I started journaling after using Julia Cameron's book, An Artist's Way. She has you do "morning pages" where you just dump everything out on three pieces of paper every morning, nonstop, fast as you can, no rhyme or reason. It gets you more flowing and non-censoring and eventually you realize you are saying things to yourself that are important and useful. I moved on from there to journaling -- I was having so many insights I started dating the entries (you don't for morning pages) and keeping track of a few things like days I had sessions versus dreams I was recording, etc. It got to be a really really great therapy help.