What is expressive writing technique?

What is expressive writing technique?

Expressive writing is a form of writing therapy developed primarily by James W. Pennebaker in the late 1980s. The seminal expressive writing study instructed participants in the experimental group to write about a ‘past trauma’, expressing their very deepest thoughts and feelings surrounding it.

What are some examples of expressive writing?

Kinds of Expressive Writing

• Diaries and journals.
• Autobiographies or memoirs.
• Personal writings and observations.
• Personal values and beliefs.
• Personal songs and poems.
• Opinion or thought pieces.

What is the Pennebaker paradigm?

Pennebaker’s written emotional disclosure paradigm suggests that emotional disclosure about stressful events leads to improvements in physical and psychological health as well as positive reactions from participants about the perceived impact of disclosure.

How do you start expressive writing?

How to Do It

1. Find a time and place where you won’t be disturbed.
2. Write continuously for at least 20 minutes.
3. Don’t worry about spelling or grammar.
4. Write only for yourself.
5. Write about something extremely personal and important to you.

Is a personal and expressive writing?

Expressive writing is personal and emotional writing without regard to punctuation, verb agreement, or other technical aspects of writing.

Why is expressive writing important?

The act of thinking about an experience, as well as expressing emotions, seems to be important. In this way, writing helps people to organize thoughts and give meaning to a traumatic experience. Or the process of writing may enable them to learn to better regulate their emotions.

What is an expressive essay?

1. An expressive essay is about you, your thoughts, feelings, experiences, memories, and emotions. An expressive essay is written in the first person (I, me, and sometimes, we and us). Use of the 2nd person (you, yours) is not appropriate in this kind of essay.

What are some specific possible effects of expressive writing?

The immediate impact of expressive writing is usually a short-term increase in distress, negative mood and physical symptoms, and a decrease in positive mood compared with controls. Expressive writing participants also rate their writing as significantly more personal, meaningful and emotional.

What should I write about mental health?

BuzzFeed’s Style Guidelines For Writing About Mental Health

• Use words that end stigma, not perpetuate it.
• Put people first.
• Avoid using diagnosable conditions in a nonclinical sense.
• Respect the difference between an emotion (sad) and a mental disorder (depression).
• Avoid euphemisms, be precise, and use value-neutral terminology.

How do you describe mental health?

Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices. Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood.

What is mental health example?

Mental illness, also called mental health disorders, refers to a wide range of mental health conditions — disorders that affect your mood, thinking and behavior. Examples of mental illness include depression, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, eating disorders and addictive behaviors.

How do you write mentally ill characters?

To avoid stereotyping and caricature—and to keep your story believable—try these five strategies and tips:

1. Make the character relatable.
2. Keep the narrative front and center.
3. Balance internal and overt symptoms and behavior.
4. Specify the disorder, at least in your head.
5. Get the details right.

How do you write a crazy character?

9 Tips for Writing an Insane Character

1. He is a man-vs-self conflict. This character is his own antagonist.
2. He deeply affects other characters.
3. His arc is driven by obsession.
4. He probably knows something’s not quite right.
5. He shows symptoms of a real mental disorder.
6. He has behavioural quirks.
7. He ignores primal urges.
8. He was set off by something.

How do you write a traumatized character?

Make sure to realistically portray how the character thinks or remembers the traumatic event. However, don’t be afraid to make that character uncomfortable, to throw them head first into whatever their worst fear is and let them become stronger because of it.

Is mental illness a theme in literature?

states that mental illness is and has a history of being a taboo topic. As a literary theme it now occurs more often and more openly than previously.

What is literary madness?

It contains two components: “mental functioning” and “deviation.” In Madness in Literature,Lillian Feder writes: “The connection among all these [forms of madness] is a concern — however primitive or sophisticated — with mind, with deviation of some norm or thought and feeling, whether as a threat, a challenge or a …

How do you describe trauma?

In general, trauma can be defined as a psychological, emotional response to an event or an experience that is deeply distressing or disturbing.

What is a tragic backstory?

Most tragic backstories involve death of some sort—usually the character’s family. While that’s certainly sad, it’s also overdone, meaning readers won’t be as affected by it. Yet another cliché is putting the character through unspeakable tortures (usually perpetrated by his arch-enemy).

How do I write about PTSD?

How To Write Characters With PTSD

1. Why Write About PTSD?
2. #5 – Avoid Recalling Traumatic Events.
3. #4 – Show The War Going On Inside Your Character.
4. #3 – PTSD Is About Minimizing Triggers.
5. #2 – Give Them A Tell.
6. #1 – Blindside Your Character.
7. Have a question you’d like to ask about writing PTSD in fiction with realism?

How do you describe someone with PTSD?

19 People Describe What It’s Like to Have PTSD

• Here’s what they shared with us:
• “It’s like you’re tidying your house before a dinner party.
• “It’s like a side show ‘fun house;’ you never know what’s around the corner to screw up your day.
• “My nightmares when I’m asleep bleed into my daily life.
• “It’s difficult to explain.
• “You’re constantly on guard.

What PTSD means?

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric disorder that may occur in people who have experienced or witnessed a traumatic event such as a natural disaster, a serious accident, a terrorist act, war/combat, or rape or who have been threatened with death, sexual violence or serious injury.

What does PTSD flashback look like?

Flashbacks can come on suddenly and feel uncontrollable. They are more like a nightmare than a memory because sufferers often cannot distinguish between the flashback and reality, feeling like the traumatic experience is happening again. Flashbacks are vivid, sensory experiences.

What are the 5 signs of PTSD?

PTSD: 5 signs you need to know

• A life threatening event. This includes a perceived-to-be life threatening event.
• Internal reminders of the event. These symptoms typically present as nightmares or flashbacks.
• Avoidance of external reminders.
• Altered anxiety state.
• Changes in mood or thinking.

What are the 5 stages of PTSD?

What Are the Stages of PTSD?

• Impact or “Emergency” Stage. This phase occurs immediately after the traumatic event.
• Denial Stage. Not everybody experiences denial when dealing with PTSD recovery.
• Short-term Recovery Stage. During this phase, immediate solutions to problems are addressed.
• Long-term Recovery Stage.

What does a PTSD attack feel like?

A person with PTSD can also experience the physical sensations of panic attacks, such as heart palpitations, shortness of breath, and hot flashes. However, these attacks are brought on by the re-experiencing of the traumatic event through such experiences as dreams, thoughts, and flashbacks.

What does a 70 PTSD rating mean?

Per VA’s rating criteria, a 70% PTSD rating reflects that you display impairment in most areas such as, work, school, family relations, judgment, thinking, and mood. 70% PTSD rating lists several symptoms that affect occupational and social function.

Do I have PTSD or anxiety?

Tip #1: If you have at least 1 symptom in each of the 4 categories, and your symptoms only started AFTER a traumatic event, then you might have PTSD. If your anxiety symptoms were already present before the trauma, then it is probably not PTSD. Tip #2: It is normal to feel more anxious right after a trauma.

What are the 17 symptoms of PTSD?

Common symptoms of PTSD

• vivid flashbacks (feeling like the trauma is happening right now)
• intrusive thoughts or images.
• nightmares.
• intense distress at real or symbolic reminders of the trauma.
• physical sensations such as pain, sweating, nausea or trembling.

What does PTSD mean in text?

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

What is a PTSD attack?

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that’s triggered by a terrifying event — either experiencing it or witnessing it. Symptoms may include flashbacks, nightmares and severe anxiety, as well as uncontrollable thoughts about the event.