Connect to your Heart
through Journaling
Nowadays, we tend to live too much in our heads. There is, fortunately, a powerful tool that can help bring us back into our bodies and hearts, and that is journaling. In this article, I’ll cover the three most effective journaling techniques I've come across. I believe they are effective because I have used them on myself and on my patients, and they have consistently produced results.
Create a Vision
I found that clients who began treatment by forming a clear picture of their goals were not only more likely to make positive changes to their lives, but tended to get better much quicker.
The first step on your healing journey is to imagine your ideal lifestyle. You might ask yourself what sort of life you want to lead, what your day will look like, who you will surround yourself with. You will want to clarify what your routine will be, what your home will look like. The more detailed, vivid, and clear the picture you create, the better.
This is not the law of attraction or anything like that. It’s simply a way of motivating yourself and formulating a plan of action.
Dr. Sarno: Journaling
If I were forced to give up all the treatment modalities I use and choose only one; then without any hesitation I would choose Dr. Sarno’s method of journaling.
Journaling can be very helpful, not only on your mental and emotional wellbeing, but on your physical health as well. Randomly jotting down your thoughts in a notebook won’t help much though; you need a system method. Dr. Sarno found a specific way of journaling successfully
Dr. John Sarno
In the early 1970s, Dr. John Sarno worked at NYU Medical Center where he specialized in treating chronic pain. He noticed that many of his patients were not improving, and began to doubt the effectiveness of conventional treatments for these conditions. After doing a lot of research he discovered that many physical ailments, including back pain, were often rooted in repressed emotions and psychological factors rather than structural abnormalities. He found that he could provide long-lasting relief by addressing the underlying emotional and psychological causes of pain and other symptoms through therapy and journaling.
Writing Down Your Soul
Dr. Sarno was a brilliant doctor but his instructions are rather broad and general when it came to the act of journaling. Writing Your Soul by Janet Conner is for me, by far the best instruction book on how to journal effectively.
In the midst of domestic abuse and poverty, Janet Conner decided to listen to her own inner voice, and it told her to start writing. As she did, her inner voice gained clarity and strength, and she felt an incredible connection to the divine, and almost immediately miracles began to happen.
Today, researchers in psychology, physics, biochemistry, and neurology offer insights into consciousness, shedding light on the profound effects of writing. "Writing Down Your Soul" explores this research and provides guidance on accessing the power and beauty of one's deepest self. It is a compelling invitation to connect with our inner selves through the act of writing.
I feel that Dr. Sarno’s philosophy along with Conner’s journaling techniques makes for a powerful combination.
Other Hand Writing
When Lucia Capacchione became ill she consulted with a gestalt therapist, and one of the tasks she was given was to journal, but with a catch. She was asked to write with her left hand. And then something wonderful happened.
“I had other dialogues: with body parts needing to be healed, emotions wanting to be released, dreams yearning to see the light of day, creative ideas wanting to be born, and inner wisdom giving me answers to life's questions.”
Through journaling and drawing with her other hand she eventually found the inner peace and health she was looking for.
I’m Dr. Rodger Douglas, DMH, a South African-born homeopath now based in Osaka, Japan. With a psychology degree from Nelson Mandela University and a diploma from the Hahnemann College of Heilkunst, I specialize in holistic care for fibromyalgia. I serve clients by phone or video across the US, Canada, the UK, and beyond.