[growlycat]

If your T has asked you to journal --whether a food diary or a traditional journal, has your T asked to see it or do you read it to T?

I was really surprised this week, after keeping a detailed food journal as requested, that T did something unexpected. In the past I've done one or two food journals for other T's and they always read it.

I did let my CBT T know in advance that I find this kind of food diary painful and embarrassing. When I brought it in, I asked, "You aren't going to read it out loud, right?"

He surprised me by saying "Why don't you tell me what you wrote, what you noticed this week." I kept trying to give him the notebook and he wouldn't take it.

Maybe he is trying to maintain my trust? This is a first for me--a T who doesn't scrutinize my food diary.

[Leah123]

Well, based on my current therapy, where a recurring theme is to keep me in the driver's seat, it seems to me he is keeping the control and responsibility with you. It's your journal, your eating issue, and so maybe he just thinks it's appropriate for you to own it, not feel obligated to let him look it over like a teacher would with a child's homework?

I'm thinking he probably thought it would be most useful to hear what bothered you, what you saw, instead of judging it himself? Like in a dream journal, where we focus on the high-impact scenes to us, rather than someone else telling us what matters.

[HazelGirl]

Mine allows me to do what I want with my journals. If I want to read from them, great. If I want her to read from them, great. If I want her to read them out loud, that's great too. She gives me full power.

[ScarletPimpernel]

Mine has told me no more papers: no more journaling, no more charts, no outlines, no notes, etc. Above all else, no negative writing: unless I shred it right after writing it. The only thing I'm supposed to write are positives and coping skills for each day. That she will read.

[BlessedRhiannon]

Any journaling I do, my T asks me to share with her. She won't take my journal and read entries...she has told me that she always wants it to be my choice what I share, how much, and when. I have a lot of trust issues, so my T never demands anything. Also, I think that by reading or talking about what I've written, rather than just giving it to T to read, it helps me think more about what I've written and helps me to see patterns.

The only exception is mood diary cards. Those, I give to T at the start of a session, and it just gives her a quick overview of how the past week has been, so that we don't have to spend the whole session talking about symptoms. T will sometimes ask me about specific items if anything catches her attention, but most often, she leaves it up to me to go in to more detail about anything on the diary card.

[Ambra]

Mine asks me to write frequently (or draw). She usually prefers to have things read from me, but I can do as I am more comfortable so since I tend to skip the worst things when I read, if I struggle reading and want her to know what I wrote, she will read it for me. I've never been forced and I have also said no at times, when I didn't feel ready to share everything.

I find it kind of your T to give you some power about it.

[growlithing]

LCM wants me to start a food journal for her. I can't. I think I'll make something that just tracks the time of day I ate. Maybe that's a start.

[clairelisbeth]

I've done food journals (during a time when I was between nutritionists and someone needed to be monitoring eating-my therapist is an ED T) and self-care journals. She would never demand that I show them to her, but while I was doing them, I always sent them. We would read them together and talk about them in session.

[growlycat]

Originally Posted by growlithing

LCM wants me to start a food journal for her. I can't. I think I'll make something that just tracks the time of day I ate. Maybe that's a start.

I'm finding that anything that moves you closer to your goal is perfectly fine.
Starting with what times of day you are eating can be illuminating too.

I was surprised to see that 2 nights this week I was eating at one or 2 am. That isn't helping my sleep cycle!

Sharing this stuff with a T is as hard for me as opening up about early neglect/abuse.

[growlithing]

Originally Posted by growlycat

I'm finding that anything that moves you closer to your goal is perfectly fine.

Starting with what times of day you are eating can be illuminating too.


I was surprised to see that 2 nights this week I was eating at one or 2 am. That isn't helping my sleep cycle!


Sharing this stuff with a T is as hard for me as opening up about early neglect/abuse.

This actually might be harder. Well it depends on what parts of my neglect/abuse I'm trying to share. Some parts, I can just say with a dead monotone voice but can't connect with it. This I can't say at all.

[growlycat]

I had a sadistic daycare provider as a child who (among more horrible things) would steal food that was packed for my lunch and gloat about it. No surprise I ended up with eating issues.

CBT T did not think it was useful to do more of a "snapshot" one week record of a food diary, which is oddly a relief and disappointing. Not sure what else he has in mind to help me with this, I just hope he doesn't drop the issue (because it means I have to awkwardly bring it up again.)