Kathleen Adams LPC

Director, Center for Journal Therapy

www.journaltherapy.com
A short guide to

healing, growth,
and change
through writing





J is for

JOURNAL

Page | 1

CONTENTS

A Note from Kay 3

J is for Just Start! 4

O is for Outside/Inside 5

U is for Unique 7

R is or Reflection 10

N is for Nothing 11

A is for Authenticity 13

L is for Life 15

:KDWV1H[W"$5HVRXUFH*XLGH 17

This report is designed to provide information on journal writing for personal growth and more effective
life management. It is distributed with the understanding that the publisher and author are not engaged
in providing psychological, medical or professional services through this medium. If such professional
advice or service is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought.

Publisher:
Center for Journal Therapy
4800 Wadsworth Blvd #218
Wheat Ridge CO 80033
303-986-6460
www.journaltherapy.com
info@journaltherapy.com
2015 Kathleen Adams. All rights reserved.

Page | 2

A NOTE from KAY
Thanks for downloading this special report on some of my favorite philosophies and ideas about
personal journal writing. WKHWKHU\RXUHEUDQG-new or a seasoned pro, you are welcome in this
global circle of people who know the power of writing for healing, growth, and change.

,P.D\ $GDPVP\WDOOQDPHLV.DWKOHHQEXW,JRE\.D\LQSHUVRQ,DPWKHIRXQGHU

director/CEO of the Center for Journal Therapy, Inc:Hre based on the west side of Denver,
Colorado, on the edge of the Rocky Mountains. In 2015, I will celebrate the 30th anniversary of
teaching my first journal class on my living room floor. It was the first semester of my
counseling graduate program. Some friends asked me to teach a little class on writing a journal.

,GRQWNQRZKRZWRWHDFKDFODVVRQZULWLQJDMRXUQDO,VDLG%HVLGHVZKDWVWKHUHWRWHDFK"
JXVWJHWDQRWHERRNDQGVWDUWZULWLQJ,WVQRELJGHDO7KDWVKRZ,GVWDUWHGZKHQ,ZDV
\HDUVROGDQGWKDWs how I still did itor so I thought.

You just get DQRWHERRNDQGVWDUWZULWLQJP\IULHQGVVDLGWe KDYHSUREOHPV

2KWell, oND\,VDLG&RPHRYHUWZRZHHNVIURP7KXUVGD\WHOOILJXUHVRPHWKLQJRXW

What I figured out in the next weeks as I prepared and then taught the first class (then called
Write On!) over several Thursdays was a methodology that became my first book, Journal to
the Self, as well as my signature message: Writing is a powerful tool for personal growth, life
management, and mind/body/heart/spirit health. (And WKHUHVa little more to LWWKDQget a
QRWHERRNDQGVWDUWZULWLQJ)

I knew right then, in that first class, that the intersection between writing and healing was my
work. I decided on the spot WKDW,GIROORZLWZKHUHYHULWOHGPH.

Fast-forward 30 years. ,Pa psychotherapist specializing in journal writing as a primary path for
healing, growth, and change$ORQJWKHZD\,YHDOVREHFRPHDQDXWKRUWHDFKHUVSHDNHU
trainer, thought leader, group facilitator, conference organizer, mentor, and business owner. All
from six people in a circle on my living room floor, writing their lives!

Every single day, I give thanks for having been given wonderful work to do and wonderful
SHRSOHWRGRLWZLWK,m so happy \RXYHFRQQHFWHGZLWKXV:HOFRPHWRWKHworldwide
community. I hope you enjoy J is for JOURNAL. Now lHWVMXVWVWDUW

Page | 3

J is for JUST START!
Maybe you're brand-new and curious. Maybe you've been writing a journal for decades. Maybe
you wrote when you were 12, but someone snooped in your diaryand you slammed it shut,
locked it, and threw away the tiny key.

Whoever you are, whatever your story, welcome!

Let's face itno matter what your experience with writing down your thoughts, feelings,
desires, and daily activities--we all get stuck and need a jump start from time to time. In this
VSHFLDOUHSRUW\RXOOJHWSOHQW\WRWKLQNDQGJHWFXULRXVDQGHQWKXVLDVWLFDERXWSOXVtime-
tested writing prompts to get your pen or keyboard moving.

