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westcoastram
97 Posts |
 Posted - 11/21/2006 : 23:57:22
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I see a lot of people on this board who talk about reading the books over and over again.
I see a lot of people who said they've thought their repressed emotions through time and time again.
I don't hear as much about people journaling.
Me, personally, I didn't get my biggest gains in removing my pain until I started journaling.
And even then, I get flair ups and I usually need to go and journal some before they subside.
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Wavy Soul
USA
779 Posts |
Posted - 11/22/2006 : 00:30:20
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Yes, I have been journalling. I have a file on my computer desktop, and I have an ongoing journal there which is very much based on feeling feelings (I do a lot of other writing in other contexts, so I have to make sure this part of my writing is just to keep the feelings moving).
But I don't do it as much as some have said. There are some excellent threads about journalling, if you do a search.
xx
Love is the answer, whatever the question |
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n/a
374 Posts |
Posted - 11/22/2006 : 01:41:31
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I journalled when my TMS was at its worst (unbearable back pain, anxiety, depression, forced to give up work) and it helped a lot. I don't do it now, though - three years later and recovered.
Sometimes, during that black time, journalling was the only thing that would have any effect on my horrible frame of mind and the pain which I sometimes felt I couldn't bear for one more day.
I used to write down absolutely everything that came into my head - no attempt to self-edit. All sorts of hidden stuff gradually uncovered.
Journalling was certainly a major part of my recovery. During that time I was seeing a psychotherapist and I'm pretty sure that the two things - journalling and therapy worked well together. |
Edited by - n/a on 11/22/2006 01:42:23 |
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Redsandro
Netherlands
217 Posts |
Posted - 11/22/2006 : 03:14:15
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I recently started journaling, and I'm actually writing in a book in stead of journaling on the computer.
It's always going slower then I'd like, and when I'm not being depressed I find it hard to dig up repressed rage, because it doesn't seem like such a big deal then. But my unconscious apparantly disagrees, so I'll keep journaling (once every two days or so) untill I'm complaint-free, if that ever happens.
-edit-
Which makes me think.. what sort of journaling do you all prefer?
Writing in a journal? Typewriter? A4 papers? Computer?
Do you keep the file/page? Burn it? Eat it? |
Edited by - Redsandro on 11/22/2006 03:29:19 |
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n/a
374 Posts |
Posted - 11/22/2006 : 05:00:37
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I wrote in a journal - a rather nice book bought specifically for the task. I kept it hidden under a pile of paperwork in a drawer for around a year - I didn't want anyone else to read it, ever.
After that I got rid of it - shredded. |
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armchairlinguist
USA
1397 Posts |
Posted - 11/22/2006 : 10:07:48
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I write in a private online journal, and sometimes in an offline one. Since I live alone and I don't think any of my friends are snoops, I don't worry too much about the stuff being found.
Journaling was and is hugely helpful to me, both TMS-wise and personally. It's helped me feel far more friendly to all my various feelings and thoughts. I've kept a journal on and off for 10 years, so it's more a change in how I do it than what I do. I imagine I'll keep doing it as needed -- I did it nearly every day just after TMS discovery, but now do it just when I feel something is worth exploring, or I'm having pain.
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Wherever you go, there you are. |
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Stryder
686 Posts |
Posted - 11/22/2006 : 15:12:19
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My "journal equivelants" are only my replies in this forum. I have yet to keep a formal and/or private journal.
Many members here have mentioned their journaling and workbooks from various TMS programs.
Take care, -Stryder |
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HilaryN
United Kingdom
879 Posts |
Posted - 11/22/2006 : 15:53:33
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No, I don't journal.
Hilary N |
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wrldtrv
666 Posts |
Posted - 11/22/2006 : 23:36:43
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| I have been journaling on/off for at least 20 yrs. For the past couple of years it has been almost daily. I'm addicted, really I am. It is such a stress reliever for me, my day doesn't feel right if I skip it. It's also a way to analyze problems in my life, think things through, get perspective. For me, running, reading, and journaling are lifesavers. |
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shawnsmith
Czech Republic
2048 Posts |
Posted - 11/23/2006 : 12:11:35
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| I have hundreds of pages of journaling on myself and my feelings. |
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MikeJ
United Kingdom
75 Posts |
Posted - 11/23/2006 : 16:23:04
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I use journaling to brainstorm and explore ideas. It also keeps my mind refreshed and gives me a lot of clarity. I use like a bit like having a conversation with myself; I find it very beneficial.
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Wavy Soul
USA
779 Posts |
Posted - 11/23/2006 : 21:48:25
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I got this link from a post by Mike (thanks!). http://www.longnaturalhealth.com/library2.asp?A=65
It's so convincing about journalling that after reading it I just journalled very intensely for quite a while.
Good thing, because I just heard today that my ex got married (to our secretary that he left me for).
Felt good to allow that wave of feelings to come through in a safe place. Noticing that I was - ah - angry, I kept writing "I am angry at you..." Of course, at first it was "them," but after a while became God/life. And I noticed that as I ranted I was actually feeling guilty for this much rage, and a bit anxious about punishment. Good catch! I kept writing and found a voice coming through that reassured me that it is okay to let all these feelings out, and the thoughts that piggy-back on them aren't true, but if I need to write them to access the actual nitty gritty feelings, then okay.
It also feels good, SO GOOD, after writing whatever and allowing the feelings to breathe through me, to go back and correct the beliefs. For example, "I wasn't abandoned, I was saved..." etc. etc.
