[MindfulMoment]

This is a lead on from another thread on here.

I'm curious, if you journal between sessions, what do you guys journal about?

I tend to describe what went on in my session and what I found interesting and sometimes I'll write down little things my T did, or said which surprised, or amused me and I'll write about how I felt about the topics discussed.

Is there a more productive way I could use my journaling, something which could perhaps enhance my experience of therapy so that I can make the most of it? Any tips, or insights would be greatly appreciated

[ThisWayOut]

It sounds like you do pretty much what I do...
I try to journal my response to the session shortly after the session. I also try to journal about anything I didn't express but want to communicate to t.
Other stuff I journal about are things that go on during the time between sessions, or anything else that may come up relevant to therapy.

I journal about my sessions. Also, a lot of times I end up asking myself a question (like recently t told me "Art, you are not your feelings" which led me to ask "If I am not my feelings, then what am I?") So I spent some journaling time working on answering that question. I do dream work, both with t and on my own, so sometimes when I'm writing in my journal I'm 'thinking with my pen' as I call it, working on my dreams.

[gayleggg]

I journal about what's good or bad, the amount and quality of my sleep, my moods, and daily routine. I find it helps me sort things out better than it just rambling about in my head.

I use a digital journal but have only been being consistent in writing in the last 4 months.

[Ellahmae]

I'm writing down everything. Every thought, every feeling that I can add words to. Part of my problem is not remembering anything about my childhood. I don't even remember things that happened a year ago. So anything throughout the week no matter how mundane or important it may be gets written in the book. Like yesterday I penned the words, "Wanted to take a bath but forgot I had started the dishwasher" and a few minutes later I wrote, "I'm on an emotional roller coaster after using EMDR to help calm me down at my emergency appt today - I just want to feel numb I'm so tired of hearing my brain".

Some are important feelings I'm remembering or things I notice I want to work on. Some stuff I still can't write down because then it would make it real and I like it being something I can still say to myself that it didn't happen you just imagined it.

Before I go into my weekly session I re-read over it and underline things in certain colors: Red - needs to be brought up. Orange - memory I remembered that I had no previous recollection of. Green - words or sentences that show positive progress that I want to share with T. I've been doing this for the past 2 weeks I thought about doing it on my own, I haven't even shared it with T yet so there's a lot of red that needs to be brought up at some point ...

There are just so many things that go through my head throughout the week that I tend to forget or that might be of importance. I try to remember them when I go in but I usually forget them so I just need to brave up and take my journal in to read from.

[TheWell]

I've been journaling for 25 years. When I write, I write whatever comes to mind. I write about my day, I write about therapy, I write about work, sometimes I just write to feel the pen on the page.

Originally Posted by TheWell

I've been journaling for 25 years. When I write, I write whatever comes to mind. I write about my day, I write about therapy, I write about work, sometimes I just write to feel the pen on the page.

25 years! Wow!! That's awesome. I know what you mean about writing to feel the pen on the page. I do that too! I use all kinds of things to write on when I'm out somewhere and don't have a spiral notebook with me - backs of sales receipts, etc I have a box for these little 'notes' that I eventually get typed into my computer. I journal mostly in spiral notebooks, but have stuff on my computer too.

[doyoutrustme]

Whatever comes to mind, whatever is important. Whatever I need to get off my chest. I also like to write down my dreams when I can.

[MindfulMoment]

Originally Posted by artemis-within

Also, a lot of times I end up asking myself a question (like recently t told me "Art, you are not your feelings" which led me to ask "If I am not my feelings, then what am I?") So I spent some journaling time working on answering that question.

I've never thought to approach journaling this way. Thank you that's pretty interesting, I may try and ask myself a question after therapy and make that the focal point of an entry. Do you share your results with your T?

[quote=gayleggg;4143679]I journal about what's good or bad, the amount and quality of my sleep, my moods, and daily routine. I find it helps me sort things out better than it just rambling about in my head. quote]

When you say daily routine, do you mean you write about each task you did during the day? Also, how do you rate your quality of sleep? I have major problems with sleeping.

Originally Posted by Ellahmae

I'm writing down everything. Every thought, every feeling that I can add words to. Part of my problem is not remembering anything about my childhood. I don't even remember things that happened a year ago. So anything throughout the week no matter how mundane or important it may be gets written in the book. Like yesterday I penned the words, "Wanted to take a bath but forgot I had started the dishwasher" and a few minutes later I wrote, "I'm on an emotional roller coaster after using EMDR to help calm me down at my emergency appt today - I just want to feel numb I'm so tired of hearing my brain".

Some are important feelings I'm remembering or things I notice I want to work on. Some stuff I still can't write down because then it would make it real and I like it being something I can still say to myself that it didn't happen you just imagined it.