Journal Ground School: The Basics

1. No rules! That's right -- no "wrong." Do what you want to do, when you want to do it. Write
for three minutes, or ninety. Write on paper or keyboard. Write in the morning sunshine or ten
fast minutes on a work break or curled up in bed at night. Write creatively or plainly. Write
when you're inspired and when you're bored. You get the idea. No wrong. Just write.

2. Start with three deep breaths. It will focus you, and it helps with the transition from "out
there" to "in here." This is particularly true if you are doing a fast write of 3-7 minutes.

3. Pace yourself. If you're writing about something intense, or/and if you're writing for longer
than 30 minutes, take a break. Get up and stretch. Drink water. Step outside for fresh air. If the
writing is taking you somewhere you don't want to go, stop writing.

(This is not only common sense and good journal practice, but it's science. The famous
research psychologist Dr. James W. Pennebaker has a "Flip-Out Rule" that says, "If you think
you might flip out, stop writing.")

4. After each journal entry, take a minute then (or later) to re-read what you've written and
give yourself a sentence or two of feedback. As I read this, I notice or I'm surprised by
or I'm aware of or I realize. This is called the reflection write or feedback write, and it's
where you can harvest immediate insight and note action steps.

Page | 4



Just Start Where You Are

Already you can see that much of journal writing is simply showing up, being present, paying
attention. That's because by its nature, a journal is a present-tense document. We are
recording life and our engagement with it in the "now" momenteven if we are writing about
the past, or the future.

Some excellent questions to help you discern and describe your present experience are:

x What's going on? (My personal favorite.)

x How am I feeling? -- or its more specific cousins, What hurts? or What feels great?

x What do I need? and/or What do I want?

x What is the problem? What is the best-case resolution?

x What's the most important thing to do?

x What is my next step?

O is for OUTSIDE/INSIDE
In the first segment, we reviewed the core concepts of writing a journal for personal growth,
creative discovery, and improved life management. Now we're going to go a little bit deeper.
We'll explore ways to notice and toggle between the "outside you"the part that steps out and
faces the world each day, and the "inside you"the part of you that sources your creativity,
imagination, and intuition (and also gives free rent to your Inner Critic).

"Do I Contradict Myself?"

In his joyous and thoughtful epic, "Song of Myself," 19th century American poet Walt Whitman
writes:
Do I contradict myself?
Very well then I contradict myself,
(I am large, I contain multitudes.)
Page | 5


We are each larger and more multitudinous than we know! And the journal is the perfect vessel
to hold our explorations of who we are in the outside world, and who we are in the privacy of
our own minds, hearts, and souls.

Is this navel-gazing? I don't think so. I think self-knowledge is the root of peaceful change.

Prompts for the Outside

Sometimes "outside" prompts are drawn from the narrative of our daily life: To Do lists,
appointment calendars, emails, blog posts, tweets, texts, directions. Any of these can be
considered a journal entry; they're each written documentations of your "one wild and precious
life" (Mary Oliver). If you're interested in a deeper look at how you are as you engage with the
people and places of the earth plane, here are some prompts.

x Bring to mind someone who is on your side -- someone who loves/supports/coaches you.
See yourself through this person's eyes. Write the letter of recommendation this person
would write for you. (Tip: Write it in the third person, referencing yourself as "YourName"
and "she" or "he," and your supporter as "I.")

x What are you known for? What's your "thing"?

x Where do you feel most comfortable? Describe the place (environment). (Tip: Stretch
toward specifics, details, particulars.)

x What were you doing five years ago? How does that compare to what you're doing now?

x Describe a typical day in your everyday life.

x What are the top three stories dominating the news today? What are your
thoughts/feelings/beliefs about them?

Prompts for the Inside

"Inside" prompts focus on your internal experience of imagination, intuition, creativity, as well
as your private thoughts and feelings that accompany you at all times -- the running
commentary that happens as a stream of consciousness in background for most of us.

x When you blow out your birthday candles, what do you wish for? Write about it.

