.
• Write a letter to someone you feel grateful for. Read it again and if you wish, send it as a gift.
• How can you express your gratitude for a moment that you laughed?
• How can you show your gratitude to yourself?
• How can you show your gratitude to your body?
• How can you show your gratitude to the people you love?
• How can you remind the others of the value of gratitude?

Bibliography

Emmons, R. McCullough, M.E. (2003). Counting blessings versus burdens: An experimental investigation of gratitude and subjective well-being in daily life. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84(2), 377-389.

Emmons, R. A., Stern, R. (2013). Gratitude as a psychotherapeutic intervention. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 69(8), 846-855.

McCullough, M. E., Emmons, R. A., Tsang, J. (2002). The grateful disposition: A conceptual and empirical topography. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 82, 112–127.

Pruyser, P. W. (1976). The minister as diagnostician: Personal problems in pastoral perspective. Philadelphia: Westminster Press. In Emmons, R. McCullough, M.E. (2003). Counting blessings versus burdens: An experimental investigation of gratitude and subjective well-being in daily life. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84(2), 377-389.

Seligman, M., Steen, T., Park, N., Peterson, C. (2005). Positive psychology progress: Empirical validation of interventions. American Psychologist, 60 (5), 410-421.

Simmel, Georg, 1950, The Sociology of Georg Simmel, Compiled and translated by Kurt Wolff, Glencoe, IL: Free Press.

Teigen, K. H. (1997). Luck, envy, and gratitude: It could have been different. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 38, 313–323.

Weiner, B. (1985). An attributional theory of achievement motivation and emotion. Psychological Review, 92, 548–573.

The post A “thank you” for every day appeared first on Expressing MySelf Institute.

By Dimitra Didangelou, Psychologist, Author, MSc, Specialized in Therapeutic Writing*

“We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospect.”
– Anais Nin

Ever since I can remember myself, I have enjoyed writing anything – from homework to poetry. Most of all, I enjoyed writing in my diary. I adored the whole procedure. Being alone, my hand running across the white pages. The moment I opened my diary, a new world was made available for me to shape according to my choosing. I used stickers, I scribbled seemingly irrelevant words and phrases in the margins… What I write about today is very different in comparison to what I wrote about when I was a child, but the ritual is still the same.

What about confiding? However small or big an event may seem to a third party, our own thoughts and feelings on what has happened matter. Whether it is about a scolding teacher or about feeling anxious because I may be fired, the catharsis procedure stays the same. I think, feel, write about it and let it go.

When I started writing my diary, there was no way for me to imagine that on the other side of the world, in the United States of America, scientists were doing some research to verify the benefits of the writing project and evolve it into the science of therapeutic or expressive writing.

Expressive or therapeutic writing is the deliberate writing of experiences and personal events aiming to specific results. Pay special attention to the words “deliberate” and “specific results.” It is not always enough to start writing to find relief (Adams, 1999). It is important to have a purpose and for that reason, specific techniques are implemented by experts in that field.

Expressive writing can be practiced by anyone at any stage of his/her life. It can be of use both during calm and relaxed times of our lives. It can help us to enjoy our lives’ flow or help us cope during troubling times when we face difficulties or dilemmas. We can find peace working through our feelings (Progoff,1992).

Dr. James Pennebaker, professor at the University of Texas, has found after numerous studies that writing helps people organize their thoughts and find meaning in their traumatic experiences. Among the participants in his studies were HIV positive people, cancer patients and victims of sexual abuse and Vietnam veterans. He came to the conclusion that if they were able to find greater meaning in their difficulties, they would have a better chance to overcome them. Writing can help someone find meaning.

In what specific ways can we benefit from journal writing?

1. It helps us understand our past
Writing about my past helps me understand my present. Shining light on events and feelings from my childhood, I gain a complete self-image and I can understand my present reactions. A Chinese proverb says: “The palest ink is better than the strongest memory.”

2. It has a therapeutic effect
Among Dr. James Pennebaker’s list of results, we find: strengthening the immune system, lessening post-traumatic stress symptoms, improved feelings of depression, diminished anxious feelings, less/reduced obsessive thoughts and compulsions, reduced pain (Pennebaker, 2004).

3. It helps us organize and understand our lives
There are days that I feel time goes by very quickly and life slips through my fingers. When I write about whatever is going on, I feel as if I freeze time. When I make a list of the things I have to do within a week or a month I get the chance to bring some order to the everyday chaos.

