Open AccessJournal Writing for Life Development
Author(s) -
Dorothy M. Epple
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
advances in social work
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2331-4125
pISSN - 1527-8565
DOI - 10.18060/207
Subject(s) - transformative learning , active listening , narrative , psychology , qualitative research , creative writing , psychoanalysis , psychotherapist , adjunct , pedagogy , sociology , visual arts , literature , social science , art , linguistics , philosophy
Journal writing can be a creative adjunct to psychotherapy. This articlewill 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 throughjournal writing. The central findings of this research are that the experience of theparticipants can be identified in the following three categories: therapeutic experience,meditative experience, and a transformative experience. Journal writing can beadapted by psychotherapists, as an adjunct to therapy, to aid clients in elaboratingtheir stories, listening within, identifying epiphanies, and moving forward in thechange process.This article will present a case study of one of the narratives from thisresearch.