Hope this helps.
Love is the answer, whatever the question
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Edited by - Wavy Soul on 11/23/2006 21:53:21 |
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wrldtrv
666 Posts |
Posted - 11/23/2006 : 22:01:35
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| I write in a cheap notebook as I always have. Somehow, I don't think writing into a computer would do it for me. I get my daily fix in cafes along with my reading. |
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Chris Graeme
United Kingdom
13 Posts |
Posted - 11/24/2006 : 07:41:17
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i'm trying to write into a nice moleskine notebook that I usually use for my basic reminders etc at work. My journal starts at teh back of the book and works forward. The business stuff works from front to back.
It is hard to write for me because I am totally unsure of what I feel about most things! WhenI write about some stuff I am unsure as to whether I *really* feel that way or not. But at least it is out.
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westcoastram
97 Posts |
Posted - 11/24/2006 : 11:05:22
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Chris,
I find journalling invaluable. Even today though, I find myself shying away from it sometimes - most likely because it's not terribly "fun."
I will say that in the beginning, I wrote stuff - like you - that were thoughts in my head that I wasn't even sure if I believed. I think writing that is important and when you do it - over time - you do discover whether or not you believe that stuff.
The other thing: there's no winning or losing, right way/wrong way in journalling. The simple act of doing it is what makes it work. Success is in the process.
Best of luck with your TMS. |
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Redsandro
Netherlands
217 Posts |
Posted - 11/24/2006 : 13:59:03
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I write in a hardcover book called dummy.
I have a problem where I've taken on the mmaajjoorr sources of rage in my life, leaving me uninspired to think of something else to write about.. Any recent sources of irritation are often things I think about all day, so they are not really things that dwell in the unconscious. They are not many anyway.
Disclaimer:
The partial pain indicates that my unconscious might not agree to what I just wrote.
____________
Do not base your joy upon the deeds of others, for what is given can be taken away. |
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Jim1999
USA
210 Posts |
Posted - 11/24/2006 : 23:17:14
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I have done journaling. Like westcoastram, I found journaling to be very important in my recovery. Here is a thread where I discussed my journaling some more:
http://tmshelp.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1135&whichpage=1
I think that the following two books have the best discussions of journaling:
- "Back Sense" by Ronald Siegal
- "Freedom from Fibromyalgia" by Nancy Selfridge
Jim |
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floorten
United Kingdom
120 Posts |
Posted - 11/25/2006 : 07:31:20
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Journalling is vital in making progress in TMS, I believe. When I journal, I can literally feel the physical shift inside of me, the blood returning to my muscles, the symptoms shifting around, my body shudders or shakes a bit too sometimes.
I believe this is because the solution to TMS is to get back in touch with your feelings, and journalling is the most intense framework for doing this, outside of costly psychotherapy.
Here are some rules which have helped me:
In the journal ANYTHING GOES! If you are censoring your writing in any way, then you're repressing, and just causing more TMS. If you feel like taking a knife to your ex-wife's face or pouring petrol over your abusive father and lighting it.. FOR YOUR OWN SAKE WRITE IT DOWN!!
It doesn't mean you're psycho. It doesn't mean you're going to do it. You're just expressing that's how you feel at the time. It's your habit of censoring this before you get a chance to feel it that's caused your TMS in the first place.
I wrote on the cover page of my journal that it was not for anyone to read, that'd I'd be FURIOUS with anyone who disobeyed this, and that the journal was for the purpose of expressing negative emotions, and not "being fair" to everyone involved. I felt that through this I gave myself the permission to be totally honest in my journal, and if anyone else ever did read it, they had been fairly warned (as well as betraying my trust).
You'll find that the negative emotions over a while no longer have the power over you that they used to have. You'll also find your symptoms easing up, in a gentle gradual way, after the first week or two or journalling, I think.
Why write and not type? Because with a pen in your hand your can scribble frantically. You can push the pen through the paper in fury. You can draw pictures torturing your torturers. You can express yourself a lot more authentically, and the speed of writing is a natural brake on stopping you from just "skipping over" emotions, which actually need to be dealt with.
Hope this helps people out there.
greg
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"What the Thinker thinks, the Prover proves."
Robert Anton Wilson |
Edited by - floorten on 11/25/2006 07:39:02 |
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tennis tom
USA
4749 Posts |
Posted - 11/25/2006 : 08:17:23
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Thanks for the great post Floorten, should be a sticky! Journaling ins a nutshell.  |
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Redsandro
Netherlands
217 Posts |
Posted - 12/17/2006 : 13:50:39
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I've had severe RSI, but writing with an actual pen was not much of a problem. Sitting at a table and writing in a real paper journal thinking about stuff is very much unlike a computer position that would trigger conditioned RSI responce, which is good, and I found journaling on paper more personal anyway.
I didn't journal with a computer. I used a dummy. If you can use a pen, I'd highly recommend it. You can even do it in your bed before you sleep.
____________
Do not base your joy upon the deeds of others, for what is given can be taken away. |
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ndb
209 Posts |
Posted - 12/17/2006 : 13:56:05
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Alexis, I had pain in my arms from RSI (writing on paper as well as typing was painful). But from the very beginning after finding out about Sarno, I realized the pain wan't harmful. So the initial pain did not deter me from journalling. And floorten expresses it well. It is really a relief to write your innermost urges down.
ndb |
Edited by - ndb on 12/17/2006 14:04:24 |
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How many people have actually done journaling?
