Journal Writing for Life Development

• Main Author: Dorothy M. Epple
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Indiana University School of Social Work 2007-12-01
• Series: Advances in Social Work
• Subjects: Journal writing; narrative; interpretive interactionism; ethnography; transitional phenomena; transitional space; epiphany
• Online Access: https://journals.iupui.edu/index.php/advancesinsocialwork/article/view/207

Journal writing can be a creative adjunct to psychotherapy. This article will describe a qualitative study of the experiences of journal writers. Each participant’s narrative illustrates the integration of Winnicott’s transitional phenomena, Freeman’s four stages of epiphanies, and Kegan’s adult developmental stages through journal writing. The central findings of this research are that the experience of the participants can be identified in the following three categories: therapeutic experience,meditative experience, and a transformative experience. Journal writing can be adapted by psychotherapists, as an adjunct to therapy, to aid clients in elaborating their stories, listening within, identifying epiphanies, and moving forward in the change process.This article will present a case study of one of the narratives from this research.