[Yogix]

Do you guys journal? If so, what about, and do you take it and read it in session?

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[Hoppery]

Well, IF and only IF I get a T. Or my mental health nurse specialist has some kind of qualification in it. (Doubt this) but you never know.

What is journaling?

This is the absolute hardest thing for me to do. My T gave me journaling as my assignment to do since she was closed all last week and I barely wrote anything and she wasn't upset but she knows it's not something I do well or am good at..but does emphasize the importance of it for me to do. She is drilling it into me lol. So my assignment for this week is journaling again. I just never know what to write or say..and I get self conscious because I know T is going to want me to read it in our next session. Which I have no problem letting her read it..but I have always had insecurities when it comes to reading anything I write to others.

[Yogix]

I can totally understand that. Journaling for me is just writing everything out, not putting too much thought into it, but just kind of letting it flow out.

But then I feel OCD tendencies, and if my handwriting gets too messy I'll rip the page out and rewrite it, over and over.

What a mess. Lol.

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[BlessedRhiannon]

Yes, I journal. Yes, I take it to every session...sometimes I read from it, sometimes I just use an entry to prompt me, sometimes I don't use it at all.

What do I write about? Anything and everything. Events that have happened; my reflections on things; my emotions; things I want to talk to T about; things I feel like I could never share with anyone, but want to get out of my head; venting about stuff.

I tend to just start writing and things flow from there. I used to type my journal entries, but then I could easily edit and my OCD made me want to make each entry perfect. So, now I write, in ink and it's harder to edit. I've learned, slowly, to just write and not edit.

[Daeva]

Yes, and yes! I journal about my days, my thoughts and feelings, I'll even put stuff I like in my journal, like an inspirational poem or the steps to mindfulness. etc.

[UnderRugSwept]

I do all the time...my mind races faster than my hand can write. One of my Ts asked if I wanted to bring some in and I said, "Um, ok" but had ZERO intention of doing so as a lot of it is about struggling to figure out if therapy with him is going to work or not (which we do already discuss in session as necessary). I don't trust him enough to read each and every private word!

[healingme4me]

I journal, but it's not necessarily for therapy. I haven't taken a pen to paper, in a while, and that's ok. Sometimes, I write a lot and sometimes I don't. I could be at a place, in my life, where I am able to articulate my inner thoughts as they come, much faster than I used to be able to.

[RTerroni]

I just got a Journal for Christmas (it was in the Wizard of Oz collectors addition box set that I got) so I may take it when I return to therapy in the next few weeks.

[smmath]

I journal only when something major happened, and I want to bring it up in therapy. I bring it with me to every session, but I only read it if I forget what I wanted to talk about or what happened that week.

[PrisonBound]

does twitter count? i say everything on that. its cathartic for me

No, I did write about each session for a while but stopped sometime last May. I have a password protected document on my computer, so it's nothing I bring to T. I don't think he would find it meaningful. I never told him that I did journal, or when I stopped.

I found it very useful and helpful.

[brillskep]

I journal about my therapy and supervision sessions and about the good things that happen to me each day.

No, I don't take it to therapy. I was kind of thinking about taking to therapy this jar I've kept during 2013 with little notes about good things happening in my life, but I decided against it. This is just for me and if I want to share something I wrote about, I can share that particular bit.

Originally Posted by Yogix

Do you guys journal? If so, what about, and do you take it and read it in session?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Perna]

I took the insights I gained from journaling in to my T, usually not the raw journal itself. However, I did start a "new" journal that I was going to use instead of contacting my T through letters/email, etc. outside sessions, for a couple month test, see if I could just interact with T real time, when I was with her only, and it happened she was going away the next couple weeks after I thought of this idea and I "accidentally" forgot the journal and left it in the office She saw it and kept it for me and gave it back when she came back and we discussed that rather interesting development.

[purplemystery]

I journal about emotionally significant events in my life, which ends up mostly being about therapy. I write down everything I can remember from each session, and I love looking back and seeing how far I've come or reading T's words over and over again. Often, I use journaling as a way of emptying out distressing or intense thoughts. It also helps me to think logically and rationally about things. I haven't yet brought my journal to therapy because, to be honest, I don't trust my T enough. What I say to my T is an edited version of the truth, and my journal even might not contain the whole truth if I'm not ready to face it myself.

[Rzay4]

I journal have about six of them and counting. I start with my new T and I think I'll begin my Dear A letters again. They're very powerful.

[TheWell]

I journal nearly every day. I've been journaling since I was 19. About 24 years. I have an entire shelf of journals with the year on the binding.

I used to be careful what I wrote...only writing what I wasn't afraid of people reading. Now I write everything.