Writing about the most stressful experience of your life

These patients were asked to spend 20 minutes each day, for three days, writing about the most stressful experience of their life. They were asked to just write continuously, without regard for spelling or stylistic concern. They could write about a single topic for all three days or move from one topic to another — although they were encouraged to continue a topic from a previous day if necessary, rather than stop it. There was also a control group that was asked to write about planning [planning what?] for the next few days.

The results were remarkable: almost 50 % of the patients writing about their most stressful event improved and stayed better for a long time! This is even more remarkable when noting that these patients had incurable, chronic conditions that required lots of medications. The study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association and the reference is JAMA, April 14, 1999 - Vol. 281, No 14 1304-1309).

Because of this study, I am giving you the same assignment for the next three days. Each day, find a safe, comfortable place where you can disconnect your phone and beeper. Get a pen and paper and begin writing about the most stressful experience of your life. It’s more helpful if you are out in nature, under a big tree or next to flowing water or the ocean. But a safe familiar place will also do. Write what ever comes to mind. Nobody is looking over your shoulder so don’t worry about grammar or spelling. Spend a minimum of 20 minutes for each of the three days.

It is important to keep your notes completely confidential. They are for you and you alone.

Don’t think or plan in advance about what you’ll write — it’s your pen that will be doing all the thinking. If you are having difficulty, try writing with your non-dominant hand. Let the words just flow, describing everything you can remember: what happened, how you felt and how it have affected you. Don’t stop until your 20 minutes are up and if you feel like continuing, keep writing for as long as you want.

This is the first and one of the most important assignments I will give you. Remember, there is no need for me to see what you write; you are doing it for yourself. But if you chose to, we can discuss or read it together. I am certainly very interested in what you learnt about yourself as you did this assignment and how that has affected you.

Good luck.