In a blogpost entitled Journaling, I advocated the practice of routine writing to achieve intellectual and emotional insight by stating:
Personally, I’m fond of daily journaling. Even if there’s nothing more to write other than factual information, I write (e.g., It’s 80 degrees in the month of December, which is reminiscent of springtime when I was a child).
I find utility in setting a writing schedule, honoring that time by showing up and following through, clearing my mind, and processing if or when emotional content arises. A major benefit of this strategy relates to memory recall, as I can learn from my past experience.
Journaling may be defined as maintaining a record of experiences, ideas, or reflections kept regularly for private use. Although not a core element of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy, I advocate journaling for the majority of clients with whom I work.
Nevertheless, there are challenges with journaling. Although the current blog entry isn’t designed to serve as a comprehensive assessment of these impediments to intellectual and emotional processing, I find it useful to reflect upon some challenges which clients bring to my attention.
An obvious hindrance to journaling rests upon the individual. No matter how fervently I encourage people to journal, a number of clients simply refuse to partake in this psychotherapeutic activity for no reason other than they don’t desire to engage.
In my clinical practice, I invite and encourage people to take steps toward fulfilling their interests and goals, though I don’t unhelpfully demand that they must do so. As each of the clients with whom I work is a self-determined and autonomous individual, I unconditionally accept refusals to journal.
Another impediment to journaling pertains to the medium by which people choose to journal. There are legitimate privacy concerns with analog (handwritten), digital (i.e., laptop, cellphone, etc.), and vocal (e.g., recording voice messages) forms of journaling.
For example, not long ago Apple Inc. released a native journaling app with its iPhone operating system. Conveniently, users can type journal entries, attach videos and photos to this material, and the app comes with scheduled reminders and prompts for journaling.
When suggesting the app to my younger clients who write virtually nothing in analog form, one client expressed concerns with the potential of hacking or other fraudulent access to one’s private data. Even with Apple’s enhanced security features, there’s potential for unauthorized surveillance.
Also, consider that one source reports, “Microsoft’s AI [artificial intelligence] chatbot will ‘recall’ everything you do on a PC [personal computer].” This form of surveillance is extraordinarily concerning to me and a number of clients with whom I work.
Likewise, when discussing analog journaling with another client, I was reminded of how friends, family members, roommates, or others could compromise the security of a journal and discover a person’s innermost secrets. This, too, is a valid challenge with journaling.
Hypothetically speaking, suppose I was the adult daughter of a United States (U.S.) president and my analog journal was compromised. Therein, I’d written about my dad having taken showers with me up to an inappropriate age, at around nine-years-old or so.
How might that information be used against me or my dad – a sitting president? This hypothetical scenario isn’t unfathomable and thus serves as a hurdle to journaling.
Similarly, for those people who prefer to talk through their journal entries rather than use written material in either analog or digital form, similar security risks exist. As an example, when once interning with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), I learned of Prolonged Exposure (PE) therapy.
Using PE, clients record their trauma narratives and listen to them outside of sessions to essentially desensitize themselves to beliefs about the unpleasant events. Addressing potential risks of PE, the VA’s website states:
There is also a slight risk that someone could listen to a therapy session without your permission if the recording was not secure. You and your provider can discuss ways to secure your personal information related to this program.
Thus, aside from personal disinterest in journaling, there are valid security challenges with journaling through use of various mediums. By briefly discussing this matter herein, I think it’s an ethically honest consideration to address when advocating use of journaling.
If you’re looking for a provider who works to help you understand how thinking impacts physical, mental, emotional, and behavioral elements of your life—helping you to sharpen your critical thinking skills, I invite you to reach out today by using the contact widget on my website.
As a psychotherapist, I’m pleased to help people with an assortment of issues ranging from anger (hostility, rage, and aggression) to relational issues, adjustment matters, trauma experience, justice involvement, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety and depression, and other mood or personality-related matters.
At Hollings Therapy, LLC, serving all of Texas, I aim to treat clients with dignity and respect while offering a multi-lensed approach to the practice of psychotherapy and life coaching. My mission includes: Prioritizing the cognitive and emotive needs of clients, an overall reduction in client suffering, and supporting sustainable growth for the clients I serve. Rather than simply helping you to feel better, I want to help you get better!
Deric Hollings, LPC, LCSW
References:
Freepik. (n.d.). Hand writing on notebook close up [Image]. Retrieved from https://www.freepik.com/free-photo/hand-writing-notebook-close-up_14411988.htm#fromView=search&page=1&position=4&uuid=d834cb3c-4e6a-4f6d-ac7e-3c0254dd755f
Hollings, D. (2022, November 18). Big T, little t. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/big-t-little-t
Hollings, D. (2022, October 31). Demandingness. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/demandingness
Hollings, D. (2022, March 15). Disclaimer. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/disclaimer
Hollings, D. (2023, September 8). Fair use. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/fair-use
Hollings, D. (2023, October 12). Get better. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/get-better
Hollings, D. (n.d.). Hollings Therapy, LLC [Official website]. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/
Hollings, D. (2024, May 27). Intellectual vs. emotional insight. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/intellectual-vs-emotional-insight
Hollings, D. (2024, January 2). Interests and goals. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/interests-and-goals
Hollings, D. (2022, December 9). Journaling. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/journaling
Hollings, D. (2023, September 19). Life coaching. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/life-coaching
Hollings, D. (2024, May 5). Psychotherapist. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/psychotherapist
Hollings, D. (2022, March 24). Rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT). Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/rational-emotive-behavior-therapy-rebt
Hollings, D. (2024, May 26). Self-determination and autonomy. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/self-determination-and-autonomy
Hollings, D. (2022, October 7). Should, must, and ought. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/should-must-and-ought
Hollings, D. (2022, July 11). Unconditional acceptance. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/unconditional-acceptance
National Center for PTSD. (n.d.). Prolonged Exposure (PE) for PTSD. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Retrieved from https://www.ptsd.va.gov/understand_tx/prolonged_exposure.asp
O’Brien, M. and Valdes, M. (2024, May 20). Microsoft’s AI chatbot will ‘recall’ everything you do on a PC. The Associated Press. Retrieved from https://apnews.com/article/microsoft-ai-pcs-windows-recall-cc4c52316b035840f1590ef3a589cf0f
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