Before I go into my weekly session I re-read over it and underline things in certain colors: Red - needs to be brought up. Orange - memory I remembered that I had no previous recollection of. Green - words or sentences that show positive progress that I want to share with T. I've been doing this for the past 2 weeks I thought about doing it on my own, I haven't even shared it with T yet so there's a lot of red that needs to be brought up at some point ...

There are just so many things that go through my head throughout the week that I tend to forget or that might be of importance. I try to remember them when I go in but I usually forget them so I just need to brave up and take my journal in to read from.

I to don't have a good memory of my childhood, or what happened last year, last month is a bit hazy to be honest. I LOVE the colour coded system! The problem with me is everything would be coloured in red, because I feel that everything needs to be worked on immediately, I'm not yet very good at being selective. Does your T ask you to bring in your journal, or is it something which you're just going to start doing?

Originally Posted by TheWell

I've been journaling for 25 years. When I write, I write whatever comes to mind. I write about my day, I write about therapy, I write about work, sometimes I just write to feel the pen on the page.

I've been journaling for over 11 years and I thought that was a long time, 25 years us make an epic read. I have different journals for different things though, so I have a therapy journal, a grief journal, a diet journal, a meditation journal and a picture journal, oh and of course a general day to day journal. It just makes it easier for me to order things. I spend a lot of time writing

So with your therapy journaling you don't have a particular structure you follow?

[geis]

A lot of my journaling takes the form of a dialogue with myself. I guess it's how I understand myself--I think best in writing, transcribing the dialogues that are already happening in my head. I question myself about why I feel or think certain things, why I react to certain situations in certain ways (for me, that's mostly trauma/PTSD stuff), what I need...stuff like that.

I used to think I wrote about specific incidents, but I realized when I went back and read old journals that I rarely actually write about situations. What I write about is my reactions and my feelings--I guess in the moment, I'm so aware of the situation that it seems superfluous and silly to recap it in my own journal, since I'm the only one reading it and I already know the situation. But when I went back and reread older journals, I couldn't always remember the particular incidents, so it wasn't as clear what was going on.

[Ellahmae]

Originally Posted by MindfulMoment

Does your T ask you to bring in your journal, or is it something which you're just going to start doing?

I haven't brought it in yet. I mean it's always on my person but I haven't actually opened it in a session yet but I think I'm going to on Tuesday if I get up enough gumption. Most of it is underlined in red because right now, except the dishwasher and bath thing . Out of 40 pages so far I only have 1 orange sentence and 2 green ones.... this might take awhile. I'm hoping that as I progress I can see it switch from more green from red.

I too write to feel my pen on the paper I think that's where the mundane facts come from in my writing

[TheWell]

I didn't start My journals for therapy but sometimes I work out what I want to talk about using my journals.

[Partless]

I used to journal but then I realized it was useless, like I would never read it and it was so much (I had written about every single thing) and also sometimes journaling became like a time consuming annoying chore and at times itself quite triggering, as if constant regurgitation of pain and suffering (the same reason some people don't want to go for therapy but at least in therapy you have the support, journaling for me was useless lonely task). Then one day years ago I decided to make very few notes, I made notes but very brief ones and not all the time, like there might be couple of weeks I make no notes. I felt much better about it, no longer a chore.

One thing I've done consistently though is write poetry to express my feelings of the moment. I realized the factual information won't help me: I need to deal with feelings that come up. Like this is from maybe 6-8 years ago in my poetry journal (can't make out the date), one day I think when I had a lump in my throat the whole day and felt tremendous pain and was constantly triggered (I don't think I finished the poem):

Murmurs of self-murder
Whispers I've heard before
Cascade of salty tears
Grief that spreads like ripples
Baby I used to be
Laughing my soul was free
In pain my heart wrinkles
Hope that feels so remote
The air abhors me too
Acrid air stuck in throat

[catonyx]

I write whatever I'm thinking. Usually feelings and why I'm having them, if I know why that is.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[StressedMess]

I try to journal but mostly it's dry facts. Sleep time/quality. Meals, meds, mood. Then at least one accomplishment a day.

It's kinda like writing a grocery list. It is helpful to note my mood is better when I'm sleeping and eating well, and those silly accomplishments start to add up.

I would love to explore feelings with poetry, but I will spare the world. I really don't feel a whole lot these days, and who wants to read a poem called Blah.

[MindfulMoment]

Thanks guys, here all of this has been very insightful, I'm going to try and take little snippets and try them out whilst I'm journaling

[brillskep]

I think it's important to journal about what matters to you, not what others think is best to journal about

Personally, I write in my journal about the sessions with my therapists, the positive things in my life, and my dreams.

[nervous puppy]

I don't journal on a regular basis, but when I do, I write down whatever is in my head. I tend to think about things over and over and over again. If I sit down and put it in writing, it's like purging. It helps to get those repeating thoughts out of my head. I may share what I wrote with my t or I may not. Either way, it helps to clear my head.