Sacred Disorder | Cliff Bostock's blog – 'Finally, I came to regard as sacred the disorder of my mind' (Rimbaud)

Blogging — good for your health?

Scientific American features an interesting article entitled “Blogging — It’s good for you.” It’s an account of studies of the therapeutic value of blogging:

Self-medication may be the reason the blogosphere has taken off. Scientists (and writers) have long known about the therapeutic benefits of writing about personal experiences, thoughts and feelings. But besides serving as a stress-coping mechanism, expressive writing produces many physiological benefits. Research shows that it improves memory and sleep, boosts immune cell activity and reduces viral load in AIDS patients, and even speeds healing after surgery. A study in the February issue of the Oncologist reports that cancer patients who engaged in expressive writing just before treatment felt markedly better, mentally and physically, as compared with patients who did not.

You can read the whole story here. I’m writing a Headcase column on the subject. I have experimented with blogging with my clients and have seen some pretty amazing material emerge that has remained unspoken during usual sessions.

On the flip side, there’s this article postulating that blogging causes writer’s block.

And here’s a book, The Writing Cure, on the subject of expressive writing and health.

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