Page | 6

x If money and time were both available to you, and you could live your dream, what would
you be doing?

x What is the thread of connection (a constant presence) that has woven through your life so
far?

x Write about your relationship with your intuition.

x What are the core messages that your Inner Critic delivers? How do you respond to your
Inner Critic?

x Do you remember your dreams? Try writing them down and then giving yourself a 'best
guess" about what the dream might be telling you.

As a final noteWKHLQVLGH\RXSURPSWVSDUWLFXODUO\LI\RXUHQHZWRVHOI-exploration through

MRXUQDOZULWLQJFDQIHHOXQVHWWOLQJRUHYHQGLVWUHVVLQJ5HPHPEHUWKH)OLS-2XW5XOHLI\RX
IHHOOLNH\RXPLJKWIOLSRXWVWRSZULWLQJDQGDGGWRLWWKH6KUHGGHU'RFWULQHVKUHGGLQJ of
DQ\WKLQJ\RXGRQWZDQWWRNHHSLVQRWRQO\DOORZHGLWFDQEHWKHEHVWRSWLRQ<RXUHLQ
charge!)

U is for UNIQUE
In all of time, there is only one person who can write the story of your life, with all its foibles,
follies, treasures and tears. That person is you.

Your journal is unique because you are unique.

Sometimes in our high-tech, template-driven culture we forget our own uniqueness. We forget
that we are more than our daily accumulation of tasks, demands, to-do lists, TV shows, take-
out meals, chores, and responsibilities.

We want to take time for beauty, long walks, heart-to-heart talks, thoughtful gestures,
prayer/meditation, the unique opportunities hidden in each day for connection with that which
is most essentialbut our wants are often superseded by the demands of family, job, home.
7KHUHVQRURRPOHIWRYHUIRUself.
Page | 7

That Elusive Something
When you write a journal, even a five- or ten-minute writing break can connect you with that
elusive something that, when we have it, makes us feel vital and aliveDQGZKHQZHGRQW
have it, makes us feel depleted and lonely.

That elusive something is unique to each of us. For you, it may be quiet time and space for a
little respite from the noise all around you. Or it might be private moments to pray or meditate.
It could be a safe place to feel all your feelingsall the way from A to Z, anger to zestwithout
having to explain, defend, or minimize.

:KDWHYHULWLVIRU\RXLWVOLNHO\WKDW\RX\HDUQIRULWZKHQLWJRHVPLVVLQJ1RPDWWHUKRZ
PXFK\RXORYH\RXURXWVLGHOLIH\RXUHSUREDEO\DZDUHWKDWWKHUHVDKROHLQ\RXUVRXOEHFDXVH
DYLWDOO\LPSRUWDQWSDUWRI\RXUXQLTXHVHOILVQWEHLQJKHDUG

Your Journal Listens with Soft Ears

Jean Jameson, writing about her unique (and also universal) grief experience, says,
My journal has become the archetypal friend. It was always waiting for me; there was
never a judgment, never a criticism. It was totally accepting and totally present; it gave
me a chance to be me and demanded nothing in return. I never had to start over, I
never had to apologize. My journal took it gladly, welcoming the catharsis, filling up and
becoming more in the process. (in Adams, K. 1990. Journal to the Self, p. 18)

Your journal listens with soft ears. It is the perfect place to give voice to that which connects
you to your most essential nature. Each of the techniques and prompts in this chapter take 10-
15 minutes. As an experiment, choose one. As you write, stay open and observant if you feel
something awakening and stirring within you. If so, note it in a reflection write (R is for
Reflection!). Consider that the stirring is a direct response to your unique self, communicating a
unique message in a unique way.

Universal Writes for Unique Discoveries

Set your timer for 9-11 minutes. Do the relaxation process for one minute; write for 8-10
minutes. At the end, re-UHDGZKDW\RXve written and write a brief reflection. This will bring the
total time of the write, including relaxation and reflection, to 11-15 minutes.

