Learn how a therapy journal can enhance your therapeutic experience and provide you with wisdom you can keep forever!
A therapy notebook is a powerful tool that will help you get the most out of your therapy sessions. In this article, learn about the benefits of having a therapy notebook, how to set it up, and prompts for what to write.
The Benefits of Having a Therapy Notebook
It provides a place where you can store the most important nuggets from sessions
If if you take time to reflect and write down your intentions beforehand, it helps you stay focused
Your journal helps you track your progress, lessons, and insights over time
It provides a wonderful resource packed full of your own best wisdom that you can look back on forever
Your notebook can lift your spirits in hard times as you look back on all you've learned and how far you've come
It can help you integrate sessions when we do deep inner work
It provides an "external brain" to help you process in between sessions
How to Get Started
You can buy a new notebook just for therapy. It can be as fancy or as understated as you want!
You could also set aside a few dozen pages at the very end of your journal if you already have one and don't want to buy another
You can use the "notes" app on your iPhone or an app like Evernote
What to Write
What you write in your therapy notebook is entirely up to you. You can use it as a place to process your thoughts and feelings in between sessions. Or, you can simply use it to write down the most important things you want to remember from sessions. If you want to use it for both reasons, I recommend splitting it up into 2 sections:
The "Emotional Processing" Section
Using a journal for emotional processing has been shown to reduce stress, manage anxiety, boost your mood, enhance wellbeing, and reduce symptoms of depression. This section can be used for:
Brain dumps... for when you have a lot of ideas you want to write down
Mind maps... for when you want to map out thoughts, feelings, and "parts" of you
A place to help you organize your thoughts
A place to write down your worries and emotions so you can get some mindful perspective on them
A place where you can write, from a place of love, to the parts of you that are struggling
Something to refer back to in our sessions, when you need to remember how you've felt or what happened recently
A space to gain clarity on your intentions for your upcoming session, so you arrive to the session knowing exactly where you'd like it to go
The "Key Insights" Section
This section is where you can write down the most important things that you want to remember long-term. It can be a good idea to keep these things separate from the "emotional processing" section so the wisdom doesn't get lost in a sea of other words. Use this space to write down:
Key takeaways from sessions
Big insights and epiphanies you've had
Tools you’ve learned that you want to use going forward
Beliefs that have changed
Parts you have, what you’ve learned about them, and any changes these parts make
Guidance and wisdom you've received
Life changes you plan to make
Promises you’ve made to yourself or intentions you’ve set within the sessions
Future Benefits
If you're ever feeling lost, overwhelmed, need a "pick me up," or just want to be reminded of some wisdom, you can always write down your emotions in the "emotional processing" section and/or read some wisdom from the "key insights" section. It is also a great idea to refer back to your key insights every few months, when you're ready to graduate therapy, and far into the future!