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Expressive writing

What is expressive writing for PTSD?

Expressive writing involves writing about the thoughts and feelings associated with an event. As a therapy, it is called Written Emotional Disclosure or Written Exposure Therapy. People who have experienced a traumatic or stressful life event are more likely to avoid thoughts and feelings related to their experience than people who have not experienced such events. Writing about these events in a therapeutic environment allows the therapist to focus on the client’s experiences while writing about the trauma, rather than the event itself.

What is the evidence for expressive writing?

Moderate to low quality evidence found a medium-sized improvement in PTSD symptoms post-treatment with expressive writing therapies.

August 2021

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Last updated at: 4:50 am, 12th October 2021
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