Personal Daily Journal Writing Benefits with the #1 Truth Tool – Journaling
You’ve probably heard the saying, “the truth will set you free,” but did you ever wonder why? Or how? If you’ve read my first book, Truth Heals, you already have a pretty good idea.
Whenever life gets too tough, too threatening – when we experience an emotional or physical trauma of some kind – we may feel we “can’t handle the truth” and so we try to deny it. We send the truth – the facts about what is happening, as well as what we think and feel about it – underground, burying it deep inside us, where we think we don’t have to deal with it. Then we might distract ourselves with something less scary, or even overwrite the facts with lies that are easier to cope with.
Well, if you’ve read Truth Heals, you also know that this “out of sight, out of mind,” deny-and-dissociate strategy doesn’t work, at least not for long. That’s because the truth is a mighty force, a powerful energy that is and always will be. Like everything else in our universe, it exists in physical reality even if we can’t see it with our eyes. Therefore, it can’t just be wished away, any more than gravity can. Dealing with the truth in a healthy way requires processing it. The energy needs to be moved out of the body and released.
If this doesn’t happen – if the truth about what happened to us and what we think and feel about it is not acknowledged and spoken by the conscious mind – it will eventually pop back up, like a beach ball under water, grabbing our attention in some unpredictable ways. Emotional pain, abusive relationships, financial problems, accidents, health scares and conditions, stress symptoms of all kinds – under almost any disturbance is a truth waiting to be set free.
I discovered this reality when, at age 25, I wound up with cancer. I’d already had plenty of other warning signs and wake-up calls – drug and alcohol addictions, promiscuity, an eating disorder – but I didn’t pay heed. Cancer finally got my attention. When it did, I sincerely wanted to heal.
To my surprise, one of the simplest tools I found in my search for healing – writing in a personal journal – turned out to be one of the most powerful. Journal writing gave voice (expression and movement) to my truth of an extremely traumatic childhood wrought with sexual and emotional abuse. Journaling gave the benefit of processing out that old toxic energy that was stored inside me and had been wreaking such havoc on my life. Giving voice to it ultimately led me to becoming cancer free, addiction free, and to letting go of all the other lies I had been living.
We all have truths buried inside. Too often in childhood we are taught by our parents or society that feelings are bad and shouldn’t be felt, let alone expressed. Stuffing our emotions is the cultural norm. Yet in order to have a fulfilling life, complete with healthy relationships, we have to have our feelings. We have to experience them and then let them go. In essence, to be truly healthy and happy, we have to live in truth. Journal writing can help us do that.
There aren’t many rules to follow to gain the benefits of writing in a personal daily journal. Here are a few guidelines for getting the most out of it:
- Do it daily. Like brushing your teeth, create a habit that helps to ensure good emotional hygiene.
- Use pencil and paper OR keyboard and computer. They are both equally effective. The desired stream of consciousness can come about merely by using your hands to communicate.
- Be honest. Practice rigorous honesty about your feelings, no matter how petty, jealous, hateful, or anything else they may sound. It’s time to honor your feelings and this is the place to do it. Don’t hold anything back.
- Don’t edit, spell-check, or judge your writing. That’s not the exercise here. This isn’t school and you’re not being graded. We’re doing something far more important for your well-being and that requires letting the thoughts and feelings flow – uninterrupted.
- Keep your journal safe. This means keeping it in a safe place where no one else will see it. To be uninhibited in your journal writing, you need to know that it won’t be subject to scrutiny by others.
- Share only if you want to. If there is a trusted loved one with whom you want to share your writing, by all means do it. Having another person hear your truth and then give you unconditional acceptance will further your processing the energy out.
- Be committed to the truth. Use your journal as a self-healing tool for your personal growth, self-improvement, emotional health, and physical well-being. Remember, the truth will set you free!
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@ July 12th, 2010 at 08:09Amazing. I want to read more. Will it be continued?
@ July 12th, 2010 at 09:02I truly found my power and love for myself once I started writing things down – my feelings, thoughts, ideas and gratitudes.
I developed a diary/workbook that helped so much with this process – it became my best friend!
Keep up the great work.
