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Blogging Spreads as a Form of Therapy
May 09, 2008 11:53 AM
by
Liz Colville
More people are turning to blogging as a form of psychotherapy, proving long-held beliefs in the healing power of writing and group therapy.
30-Second Summary
Approximately 12 million Americans are now blogging, and more and more of them are using the pastime as a therapeutic means of recording, sharing, and understanding emotional issues. “Writing long has been considered a therapeutic outlet for people facing problems,” reports CNN.
Whether battling an illness, watching a loved one do so, or simply going through a rough patch, “emotional blogging” creates a public diary that can give people “a tangible sense of community.”
CNN mentions a study by the British Psychological Society conducted in 2003, in which participants who wrote about “traumatic personal events” were seen to heal more quickly by writing about their situation.
Numerous other studies in the past decade or so have shown the benefits of writing, blogging and social interaction online in coping with illnesses or life transitions.
Writing, coupled with readers’ comments, can steer a person through a difficult time, though experts suggest that blogging should be a complement to face-to-face therapy, not a supplement.
Whether battling an illness, watching a loved one do so, or simply going through a rough patch, “emotional blogging” creates a public diary that can give people “a tangible sense of community.”
CNN mentions a study by the British Psychological Society conducted in 2003, in which participants who wrote about “traumatic personal events” were seen to heal more quickly by writing about their situation.
Numerous other studies in the past decade or so have shown the benefits of writing, blogging and social interaction online in coping with illnesses or life transitions.
Writing, coupled with readers’ comments, can steer a person through a difficult time, though experts suggest that blogging should be a complement to face-to-face therapy, not a supplement.
Headline Link: Blogging Becomes a Form of Self-Help
CNN uses recent surveys and studies on the types of people who blog and what they write about, as well as interviews with bloggers, to reveal that blogs can often serve as a public diary or journal of very personal information.
Source: CNN
Background: Research on blogging and writing
The link between blogging and therapy
In a 2005 article, “Blogging: Group Therapy of the 21st Century?” ABC News reported on a link between blogging and therapy, interviewing bloggers who had positive—even life-changing—experiences with their blogs and the readers of their blogs. Heather Armstrong, a stay-at-home mom in Salt Lake City, went so far as to say that “blogging absolutely saved my life” as she went through a bout of postpartum depression.
Source: ABC News
The benefits of writing
In a 2005 study in the journal Advances in Psychiatric Treatment, researchers found that expressive writing had long-term positive effects, including “fewer stress-related visits to the doctor,” “improved mood/affect” and a “feeling of greater psychological well-being.”
Source: Advances in Psychiatric Treatment
Blogs as sounding boards
In a 2004 study, “Blogs as ‘Protected Space,’” Michelle Gumbrecht of Stanford University emphasized the prevalence of choosing blogs over other, more “contemporal” modes of communication, like e-mail or instant messenger. “In blogs, people can choose to respond to a post or not—it is up to the reader.” This not only creates a more flexible sounding board for a writer, but also serves as “‘protection’ from immediate social interaction.” Gumbrecht also notes that blogs can open doors to other modes of communication, like e-mail, where a blogger and her reader can speak more directly.
Source: Blogpulse
“Alleviating distress” through blogging
Exploring MySpace.com’s blog feature specifically, a 2008 study reported that those suffering or “motivated by negative effect” intentionally turn to blogging “with a view to expressing and possibly alleviating their distress.” The authors also reasoned that “blogging might be used to increase social networking and improve existing social-support structures.”
Source: Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers
Female versus male bloggers
According to the 2004 survey “Effects of Age and Gender on Blogging,” “Male bloggers of all ages write more about politics, technology and money than do their female cohorts. Female bloggers discuss their personal lives—and use more personal writing style—much more than males do.”
Source: Illinois Institute of Technology (PDF)
Key Players: J.W. Pennebaker
In the early 1990s, J.W. Pennebaker of Southern Methodist University began analyzing the benefits of writing as a form of therapy. After several positive findings on writing’s benefits, Pennebaker advocated for the inclusion of writing in therapy. “When individuals are given the opportunity to disclose deeply personal aspects of their lives, they readily do so,” he wrote in a 1997 study in the journal Psychological Science. “Even though a large number of participants report crying or being deeply upset by the experience [of writing], the overwhelming majority reports that the writing experience was valuable and meaningful in their lives … Translating important psychological events into words is uniquely human. Therapists and religious leaders have known this intuitively for generations.”
Source: Psychological Science via the University of Texas (PDF)
Reference: Mental Health, Blogs
Finding Dulcinea’s Web Guide to Mental Health provides links to information on psychotherapy and various forms of counseling.
Source: findingDulcinea
FindingDulcinea’s Web Guide to Blogs provides links to information on starting and running your own blog.
Source: findingDulcinea
© 2010 Dulcinea Media, Inc.