Page | 8

All of these techniques will benefit from a 30-60 second relaxation process. Close your eyes;
relax your neck, shoulders, tongue (try it!) and gut; take slow, deep breaths. Inhale peace and
relaxation; exhale stress, distraction, distressing feelings.

x Begin with, My heart wants to say

x Or begin with, In the silence, I hear

x Find something in your environment that represents beauty to you, or recall a moment
when you were in the presence of beauty. Steep yourself in the real or recalled beauty for
some moments. Feel into the sensory detailsthe sight, smell, taste, touch, sound-or-
silence of this beauty experience. When you begin, write a Captured Moment of beauty.
7KLVLVDSODFHWRSUDFWLFHODYLVKODQJXDJHMXLF\YHUEVH[WUDYDJDQWDGMHFWLYHV2ULIWKDWV
not your style, practice simplicity.

x Write a prayer.

x Write a list of 25 blessings and gratitudes. Be specific.

x 5HDG.D\OLQ+DXJKWVILQHSRHPGod Says Yes to Me. Start with any line or image or phrase
in the poem and free-write for ten minutes. Or write your own permission slip.

x In the fine tradition of Dr. Ira Progoff, the founder of journal therapy, write a Dialogue (a
conversation in which you write both parts) with your Inner Wisdom, however it represents
itself to youas a wisdom figure from a faith tradition, a deity, a concept such as Spirit,
Nature, the Universe, Higher Power; or a quality such as peace, authenticity, intuition, the
still small voice insidewhatever feels "real" and present for you.

Page | 9

R is for REFLECTION
Because the journal is, by its nature, a present-tense documentwe are writing in the present
moment about our real-time experience of the past, present, or futurewe tend to turn the
page and move on. Most people never read their journals once they are written!

There is untold richness in the re-reading and the re-WHOOLQJ:HZULWHWRWDVWHOLIHWZLFHVDLG

the diarist AnaV1LQLQWKHPRPHQWDQGLQUHWURVSHFWLRQ7KHUHIOHFWLRQZULWHallows you to
combine the two: even the distance of the time it took to write can be enormously useful in
harvesting wisdom, insight, and shifted perspective. Over time, your reflection writes are like
luminarias, candles lighting the way, illuminating the changing landscape.

In memoir, fiction and journal, the retrospective voice allows the writer to reflect on the past
(From the perspective RI\HDUV,FDQVHH), muse about the meaning (It has taken me all
WKLVWLPHWRUHDOL]H), or foreshadow the future (How could I have known then what was to
FRPH) In the reflection or feedback write, the retrospection is immediate.

Once the write is completed, step back from it, read it from the beginning, and maintain a dual
awareness. On one level, you are reading your own words, fresh from your fingers. On another
level, you are observing how you feel and respond as you read these words that you just wrote.

x Are you having somatic (body) sensations":KHUHLVWKLVODQGLQJLQ\RXUERG\"

x $Q\VXUSULVHVLQWKHFRQWHQW"$Q\DKDPRPHQWV"
x How did it feel to write it? How does it feel now?
x Is there a call to action? Some small step you could take to move things forward?

This sounds complicated and time-FRQVXPLQJEXWLWVQRW,I\RXFDQDGGHYHQWZRRUWKUHH

PLQXWHVWRWKHHQGRI\RXUZULWH\RXOOILQG\RXFDQUHDGDQGUHIOHFW Here are some reflection
startersuse any of these that fit for the moment, or any others.

x As I read this,
o ,DPDZDUHRI
o ,DPVXUSULVHGE\
o ,QRWLFH
o ,DPFXULRXVDERXW
Page | 10

 o ,ZDQW
o ,IHHO
o ,WKLQN
o ,FRXOGWDNHWKHDFWLRQRI

5HIOHFWLRQZULWHVDUHQWOLPLWHGWRLPPHGLDWHO\SRVW-write. I save the last several pages of any

journal for a thoughtful read-through and reflection on the themes represented, my growth and
progress, and places where I still seem to be unable or unwilling to get unstuck. I do a similar
SURFHVVLQWKHODVWZHHNRI'HFHPEHUHDFK\HDUP\DQQXDOUHSRUWWRP\VHOIDERXWWKHVWDWH
of my life balance, business, relationships, secret desires and dreams, completed projects or
goals, personal and professional milestones, and so on.

