The Power of Writing for Healing: An Embodied Approach - Tiny Buddha

"When I was studying writing in college, my personal essay class was my favorite. I'd already been journaling for almost a decade, so I understood the power of exploring life experiences through the written word. Journaling wasn't immediately helpful for me. In my younger years, I often wrote to ruminate, beat myself up, count calories, or otherwise reinforce patterns that didn't support me. But as I worked through childhood trauma in therapy and through other approaches, my writing gradually became healthier."

"Instead of dwelling on the negative or obsessively analyzing myself, I began challenging my perceptions, reflecting on what I was learning, noticing patterns, and tracking my growth. Over time, this helped change how I saw myself-and allowed me to rewrite the story I was living. This is why I'm drawn to writing programs that go beyond journaling alone. Writing can be powerful, but many of us need guidance and structure for it to actually support meaningful change."

Journaling often begins as rumination that reinforces negative self-patterns, like self-criticism and calorie counting. Therapeutic work and other healing approaches can transform journaling into reflective practice that challenges perceptions, tracks growth, and fosters self-rewriting. Structured, body-aware journaling practices help slow down, remain grounded, and process inner experience without becoming overwhelmed. A free 90-minute guided class and a 20-page guide provide evidence of benefits, clarify which approaches heal versus harm, outline common mistakes to avoid, and teach embodied techniques and prompts to support healing and sustained personal change.

Read at Tiny Buddha