@ July 13th, 2010 at 15:44I have a question:
If I am someone who tends to obsess about things and has to work very hard at not giving other people’s opinions or actions my energy, is it a bad idea to journal about it? I have this fear that if I put words on paper about something that I will legitimatize my need to worry about it and in fact make the problem grow! If I’m pissed or hurt about something I felt someone did to me and I’m being oversensitive and illogical, am I in fact encouraging more negativity by giving it airtime? Will it shift from ‘I wonder if that person doesn’t care about me?’ to “that person has no regard or respect for me and I just proved it by listing a, b & c”?
I don’t know if you respond to these messages, but I’d love to hear what you think or advise?
Thanks for reading,
Leah Cooper
@ July 13th, 2010 at 16:18The disguised threat in all of this is that as peoplefight to reduce obesity the resultant effect of all of this then emerges as fitness levels tightens up with less available exercise being taken and more disease becoming prevalent…If Central Governments don’t take a grip soon then we could be facing an obesity problem.
@ July 14th, 2010 at 03:56This is good information. Thank you.
@ July 14th, 2010 at 05:47Amazing – I plan to implement many of these tips because I agree with living the truth. For far too long – I have not been doing this. Journaling has helped me feel more free but I need to remember to give myself time daily to do so.
Thanks for the inspiration I needed to continue my healing process through journaling!
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@ July 14th, 2010 at 10:31Hi Deborah,
@ July 14th, 2010 at 14:10I am listening to your radio show on cords today. I have a couple of co-workers that are very negative in my life. I need those cords cut.
I have tried to call in but was unable to do this.
The energy they give me and send me is so negative.
Also you said i was cut off at the neck when I saw you in Toronto.
how do i fix this?
Hi, found google to your this blog and it appeard funny but after refresh site displayed fine. Just thought id let you know and keep up the good work.
@ July 14th, 2010 at 18:03Great site and nice text.
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@ July 15th, 2010 at 20:48Thanks for the interesting content!!!
@ July 16th, 2010 at 13:14I just started reading your site – thanks for writing. I wanted to inform you that it’s not displaying correctly on the BlackBerry Browser (I have a Tour). Anyway, I am now subscribed to the RSS feed on my PC, so thanks again!
@ July 16th, 2010 at 15:49Thank you Karen for sharing!
Warmly,
@ July 16th, 2010 at 22:22Deborah
Hi Leah, thank you for writing.. this is a great question.
Your thoughts are made of energy and energy never dissipates so by holding in these thoughts, you are holding onto negative energy. You should definitely be journaling about these thoughts that you have and do it on a regular basis. Don’t worry about what the words say or what kind of power they have because by putting those words on paper, you are clearing that energy out of your field and it won’t be able to attach to you or anyone else you encounter.
You will be surprised to feel a lot less aggravated by things if you begin journaling about them. Its the energy that you hold back that you tend to eventually lose control of.
Warmly,
@ July 16th, 2010 at 22:28Deborah
Thank you so much for sharing!
Warmly,
@ July 16th, 2010 at 22:29Deborah
Hi Connie,
Thank you for writing to me here. I’d love to help you with your situation. Just drop me an email at radio@truthheals.com.
Warmly,
@ July 16th, 2010 at 22:30Deborah
Damn, that sound’s so easy if you think about it.
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@ July 18th, 2010 at 15:29Hello, thank you for the great article. I had wanted to sign up to your RSS feed but unfortunately it never seem to be working when I try. Am I the only one with this difficulty? I’ll be back in a day or so to check. Otherwise thanks a lot again for this article.
@ July 19th, 2010 at 00:34I have to admit, I possibly could not concur with you in 100%, however , it’s simply my personal viewpoint, that indeed could possibly be wrong.
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@ July 19th, 2010 at 15:11very well information you write it very clean. I’m very lucky to get this info from you.
@ July 19th, 2010 at 18:29Life attracts life. — Paulo Coelho
@ July 20th, 2010 at 06:39Thank you Dinah.
@ July 21st, 2010 at 20:27Very nice I find journaling a great healer in my life!
Thank you for sharing this:)
@ September 7th, 2010 at 18:56Hi Eldridge
@ September 23rd, 2010 at 13:34Glad journaling is working for you – thanks
for sharing your success.
Warmly,
Deborah
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@ January 11th, 2011 at 13:46Good day! i’m at the job currently so i did not have time to read all of your article, however i do appreciate the stuff i read and i’ll read a little more at your site when i get back home.. Got a lot of things to complete at work :p do you happen to have an account on twitter?
All the best, Resan
@ May 15th, 2011 at 22:07