Mari L. McCarthy - Heal Your Self With Journaling Power

Copyright 2019 Mari L. McCarthy

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form, or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval systems without prior expressed written permission of the author of this book.

ISBN: 978-1-5356-1678-2

In a world of everpresent scary news, stress, and technology that distracts us from genuine human encounters, Mari McCarthy invites us to do something both simple and radical: Pause daily to encounter our own souls. And she not only tells us to just do it, she shows us how with her own life story, the stories of others, and her many ideas about how to maximize the transformative power of journaling time.

Kevin Anderson, Ph.D., Author of Now is Where God Lives: A Year of Nested Meditations to Delight the Mind and Awaken the Soul and The Inconceivable Surprise of Living: Sustaining Wisdom for Spiritual Beings Trying to Be Human.

The most important lesson illustrated in Heal Yourself with Journaling Power is that anyone can enhance their health and wellbeing through the therapeutic power of expressive writing. This is the definitive book that shows you how. So just grab a pen and a pad of paper and do it!

Mike Bundrant, Co-Founder, iNLPCenter.org

As a psychotherapist I recognize how the work Mari is doing is not only helping so many individuals but contributing to the growth of the modern field of positive psychology, which I am a student of. As Mari writes in Heal Yourself with Journaling Power, journal writing has moved from being an interesting boutique topic to a full-blown revolution. It is part of this holistic wellness and positive psychology revolution which, in my opinion, is sorely needed

Paul B. Schlosberg, M.S. M.A. Professional Counselor and Wellness Coach

To Bernie Sanders, who ignited my soul.

To Louise, my mother who art in heaven,

for her love and lunacy.

A mans reach should exceed his grasp,
or whats a heaven for?

Robert Browning

When I change the way I look at me,
the me I look at changes.

Mari L. McCarthy

Dennis Palumbo, M.A., MFT, Author and Psychotherapist

In the world of writing, I occupy what some might say is a very interesting space. Formerly a Hollywood screenwriter (the film MY FAVORITE YEAR; the TV series WELCOME BACK, KOTTER, etc.), Im now a licensed psychotherapist in private practice in Los Angeles, specializing in creative issues. Im also the author of a series of mystery thrillers whose protagonist, trauma expert Daniel Rinaldi, is himself a therapist.

As you might expect, my writing career and therapy practice have brought me into contact with a lot of interesting people. Mari L. McCarthy, the author of this compelling, informative book, is one of those people.

Ive long been a believer in the healing power of expressive writing. So when Mari and the wonderful work shes been doing came to my attention, I could tell from her passion and dedication that she was going to help a lot of peopleas, indeed, she has.

With her new book, Heal Yourself with Journaling Power, I know Mari is going to expand her reach, and bring her special knowledge and insight to even more people. You or someone you know may be one of them. Reading Maris new book, youll learn how to access the significant emotional truths derived from maintaining a consistent journaling routine.

I can say from my own experienceboth personally and professionallythat there are tremendous therapeutic benefits to journaling. Writing about your thoughts and feelings does more than simply help clarify them. Whenever you write a sentence, you simultaneously read that sentence. And when you read the sentence, youre sparked to ponder the thought or feeling behind it. This creates a healthy internal dialogue with yourself. Its always helpful to ask yourself questions about what youre doing, how youre feeling, and what those feelings mean. Journal writing is a very good way to do this. When youre doing it right, journaling should be more about writing and less about thinking. Words should be flowing from your innermost being, moment to moment, and impulse to impulse.

The beauty of journal writing is that it doesnt need to be structured. In fact, being unstructured makes it feel as though its simply thinking on paper. Journaling should be like following the cascade of your thoughts as they are coming together, an experience that can run the gamut from inspiring to challenging. But almost always enlightening.

The most important value of expressive writing is that its a private, spontaneous conversation with yourself. There are people who write journal entries that are meant to be published someday, while others just write them for themselves. I tend to favor the latter approach. I think that when you journal just for yourself, youre at your most authentic.

When you write privately and spontaneouslyespecially when you ask questionsanswers seem to materialize, unsolicited, by way of your intuition. In fact, a big value of journaling is discovering that the answers to most of your questions are already inside you.

Another great benefit of journaling is that you have the freedom to just follow your nose, allowing yourself to be guided to wherever your writing is taking you. When you do this regularly, it begins to feel like automatic writing, a process wherein theres little conscious intent. Its almost like youre taking dictation from someone, from your innermost self, and youre writing as fast as you can to keep up.

In my own journaling, Im sometimes struck by how much emotion Im carrying inside about a particular issue, whether relating to love, fear, anger, envy, or unresolved guilt. I consider this increased self-awareness to be perhaps the most important gift that journaling bestows.

The author Samuel Johnson once said, Adversity introduces a man to himself. Likewise, I think journaling introduces a man or a woman to themselvesto who they really are, what they really think and feel. And, believe me, sometimes we can have a strong or complicated reaction to this person were being introduced to!

Nevertheless, nearly all of us who journal come to realize that most of the issues we deal with every day remain the same. So it never surprises me when people tell me theyve just read their journal from five years ago, and that, to their surprise, they sound pretty much like the same person.

That said, journaling strengthens and broadens your perspective, so that over time you come from a place of more wisdom or awareness about yourself and your issues. But the issues remain the same, and thats okay. Its the understanding and perspective youve gained through journaling about your issues that counts.

I believe that the self-knowledge, solace, and emotional clarity youll gain through Heal Yourselfwith Journaling Power will be immense. Whether youve never journaled before, or else have a well-established journaling routine, the insights youll derive from this thought-provoking book will help you through the challenging and introspective journey we call life.

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Dennis Palumbo, M.A., MFT,is a writer and a licensed psychotherapist in private practice, specializing in creative issues. His newest crime novel,