Reflections allow you to harvest a large amount of insight and awareness. They can also help
make you a better writer. I teach a class at the University of Denver called Writing and Healing.
My students receive journal homework each week. Instead of turning it in, they are instructed
to write 350-word reflections noting what they learned, noticed, connected, or suddenly
understood differently. At the end of ten weeks, the boost in their self-confidence as journal
writers, and as writers in general, is substantial.

The reflection write is the difference that makes the difference.

N is for NOTHING
There are times in any journal where silence descends. Nothing comes. Writing is flat, blah, and
boring. It feels empty inside. There are no good words. Days are skipped, or weeks, or months,
or years.

This, too, is journal writing.

As it is in poetry, silHQFHLVDSDUWRIWKHIRUPZULtes Tristine Rainer in The New Diary. 7KH

space between journal entries can speak as elRTXHQWO\DVZRUGV

Silence and space in the journal usually get there in one of three ways:
Page | 11

x Life. Crazy-busy-too-muchness. Even five or ten PLQXWHVDIHZWLPHVDZHHNLVQW
manageable. (Try this: Commit to writing for just one minute once a week, without fail.)
x :ULWHUVEORFN Sometimes we know what we want to write, and we may even need to
ZULWHLWEXWWKHZRUGVZRQWFRPH:HVWDUHDV19th century French novelist Gustave
)ODXEHUWVDLGDWDEODQNSLHFHRISDSHUXQWLOGURSVRIEORRGIRUPRQWKHIRUHKHDG
x The Nothing space. This is writing limbo, a pause button, a cone of silence. It can feel like
inarticulation,KDYHVRPHWKLQJWRVD\EXW,GRQWNQRZZKDWLWLV . It might present as a
neutral zone, a place of disengagement,VKRXOGSUREDEO\ZULWHDERXWWKLVEXW,MXVWGRQW
want to. Or it might present as an energetic field or sacred space, what Carl Jung called
temenos, a place in the deep unconscious where something is happening even when it feels
like nothing is happening.

0DQDJLQJ:ULWHUV%ORFN
x Paradoxically, the way tRRXWVPDUWZULWHUVEORFNLVwait for it!to write. Write anything.
6WDUWLI\RXPXVWZLWK,GRQWKDYHDQ\WKLQJWRVD\,GRQWNQRZZKDWWRZULWHDERXW,
IHHOGULHGXS,FDQWZULWH Then keep going with whatever appears. Disengage from
ZKDW\RXDUHZULWLQJDQGIRFXVLQVWHDGWKDW\RXDUHZULWLQJ2EVHUYH\RXUVHOIPDNH
loops and spaces and angles on the page. Or watch your fingers move in seemingly random
patterns on the keyboard.

x FortunatelyWKH(QJOLVKODQJXDJHRIIHUVXVDZD\WKURXJKZULWHUVEORFN,WVFDOOHGWKH
subjunctive mood FDOOHGDPRRGLQVWHDGRIDWHQVHEHFDXVHLWVLPDJLQDOQRWDFWXDO
Remember Tevya in Fiddler on the Roof? He was a master of the subjunctive: If I were a
ULFKPDQThe subjunctive mood invites the possible, the hypothetical, the unknowable.
So aVN\RXUVHOIWKHMRXUQDOTXHVWLRQ,I,could write, what might ,ZULWHDERXW"7KHQ
number your page 1-5 and write down the first five things that occur to you. ,I\RXUHRQD
roll, continue until you run out of steam. Repetition is good!)

x 6KRUWVWUXFWXUHGZULWHVDUH\RXUIULHQGGXULQJHSLVRGHVRIZULWHUVEORFNIt may (hey!

subjunctive!) DOVREHXVHIXOWRZULWHIURPDFRQFUHWHFRJQLWLYHKHDG-EDVHGSODFHSo try
finishing any of these stems with a single sentence, based on logic/reason/cognition instead
of feelings.

o Inside my head
o My common sense tells me
Page | 12

 o Something I know to be true
o The most important thing to do is
o A next right action would be

x If a sentence is too much, write a word. Choose a word, or let it choose you. Write it on the
page in any way you wish. Experiment with different ways of writing: Large, small, ornate,
spare, once, many times. After some minutes of playing with the word, set the timer for 5
minutes and write about the word, or your experience of playing with it.