4. It improves school and work performance
Research has shown that students get better grades when they have written an essay before the final exam. This may have something to do with writing releasing a part of the working memory which is responsible for working on complicated tasks (Klein & Boals, 2001, Cameron & Nicholls, 1998). The same is true for our job tasks.

5. It increases our sociability
Recent research has shown that people who wrote about their traumatic experiences, talked to other people more often, laughed more and used more words related to positive feelings. Expressive writing seemed to make them more relaxed in social situations/settings, better listeners and friends (Pennebaker & Graybeal, 2001).

6. It increases our chances to get a job
In one of his studies, Dr. Pennebaker asked middle-aged unemployed men to write about their feelings, their anger and their thoughts. The control group was just writing about how they spent their time. Eight months later, 52% of the group who wrote about their feelings had found new jobs in comparison to a mere 20% of the control group (Pennebaker, 2004).

7. It raises our level of consciousness
When I gather memories, feelings, words, phrases, and images on a piece of paper I get a feeling of shaping my life. It helps me get a complete view of who I am and what my purpose in life is.

8. It increases our productivity
Harvard Business School researcher Teresa Amabile discovered that when people record even the smallest of their achievements they feel more committed to their work, productive and aware of the purpose of their toil. They tend to work more consciously (Amabile, 2011).

9. It makes us better balanced and calm
Writer and poet Ralph Emerson often stressed the allure of depending our existence on factors such as luck, property, circumstance and other peoples’ expectations of us. In order to get rid of such bondage he recommended strengthening our inner world. By strengthening our inner life we shall become less affected by what goes on outside. To quote Emerson: “Nothing can bring you peace but yourself.” Writing is an excellent way to contact ourselves and our inner world, eventually finding balance.

10. It makes us wiser
Neuroscientist Antonio Damasio claims that our notion of wisdom is, in fact, our ability to understand where our feelings stem from and learn from them. Writing helps us examine our feelings, interpret them and reach closer to our innermost wisdom—another reason to take up writing.

11. It boosts our self confidence
After minimizing our resistance and reserve towards the paper, we may come across a pleasant surprise. We will soon find out a safe warm place to express our thoughts and feelings that may boost our self-esteem and strengthen our self-respect.

12. It boosts our creativity
I think no further explanation is needed. Do you have anything better in mind?

Bibliography:
Adams, K. (1999). Writing as therapy. Counseling & Human Development. Denver: Love Publishing.
Amabile, T. M., and St. J. Kramer. (2011). The Progress Principle: Using Small Wins to Ignite Joy, Engagement, and Creativity at Work. Harvard Business Review Press.
Cameron, L.D., and G. Nicholls.1998. Expression of stressful experiences through writing: Effects of a self-regulation manipulation for pessimists and optimists. Health Psychology 17: 84-92.
Klein, K.A., and K.N. Miner. (2000). Writing about the perceived benefits of traumatic events: Implications for physical health. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 26: 220 – 330.
Pennebaker, J.W.. (2004). Writing to heal: A guided journal for recovering from trauma and emotional upheaval. Oakland CA: New Harbinger Publications.
Pennebaker, J.W., and A. Graybeal. (2001). Patterns of natural language use: Disclosure, personality, and social integration. Current Directions in Psychological Science: 90-93.
Progoff, I. (1992). At a Journal Workshop. New York: Tarcher.

———————————————————

 * Dimitra Didangelou is a psychologist, science journalist and author.

She has worked as a journalist for more than twelve years in order to raise public awareness about mental health issues. Over recent years, she has additionally worked as a certified psychologist. Through expressive writing techniques, Dimitra helps people to bring balance in their lives and increase self- awareness.

She works with individuals and groups through the internet, having participants from all over the world. To paraphrase Ludwig Wittgenstein, she believes that “the limits of our world are the limits of the internet connection.”

When not working online, she grounds herself and finds balance between virtual and real life, by facilitating workshops which take place in nature, as it’s a way to come closer to our authentic and creative self.

She’s the founder of Expressing MySelf, an Institute that offers workshops promoting mental health and includes a psychology web magazine.

She’s a published author of a novel and many short stories.

Her training includes Advanced Study in Therapeutic Writing (The Center for Journal Writing in Denver, CO, USA), a Master of Science Degree in Psychology and Mass Media, a Bachelor Degree in Psychology and a Certificate in Philosophical Counselling and Psychotherapy.

She’s a member of the Movement for Global Mental Health, the International Association for Journal Writing and the Science View.

