The Atlantic recently published an intriguing article summarizing the findings of a University of Arizona study on journaling. The study, which will be published in the journal Clinical Psychological Science, set out to test the effect that journaling had on recent divorcees. Many therapists, myself included, recommend journaling to clients as a way to stay engaged with the therapeutic process. Researchers divided the divorcees into three groups, and instructed each group to journal for 20 minutes a day for three consecutive days. The first group was directed to explore their deepest thoughts and emotions in their writing. The second group was told to write a detailed story of their relationship. The third group was instructed to keep a neutral “activity log” of their days. The researchers assessed the participants’ emotional states before the journaling began, and during a follow-up eight months later. The results they found were surprising: the group that fared the “worst” were those who had been told to explore their emotions in writing, and the group that responded “best” were those who took activity logs. Of course this poses the question, does journaling make break-ups worse?

While I find the results interesting, I’ll need to see more research before making the decision to abandon journaling. As with any research study, this one has some serious potential sources of error. The sample size was quite small, and having participants journal for only three days seems insufficient. I can imagine that letting yourself delve into your deepest emotions for three days, then being instructed to stop, can actually have a jarring effect. I also think that being asked to journal is very different from feeling your own natural desire to journal. The clients who have had the most success with journaling have been those who initiated the journaling out of a curiosity about their inner lives, and stuck with it for at least a few months. Nonetheless, I am always interested in reading new research about the therapeutic process, and I enjoy taking the time to consider how I might adapt my methods to best serve my clients.

Have you had any experiences with journaling? Going through a difficult break-up right now? Call (415) 658-5738 or visit my Appointments page to schedule a consultation.