x If you successfully use any of these ideas, be sure to re-read, write a reflection, and make
QRWHVRQKRZ\RXZURWH\RXUZD\WKURXJKDZULWHUVEORFN

Managing the Nothing Space

x Draw, sketch, color, or collage. Start with empty space and then fill it with something.
x Honor the silence with silence. Meditate, do yoga, pray, walk, nap all with an open journal
page nearby. Stay open to inspiration. Write it when it comes.
x When your own pen is silent, read the words of others. Read sacred texts, or poetry, or
inspirational stories. Borrow the voices of the wise ones; let them speak for you. Return the
favor; read aloud. Hear your own voice speaking powerful words.
x Be patient. Even the most frozen river thaws.

A is for AUTHENTICITY
The room was silent except for the determined scratching of pens on notebooks or fingers on
keypads. The writing group was noting observations made in a guided imagery process:
Imagine yourself doing something you really enjoy. Now imagine that an expert in human
EHKDYLRULVREVHUYLQJ\RX:ULWHWKHH[SHUWVREVHUYDWLRQVLQDIDFWXDOUHSRUWLQJVW\OH

Midway through the writing time, Jerry drew a sharp breath and closed his laptop. He glanced
over at me. His eyes were filled with pain. He seemed smaller.

:KHQWKHJURXSILQLVKHGZULWLQJ,WXUQHGWR-HUU\$Q\WKLQJ\RXZDQWWRVKDUH"

Page | 13

,IHHOOLNHDIDNHSHUVRQKHVDLG,GRQWNQRZZKR,DP,PMXVWZDONLQJDURXQGEHLQJVRPH
other guy all the time. Even when I writeKHZDYHGWRZDUGWKHVOHHSLQJODSWRS,PIDNLQJ
LW,PZULWLQJZKDWWKDWRWKHUJX\WKLQNVDQGIHHOV

The discrepancy between image/being, external/internal, acculturated self/authentic self

reverberates throughout the pages of many, if not most, journal writers. The search for
DXWKHQWLFLW\DQGFRQQHFWLRQZLWKWKHUHDOVHOILVDPRGHUQ-day grail quest. It is the beating
heart of many journals.

The journal, as mirror of the psyche, captures the inner, unguarded self. Stay with the journal
SURFHVVIRUHYHQDOLWWOHZKLOHDQG\RXOOVWDUWWRVHHWKHOD\HUVRI\RXUOLIH<RXOOEHJLQWRKHDU
the voices within. Like the increasingly soft leaves in each round of an artichoke, the journal
peels off layers of conditioning, habits, and worn-out beliefs. It reveals the heart nestled snugly
inside.

Suggestions for Meeting Your Authentic Self

x Complete these Sentence Stems:
o $XWKHQWLFLW\LV
o My authentic self
o ,DP
o ,DPQRW

x Imagine that a newspaper or magazine reporter is interviewing you for a story. Respond
to the questions the reporter has prepared:
o What habit would you most like to break?
o How did you meet your (spouse, best friend, pet)?
o Which one year of your life would you most like to live over? Why?
o When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up? What interest
or curiosity did that future fulfill?
o What do you consider to be your best attribute or feature?
o If you won the lottery, and you had a comfortable lifestyle without working, how
would you spend your time?
o What is a quality, gift, or talent that few people know about you?

Page | 14

 x Write a Character Sketch (a description of appearance, wardrobe, personality, qualities,
quirks, wants, needs, motivations, etc.) of your Authentic Self. Who is s/he? What does
s/he wear? Eat for breakfast? What does s/he want? What is s/he trying to tell you?

x Explore something that is hard for you to talk about in your journal. Write as honestly as
\RXFDQ:KHQ\RXUHILQLVKHGUHDGit and decide if you want to keep it. If you want to
tear it up or shred it, do so.

x Write about a time when you felt truly alive and authentic. Write from the senses;
include vivid descriptions and sensory details.

x Take a walk in nature. Be alert for an object or symbol from your walk that represents
some aspect of your own authenticity. If it is ethical to do so, bring the object back with
you. Write about it. Pay attention to for synchronicities, serendipities, aha moments.

