To Help Heal Trauma, Talk Less, and Write More

Yes! There must be a mountain of research (not to mention anecdotal evidence) that writing is one of the most effective ways to process the emotion from traumatic events, not to mention everyday stresses and worries. While talk therapy has its place and its benefits, it's not always the best approach for recovering from trauma, for the reasons you cite.

From personal experience, I'd caution anyone who's considering writing about a trauma they've experienced, especially if they have not yet completed therapy for that trauma, to have a trusted therapist or friend (or an experienced guide, such as Anna) nearby or on call while they're writing and maybe even for some time after they've completed a writing exercise. I once re-traumatized myself in a major way by writing about an early trauma. Ultimately, this re-traumatization led to me finally getting a proper diagnosis and therapy for said trauma (and others ...), but I would not wish the intervening hell before that therapy began on anyone. So ... yes, write about those traumas, but please take care, be aware of your how you are feeling while writing, and don't go it alone.

Thank you, Anna, for sharing this here. I subscribe to your Youtube channel as well and I appreciate your thoughtful presentations and the fact that you too have "been there".