Learn more about Dimitra Didangelou here:

https://about.me/DimitraDidangelou

TEDx Speech: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNsHMEwNm2w

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dimitra.didangelou
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DidangelouD

If you have any inquiries about expressive writing, you can contact Dimitra at:
dimitra@expressingmyself.org

The post 12 reasons to start journal writing appeared first on Expressing MySelf Institute.

“The morning wind forever blows, the poem of creation is uninterrupted; but few are the ears that hear it.”
Henry D. Thoreau, Walden (Life in the Woods)

It’s Monday afternoon, a hard day at work has just finished and you return home. How do you relax? Turn on your computer and check out the social media news while watching something on TV? Or do you prefer to change your clothes and go out for some outdoor activities, perhaps go for a walk in a nearby park?

Most people usually prefer to do the first without a second thought. It is a fact that in the last few hundred years people have been disconnected from nature to a large extent (Katcher and Beck, 1987). Adults and children spend most of their time in front of a screen and technological devices and less time doing outdoor activities (Atchley et al., 2012).

This is something we witness and experience around us every day. We spend most of the day indoors and if we are out, our focus is once again drawn to another screen or technological device. Every time we are in nature, we usually want to dominate and impose our presence there without respecting it. We forget that we are part of it, that we and nature are one. Ourselves and nature are not two separate entities, it’s just one (Welling, 2014).

In her book “Reclaiming the Wild Soul”, Mary Reynolds Thompson notes that we live in a world that dominates nature, which creates in us the desire to dominate everything: other people, and even worse, our spirit. One of her students wrote: “All these internal rules of how I should be are a burden for me, and I feel disconnected from the spontaneous flow inside me.” Our desire to dominate our environment and change it may prevent us from finding our true nature (Thompson, 2014).

It is true that more than 50% of people on earth live in urban areas and that rate is about to rise to 70% by 2050 (Bratman & al., 2015). Our environment plays an important role in the way we think and behave (Atchley & al., 2012). Bearing in mind all the above, we can understand the value of studying the impact of the environment on humans as well as developmenting methods that can reduce the negative effects of disconnection created by technology.

Research that proves the beneficial properties of nature for our body is constantly increasing. For example, according to Rachel and Stephan Kaplan, people who have direct access to the natural environment are healthier than those who do not. Longer-term, indirect effects include an increased level of satisfaction with their home, work and their life as a whole (Kaplan & Kaplan, 1989).

According to Attention Restoration Theory (ART) developed by Kaplan in 1980, people focus better when they spend time in nature or even when they are watching scenes from nature (Kaplan & Kaplan, 1989).

A research based on the above theory (ART) confirmed the fact that the brain’s cognitive function is increased in the natural environment. Marc Berman and his colleagues at the University of Michigan found that students walking in a park performed better on a memory test than other students walking in the city streets (Berman & al., 2008).

In another research, Kaplan and Kaplan concluded that it is not necessary to run in the woods to benefit from nature. Just taking a look at nature through the window could be enough. According to their findings, employees who viewed nature from their offices had a more constructive view of their work, better health and satisfaction from their life (Kaplan & al., 1998).

Frances Kuo has dedicated her life to studying the impact of the natural environment on people, and together with her colleague William Sullivan they founded the Human-Environment Research Laboratory (HERL). Her research included children who were diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). After performing some tests, it was found that the children who took a walk in a park for 20 minutes felt much more relaxed than the children who walked in an urban environment (Taylor & Kuo, 2009).

In another study, Bratman and his colleagues found that 90 minutes of walking in nature may reduce thinking about the same things again and again (also known as repetitive negative thoughts) by reducing the function of a specific part of the brain associated with mental illness. Researchers have found that this doesn’t happen when someone is walking in the city (Bratman & al., 2015).

Bratman, together with a different scientific team, found that nature can also affect cognitive function. Compared to walking in an urban environment, walking in nature had an effective emotional effect by reducing stress and repetitive thoughts; it also helped to maintain these effects. Moreover, it had a positive cognitive effect by enhancing working memory, which aids learning (Bratman et al., 2015).

In their research, Ruth Ann Atchley, David L. Strayer and Paul Atchley found that reconnecting with nature and at the same time disconnecting from technology can help solve problems in a creative way. They also believe that technology and noise pollution in urban areas distract us and reduce our focus. The participants walked in nature carrying their backpacks for four days and were not allowed to use any technological devices. According to the results, when asked to solve complex problems that required creativity their performance increased by 50%.

