Scriptotherapy: Write about it! Part 1
- Nicole Gibson
- Jan 26, 2020
- 2 min read
What in the world is Scriptotherapy??? The short answer is that scriptotherapy is a form of writing for better well-being.
Scriptotherapy basically can be defined as writing for therapeutic purposes.
The term "scriptotherapy" was first coined by Suzette A. Henke in her book Shattered Subject. Suzette’s book provides evidence that women often used writing as therapy to work through psychological trauma. She describes scriptotherapy as “the process of writing out and writing through a traumatic experience in the mode of therapeutic re-enactment.” Since then much research has been conducted in regards to writing for therapy, that advocates the benefits not just for traumatic experiences. It is beneficial on so many different levels.
Researches have even found that writing about an issue that is causing stress, can have positive health effects. A groundbreaking study that appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association (Vol. 281, No. 14) involved the effects of scriptotherapy on patients with asthma and rheumatoid arthritis. The patients needed to write for 20 minutes over three consecutive days. After 4 months, the researchers discovered that the patients’ conditions improved.
Overall scriptotherapy has been proven beneficial for many conditions such as:
Post-traumatic stress;
Anxiety;
Depression;
Obsessive-compulsive disorder;
Grief and loss;
Chronic illness issues;
Substance abuse;
Eating disorders;
Interpersonal relationship issues;
Communication skill issues; and
Low self-esteem
According to Dr. Sheppard B. Kominars, author of Write for Life: Healing Mind, Body, and Spirit Through Journal Writing, “You actually change the problem by framing it and moving it into an area of your experience more involved with problem-solving.” In essence by putting our thoughts on paper, our thoughts and feelings are in a place where we can process them and gain insight.
I’ve been using scriptotherapy off and on for many years. During my early twenties, I would write whenever I was feeling emotionally vulnerable and unable to cope. I would basically free write whatever I was feeling, getting out all the anger, sadness, disappointment or stress onto the page. I didn’t know at the time that writing could be a therapeutic tool, all I knew is that after 10 or 20 minutes of writing I felt better.
Free writing is only one of the forms of scriptotherapy. Free writing simply involves writing whatever is on your mind. Often our thoughts and feeling, particularly when we are feeling overwhelmed and stressed, can spin out of control. By writing what’s on our mind provides a place of structure and form, so that we can gain control over, putting us in a better position to deal with and solve the issues. Now I write at least 2-3 times a week, not just for when I have bad days, but also to sort through organizing and planning where I’m heading, as part of my gratitude ritual and to celebrate the good things that happen.
There are other forms that can be used for scriptotherapy, as well as a bit of a “how to guide” in Part 2. If you enjoyed this article, I would love for you to subscribe and/or leave a comment below.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate link(s). An affiliate link means I may earn advertising/referral fees if you make a purchase through my link without any extra cost to you. It helps to keep this blog afloat and I thank you for your support.
Comments