L is for LIFE
A journal can be a friend for life, a living document that breathes with you through the decades.
It can be a legacy, with letters and notes written to your children or grandchildren. It can be a
source of lifelong learning, anthologizing your lessons, losses, sorrows, and successes. It can be
a spiritual advisor and communication portal to your Higher Power, however you define that. It
can be an incubator for intuition, a friend in need, a deep well of wisdom, a practical problem-
solver.

Your journal can be exactly what you want it to be. For life.

<RXUMRXUQDOFDQDOVREHWKHVRXUFHRIOLIHORQJOHDUQLQJ<RXYHJRWSOHQW\RISURPSWVDQGLGHDV
in this special report to keep you absorbed and writing for several weeks, maybe months. After
that, you may be launched and soaring with your journal. But you might also feel hungry for
more learning, more ideas, more prompts, more ways to find answers to specific problems or
issues or areas of growth.

Page | 15

You might also feel lonely, wanting to connect with other people who can support, cheer, coach
you along the way. You might want a writing group and a community of caring, generous
writing friends. You might even want access to a trained professional who understands the
power of journal writing from the inside out and can guide you.

,WVSRVVLEOH\RXOOZDQWWRVWHSLQWRSURIHVVLRQDOWUDLQLQJDVDQLQVWUXFWRURUIDFLOLWDWRUVRWKDW
you can earn money doing what you love.

<RXOOILQGWKH&HQWHUIRU-RXUQDO7KHUDS\WREHDKDQG\ one-stop portal to just about anything

you might want or need, with prices to fit every budget. 7KHUHV information in the Resources
section.

Many thanks for spending this time exploring just a few of the possibilities of a lifetime
relationship with the book of your own story. When your journal travels with you, you have
yourself for company. $QGZKHQ\RXDQG\RXUMRXUQDOWUDYHOZLWKRWKHUZULWHUVLWVWKHEHVWRI
both worlds.

Write on, sisters and brothers of the keyboard and pen!

Page | 16



WHATS NEXT? a resource guide

Do you want daily writing prompts, mini-writing workshops, and fascinating

conversations with authors and leaders?
Join the Journalverse, a membership community for journal writers and facilitators world-wide. For $14
or $19 per month (discounted further for 6-PRQWKPHPEHUVKLSV\RXll be a personal or professional
member and will receive prompts for every day of the \HDU<RXOOJHWOive or downloadable access to two
or three conversations or mini-workshops by some of the top people in the field. There are coaching
circles and study groups, blog entries, poems and prompts, and much more!

Do you love self-directed learning through reading?
Check out our bookstore, ZKHUH\RXOOILQGPRVWRIWKHWHQERRNV.D\KDVZULWWHQRUHGLWHGLQFOXGLQJ
the best-selling Journal to the 6HOI<RXOODOVRILQG'U-DPHV3HQQHEDNHUV groundbreaking Writing to
Heal. You may be particularly interested in the W.R.I.T.E. Expressive Writing series, a 12-book
compilation that explores the theme of how writing develops emotional intelligence and promotes
body/mind/emotional health across the lifespan.

Do you want to be in a writing group or class?
6HHLIWKHUHVD Journal to the Self certified instructor in your community! In 2015, ZHUHintroducing
an on-line version of the Journal to the Self workshop.

Do you want personalized or one-on-one work with a trained facilitator or
therapist?
Certified Journal Facilitators or Certified Journal Therapistseach a graduate of the Therapeutic Writing
Instituteoffer groups and workshops of their own original design, and many provide 1:1 coaching or
counseling using writing as a primary tool.

Do you want to start earning money doing what you love?
Check out our Journal to the Self instructor certification trainingavailable by home study or as a 5-
day residential intensive in which you study directly with me in Denver. (LWKHUZD\\RXOOEHSUHSDUHGWR
offer this fun, effective, time-tested workshop in your own communityand make money doing what you
love!

Do you want to train as a journal therapist or journal facilitator?
Study with us at the Therapeutic Writing Institute, a fully on-line professional training division of the
Center for Journal Therapy, and earn the Certified Journal Facilitator or (for licensed psychotherapists)
the Certified Journal Therapist credential.

Want more information on any of the above? Click links, or email info@journaltherapy.com.

Page | 17