My T suggested that I journal during a particularly tough period for me. He had asked me what I found useful in therapy fifteen years ago, and I had mentioned journaling.

He didn't suggest that I give him my journal, and I might have felt differently if he had. My previous T always thanked me for giving it to him, but he never said anything about it. My current T always gives it to me at the next session (he reads it in between sessions, sometimes it is 20 pp. long). I used to ask him if he'd read it, but I don't anymore. It is rare that we have a session without him referring to it at least once. So I know that he reads it, and my overall sense is that giving him my journal helps him understand me.

I think there are lots of ways that T's can understand you and your experience. Some of it is by watching your nonverbals in session, or your language or descriptions "in the moment." But I think there is also something to be learned from listening to you when you have "thought ahead" about what to talk about. He can also learn from reading your journal and then there are many other ways that might give him some kind of access into your experience.

So I guess I'm suggesting that it doesn't have to be either-or. You could think of any information from any source related to you-- body, mind, soul, as a "data point" that your T could use to understand and help you. I think the issue is not so much why he wants to read it or how it might help him theoretically, but rather whether you are comfortable with this, whether you think it might help you or him in some way.

I don't write my journal thinking about T reading it, with the exception that I occasionally write a Dear T letter to him in it. It helps me to give it to him because it is sort of a priming the pump for some of the most difficult things I want to talk about. There is some silly stuff in there about s*x which I would probably find enormously embarrassing if I thought about it for two seconds. But I don't. I write about what's on my mind and in my heart. And because my instinct is to be more closed off to people, including my T, than open, giving my journal to T after some sessions (every 2 to 3) really helps me to be more open during sessions.

The other thing that is helpful to me about giving my journal to him is that he often has insightful comments about something. The other day he said something like that he noticed, although it was subtle, that my feelings for my H are very "tender." I spent my first 4 months in therapy b*tching about my H, so I can understand why he'd be surprised. But it helped me to have that validated. He will also occasionally say something like "when you're ready, I think it would be useful to discuss X, that you wrote about in your journal."

I dunno. Those are my semi-coherent thoughts about journaling. My instinct is that if your T makes this suggestion, he might be on to something. I'd be inclined to take the leap of faith that it will help you and just hand it over.

Anne