all the things she observed that made her genuinely happy.

Among the advantages most frequently mentioned are: A healthful release for feelings and tensions ... a place to advise yourself, clarify goals, and make decisions ... a way to nourish yourself with friendship and self-acceptance ... a nonthreatening place to work out relationships with others and to develop your capacity for intimacy... a path to

Anger and Fear

Reflection often follows a cathartic entry, after an emotion has spent itself and the diarist is ready to look at the situation more objectively.

Cathartic writing may not represent reality at all. It uses exaggerations and distortions because realistic writing cannot contain the amount of emotion behind the words.

Unsent Letters

Write quickly with no preconceived subject, so quickly that you retain nothing and are not tempted to reread.

She concluded her diary writing session with the self-posed question: “What can I do to stop this futile pattern?” and made another list, this time of future guidelines for herself. She further asked herself, as if she were her own therapist, which of the items she could act on immediately. Within one writing session the writer was able to move her

psychiatrists and psychologists recognize journaling as a preferred treatment for trauma,