Therefore, wandering and exploring in nature seems to be related to the disconnection from technology. Tristan Gooley, author of “How to Connect with Nature”, says: “When we are at home, brain-neutral activities such as watching TV or checking out the social media news may be more enticing than putting on our coats and going out. However, after 10 minutes out in the fresh air, these electronic brain-traps lose their impact.”

How can all the above be combined with writing?

Thompson insists that technology adds yet another layer of noise to our already busy lives, which can keep us away from our intuition and the language of non-human beings, while silence creates space within us, empties us (Thompson, 2014).

In her book “Writing Wild”, Tina Welling says that many of us behave like tourists in our own lives. We are constantly looking for something out there, when everything is inside us (Welling, 2014). She also claims that we often believe that nature is a place to rest. However, few of us know that we can also rejuvenate (Welling, 2014) and relax. Relaxation, rejuvenation, focus, silence, self analysis and problem solving are basic components of creative expression. When the process of creation is combined with nature, the beneficial effects are even greater.

Writing is one of the most common creative activities. In the psychology field that is called therapeutic or expressive writing is used as a means of expressing emotions and thoughts. In other words, paper can become our mirror and lead us to self-knowledge and personal development. According to Welling, we experience the power of language when writing in our diaries. Ourselves develop and shine in the light of our attention. We expand, awaken and become the person we are looking for in other people. Words have the power to change us.

When the writing process takes place in the natural environment, there are many more benefits for the writer than writing in an office, looking only at a computer screen.

Welling claims that the need for creation is something peculiar. Creative people need nature, a contact with their authentic self. The body is the link between the creative mind and nature (Welling, 2014). The sensory awakening that we experience in nature increases creativity. Sight, hearing, touch, taste, smell, they all finely tuned, become sharper and return to primitive levels.

In the natural environment, time expands, so we have the opportunity to observe. Observation, whether it is related to the outside or the interior world, is an essential component of writing. Thompson points out that we have lost the ability to imagine beyond the predetermined pattern we have learned from others. We forgot the power of our own imagination without the boundaries of urban conventions (Thompson, 2014).

The simplicity of the natural environment empties our mind and helps us see things more clearly from a new, different perspective. The silence and serenity of nature help us to focus on our inner world and hear our inner voice. They help us pay attention to the mental, spiritual and physical messages that otherwise would be ignored in our busy daily routine.

In nature, we reveal ourselves completely, without the corruptions of the external environment. In the natural environment, we can be our true self no matter what our position or role is. In nature, we have the ability to accept and emphasize our uniqueness, to find more easily the way which leads to our personal path. We can envisage more clearly our pure self and discover aspects that we had either forgotten or neglected or did not  know they even existed.

Nature can be the greatest teacher. In order to reap its rewards one must immerse themselves in it completely.

Bibliography:

Atchley., R.A., Strayer, D.L., Atchley, P. (2012). Creativity in the Wild: Improving Creative Reasoning through Immersion in Natural Settings. PLoS ONE 7(12): e51474. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0051474

Berman, G.M., , Jonides, J., Kaplan, S.. (2008). The Cognitive Benefits of Interacting With Nature. Association for Psychological Science. 19(12): 1207-1212.

Bratman, G.N., Hamilton, J.P., Hahn, K.S., Daily, G.C., Gross, J.J. (2015). Nature experience reduces rumination and subgenual prefrontal cortex activation.  PNAS. 112 (28);8567–8572. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1510459112.

Bratman, G. N., Daily, G. C., Levy, B. J., Gross, J. J. (2015). The benefits of nature experience: Improved affect and cognition. Landscape and Urban Planning, 138, 41-50.

Faber, A. T., Kuo, F.E. (2009). Children with attention deficits concentrate better after walk in the park. Journal of Attention Disorders, 12, 402-409.

Gooley, Τ. (2014). How to Connect with Nature. MacMillan, London.

Kaplan, R. Kaplan, S. (1989). The Experience of Nature: A Psychological Perspective. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, New York.

Kaplan, R., Kaplan, S., Ryan, R. L. (1998). With people in mind: Design and management of everyday nature. DC: Island Press. Washington.

Katcher, A., Beck, A. (1987). Health and caring for living things. Anthrozoös, 1, 175–183.

Thompson, Μ.R. (2014). Reclaiming the Wild Soul. White Cloud Press. Ashland, Oregon.

Welling, T. (2014). Writing Wild. New World Library. Novato, California.

Web Source

Jabr, F., Why Walking Helps Us Think, https://www.newyorker.com/tech/annals-of-technology/walking-helps-us-think

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