Therapeutic Writing
Writers often use life events as source material. One of the benefits is publicly sharing personal issues, which allows a person to work through problems. Plus, writers have an almost supernatural opportunity/ability to create an imaginary world with all kinds of characters. This blank slate lets a writer experiment, lie, and confess. We can even change the outcome of an actual event to lessen or heighten its impact.
Some books are genuinely therapeutic, such as an autobiography. Creating such a book allows a person to explore multiple childhood and adult events. A writer could also make a political or other type of book that contains a critical opinion. This freedom allows a writer to confess, vent, and explore. Writing is creative, intellectual, educational, and relaxing, which certainly qualifies as therapy if done correctly.
What about me? From a young age, I discovered that writing allowed my mind to wander, and I was able to explore personal issues. It was apparent that after a good writing session, I felt better. Still, I never associated writing with mental benefits.
That all changed on a recent walk. It occurred to me that the stories and articles I created had far more benefit. As I pondered, it became clear that I had made many personal discoveries and learned a great deal about the people in my life. In many ways, writing articles provides even more mental benefits. I get to tackle any topic and say what is on my mind. That freedom is liberating, and I certainly have taken advantage of it.
There is another unexpected benefit that is less direct. When developing a plot, I think a lot about people. What motivates them, why they made certain decisions, and what makes them work. To help, I think about the people in my life—specifically, the events before, during, and after an event. Then I ask myself questions. Why did they do this? What could have made it better? What could have made it more exciting? What change could have prevented a problem? Why didn’t they realize the obvious consequences?
Writing has also helped my relationships and improved my decision-making process. I am also better at analyzing people, which I directly attribute to writing because a writer needs to be laser focused on motivation.
Am I a better person because of writing? Err, probably. It is not easy to look in the mirror. How about this? Let’s turn the clock back to 2017 and split Bill into two people. One will be an author while the other will not.
What would non-writer Bill be doing? I likely would have done something productive. Yoga? Racquetball? Scuba diving? Or perhaps I might have started a large project, such as a business. Such activities would certainly open some doors leading to growth.
True, but there would be added stress, money issues, and painful life lessons. In thinking about it, writing would probably have been better for me from a mental perspective.
Would I recommend writing as therapy? I have certainly experienced stressful, demoralizing, and painful times. Bad reviews top that list. Still, I have used writing to clear a lot of junk out of my mind. Overall, I am more focused and have new tools for solving life’s problems. I also grew as a person because it requires a bold person to release something to the public.
I conclude that writing certainly helped me, and it probably would help others. That is perhaps something I need to discuss with my therapist. I mean, write about more benefits in future articles.
You’re the best -Bill
February 24, 2021 Updated August 23, 2025
Some books are genuinely therapeutic, such as an autobiography. Creating such a book allows a person to explore multiple childhood and adult events. A writer could also make a political or other type of book that contains a critical opinion. This freedom allows a writer to confess, vent, and explore. Writing is creative, intellectual, educational, and relaxing, which certainly qualifies as therapy if done correctly.
What about me? From a young age, I discovered that writing allowed my mind to wander, and I was able to explore personal issues. It was apparent that after a good writing session, I felt better. Still, I never associated writing with mental benefits.
That all changed on a recent walk. It occurred to me that the stories and articles I created had far more benefit. As I pondered, it became clear that I had made many personal discoveries and learned a great deal about the people in my life. In many ways, writing articles provides even more mental benefits. I get to tackle any topic and say what is on my mind. That freedom is liberating, and I certainly have taken advantage of it.
There is another unexpected benefit that is less direct. When developing a plot, I think a lot about people. What motivates them, why they made certain decisions, and what makes them work. To help, I think about the people in my life—specifically, the events before, during, and after an event. Then I ask myself questions. Why did they do this? What could have made it better? What could have made it more exciting? What change could have prevented a problem? Why didn’t they realize the obvious consequences?
Writing has also helped my relationships and improved my decision-making process. I am also better at analyzing people, which I directly attribute to writing because a writer needs to be laser focused on motivation.
Am I a better person because of writing? Err, probably. It is not easy to look in the mirror. How about this? Let’s turn the clock back to 2017 and split Bill into two people. One will be an author while the other will not.
What would non-writer Bill be doing? I likely would have done something productive. Yoga? Racquetball? Scuba diving? Or perhaps I might have started a large project, such as a business. Such activities would certainly open some doors leading to growth.
True, but there would be added stress, money issues, and painful life lessons. In thinking about it, writing would probably have been better for me from a mental perspective.
Would I recommend writing as therapy? I have certainly experienced stressful, demoralizing, and painful times. Bad reviews top that list. Still, I have used writing to clear a lot of junk out of my mind. Overall, I am more focused and have new tools for solving life’s problems. I also grew as a person because it requires a bold person to release something to the public.
I conclude that writing certainly helped me, and it probably would help others. That is perhaps something I need to discuss with my therapist. I mean, write about more benefits in future articles.
You’re the best -Bill
February 24, 2021 Updated August 23, 2025
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