If there is a memory, or emotional upheaval that is bothering you and you find it difficult to move beyond it, you could select this topic to write about using the Expressive Writing Technique. Here are the rules:
1) write for a minimum of 20 minutes a day.
2) write for four consecutive days.
3) write about the same event or write about different events.
4) write continuously without worrying about grammar, spelling, or editing.
5) write only for yourself. Be completely open with yourself to get the full benefit of expressive writing. You can plan on destroying what you have written to reassure you it will be for your eyes only.
At the end of each day's session, spend some time digging deeper into the ways this trauma is affecting your life, how it has shaped your view of yourself and others, and how you think about your past. At this point you are trying to make a coherent story about the experience and put it in some place of meaning in your life.
Dr. Pennebaker adds two points to consider about this exercise. You may feel sad or weepy immediately after writing about the traumatic topic, especially on the first day. This is usually a short-term effect and it may be part of the processing necessary to attain the long-term benefits. Secondly, if there is a topic that is too recent (less than a month) or so traumatic that you are not able to write about it without losing total control of your emotions, then don't write about that or stop writing.
Before you finish the last session you must have done your best to answer these two questions;
Why did this happen? What good might I derive from it?
To answer those two question you must be willing to acknowledge your deepest emotions openly, construct a coherent story and find your voice.
