This exercise simply involves writing frequent entries about daily events, activities, thoughts, feelings, etc in an organized, sequential fashion in a journal, notebook, or binder of paper.

This exercise is not so much about writing anything specific, it’s more about just writing anything. It’s a good beginning place to learn to write, to start processing information and start expressing feelings. So many people have been taught that it is “not ok” to write. In this exercise, everything is acceptable, and writing is good. Creating new, healthier rules to live by is an important part of getting passed the restrictions of the trauma.

Eventually, over time, you can look for patterns of events, repetitions in behavior, changes in handwriting, etc. It also becomes a good tool for history taking and system communication.

To process the information that has surfaced during this journaling exercise, click here for a clinical consultation.