Structured Journaling Exercises for Therapy

When people think of journaling they usually think of free writing, which is the most difficult way to work with a journal. Especially when struggling with grounding and self-regulation we need a more structured approach that offers safe boundaries and guidance. Journaling exercises are not typically taught in therapy, which is why I will share my favorites ones with you. For more trauma-informed exercises and worksheets to practice them, read “The way of the journal” by Kathleen Adams.

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Sentence stems

The most structured exercise for journaling is to complete a fixed set of sentence stems. The results will be different every time. It can help you to name your thoughts and feelings (name it to tame it!), get more grounded and to figure out what to do next to improve your situation. Here is the exercise that I do when I am confused and not properly grounded. (Include the green sentence stems if you are familiar with ego state work for cPTSD or DID, don’t try to use them if you are dissociating to avoid the inner experience of other parts; in that case you need to strictly work on your own grounding first)

1. Write down the time and date. Set the timer to 15 -20 minutes.

2. Write 3 words at the top of your page that describe how you feel right now.

3. Do a 4711 breathing exercise: breathe in counting to 4, breathe out counting to 7, repeat 11 times

4. Take a moment to focus on your topic or the situation you want to explore. then finish the following sentences:

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The first thing that comes to my mind…

And what comes to another parts mind…

Beneath the surface I find…

If my feeling had a colour, shape and size it would be…

If my feeling could talk it would say…

What I want to say back to this feeling is…

If my other parts feelings had a colour, shape and size it would be…

If their feelings could talk they would say…

What I want to reassure this part of is…

My current need is…

What feels uncomfortable about this is…

What inspires me about this is…

I would benefit from…

My next step is to…

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5. Re-read what you have written, let it sink in and take notes if that is helpful.

6. Write 3 words at the bottom of your page that describe how you feel right now.

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You can always add your own sentence stems, if these are not the ones that are helpful for you.

This exercise can be done when in mild dissociation or hyperarousal to develop a plan on how to manage yourself best. We keep a card with sentence stems inside our journal for reference.

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Alpha-Poems

Poetry is a beautiful way to express ourselves, but it is also very close to free writing and sometimes even more emotional because we find colorful pictures and words to describe our experience. An alpha poem is offering more structure and boundaries, while it is still taping into association a bit.

Alpha is short for “alphabet“ and in the original version you write all the letters of the alphabet in one column, one underneath the other, and use them as first letters for each line. You can write one or more words, even half sentences, in one line, but you somehow have to return to a word that starts with the letter of the next line.

That way you are grounded and connected to your journal while you still experience surprises as your subconscious brings up words to match the letters. It is hard to get lost in this exercise because it will automatically end with the letters on my page. I never use the alphabet to do this and instead write down the word or phrase that describes the topic that is on my mind.

Let me give you an example

 

G enerally speaking a

R ough experience that feels

O ut of control. My

U nderstanding of things

P riceless.

T ainted by fear of

H arm when it comes to

E ar what I know,

R emember and how I

A pproach things myself,

P rivatly, without

Y our help.

 

Re-reading this shows me where I am conflicted.

This exercise is especially helpful when I feel numb and I am not even sure what is going on inside of me. If there are different opinions about the situation inside of me I sometimes turn the journal upside down and use the letters in reverse order to write the poem for the counter-position. I have also integrated alpha poems into artwork, as a collage or painting, showing the different positions inside in word and picture.

 

 

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The Dialogue

A dialogue often needs more time and mental energy than other journaling exercises. The element of structure that sets it apart from free writing is that everything is framed as a conversation I am having with myself, so I have to shift positions back and forth all the time and can’t get too stuck in one. That way I create distance to the problem.

You can have a dialogue with

• a person: past, present or future, imagined or real. That could include your future self, someone you trust, Captain Picard, Stephen Hawking,…
• your body or parts of your body. I find this especially helpful when experiencing body flashbacks or chronic pain
• an emotion: it can create distance and a deeper understanding that can support your self-regulation
• a symptom: maybe to overcome it, maybe to befriend it
• a symbol: we know someone who talks to his coffee (the coffee is totally waken). You could have conversations with symbols of faith too ( it is amazing what a cross can tell you about your situation)
• your job: see if it takes itself as seriously as you do! Negotiate self-care.
• Your inner wisdom/ „Self“ if you work with IFS
• other parts of you: in this case the conversation is a little different, you are not making it up, but you still tap into an understanding that has been hidden from you through dissociation.
• ….
• ….

 

I usually write a T for Theresa at the beginning of “my“ words and the first letter of whoever I pretend talking to at the beginning of a new paragraph so I won’t get confused.

I always end up writing with more certainty and self-esteem than I usually feel as I take on a role in the conversation, just like my “partner“ is playing a role.

When it seems like I am stuck I try a different angle, if I am still stuck I take a break and come back to it later.

Here is an example from a dialogue with shame

 

S: Hey Theresa!

T: Hi Shame! We talked about you in therapy the other day.

S: Hell no! You can’t talk about me just like that! The T shouldn’t know about me! Nobody can know about me!

T: I liked his response. He was very gentle and caring and not judging at all.

S: You should be afraid of him.

T: Actually, he said he can teach me how to make you smaller.

S: Impossible! I am big and strong and I rule over you!

T: Just because I let you.

S: I am not normal shame, I am chronic! You can’t beat me, I can make you ashamed for breathing and having a heartbeat. I can make you suicidal within minutes. YOU ARE MINE (evil laugh)

T: Well, actually, I think you are mine. I think that maybe I use you like I use other stuff for numbing. I just need to figure out what you are covering up.

S: nothing to be seen here, keep moving

T: ok, let’s put it this way….

(Find out what I discovered over here)

 

Later in the conversation…

S: It is not about being loved. It is about being safe. I am trying to protect you from getting yourself killed.

T: And that would be true, if it was still trauma time.

S: but… but…

T: You are doing more than is necessary today.

S: But you need safe boundaries!!

T: Yes, absolutely. And I thank you for reminding me of those. In exchange I need you to be oriented in time and see that there is no threat to my life out there.

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Dialogues are typically the deepest therapy work I do with a journal, deeper than free writing. I use them sparingly and usually schedule them in advance. Make sure to re-read the whole dialogue when you are done and reflect on it. After a dialogue you absolutely deserve a treat.