Get a Jumpstart on the Practice of Journaling for Trauma Recovery
The trauma-healing journey is never an easy one because no two people experience trauma the same. Trauma therapy must take a holistic approach to repair all damage for the healing process to occur. One tool that can foster post-traumatic growth for almost every person after a traumatic event is developing a journaling practice.
Our journal prompts for PTSD are an excellent nudge to help you get started as you prepare yourself for recovery or to supplement your self-care after leaving a program.
Icarus Behavioral Health, located in Albuquerque, is almost synonymous with drug and alcohol addiction recovery. But we are also experts in helping people resolve the negative thoughts and emotions stemming from trauma. That’s because trauma is a frequent root cause of substance abuse; it’s a concern a mental health professional must resolve to help clients have complete healing.
These journaling prompts are an excellent starting point if you are preparing to heal from trauma and feel ready to start right away.
Why Journal Writing Is Helpful for the Trauma Healing Process
Journaling is a somatic therapy tool, meaning it hones in on examining the mind-body connection and helps the writer process emotions in a healthy way and make plans for personal growth.
A peer-reviewed article by the University of Rochester Medical Center explains just why journal writing is such a powerful tool for better mental health. The author notes how researchers have found that journaling, or expressive writing, supports better mental well-being and resilience in anyone who has experienced trauma.
The creative writing process of journaling provides writers with a safe space for structured reflection. It helps to identify patterns of negative emotions that block progress. Thus, the time they spend journaling allows them to gain clarity and a sense of personal control over their thoughts and feelings. As a result, these journal entries lessen the traumatic memories over time.
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15 Trauma Therapy Journal Prompts to Start Your Healing Journey
Ready to take advantage of the many benefits of journaling? These guided trauma and recovery journal prompts can help you start healing from trauma as you prepare to work with a licensed therapist to heal once and for all. While journaling is an excellent supplemental, it does not replace working with a professional.
Don’t have any concerns about your spelling or grammar as you write. Simply writing honestly and freely with an eye on self-expression.
Make journal writing part of your daily routine. Many past clients have reported that it helps them de-stress. Before long, you’ll need to buy more than one notebook to continue progressing.
1) Write about a real or imagined place where you feel safe; describe it in detail.
Writing about a safe space helps you feel secure and offers comfort. It also reinforces positive thoughts and feelings by helping you create a mental “safety zone” to retreat to when feeling overwhelmed.
Journaling will be increasingly meaningful and helpful as your therapy progresses and you learn mindfulness meditation or more advanced visualization techniques.
2) Write 3 positive affirmations that boost your self-esteem.
Experiencing trauma can leave you feeling shaken to the core, perhaps even unfairly blaming yourself for the bad things that happened. Offering words of positivity can be one of the most effective self-care practices.
If you don’t know what to write – or don’t feel like writing these on your own, then copy these into your journal:
- I am worthy of trauma healing.
- I am in charge of my emotions.
- I am not letting trauma define my life.
It’s also one of the most portable, effective coping mechanisms. You can do this from your car, the office, or in the privacy of home.
3) What personal strengths or coping skills may have helped you survive traumatic experiences?
Drawing on personal experiences helps you look at what you’ve already done to get through the days after a traumatic experience. Knowing the tools you already have in your kit can help you sharpen them and build from them while moving forward.
4) Think about one small victory in recent weeks and begin journaling about it in detail. What did it feel like?
This is one of the journal prompts that can help you release self-criticism and see yourself with greater compassion. Focusing on accomplishments instead of a negative belief can free your mind when you feel stuck in negative thoughts and emotions.
This “win” can be tiny. Think: a day when you got out of bed and dressed even though you felt overwhelmed or a time when you showered when you didn’t care a bit about your hygiene.
Thinking of these small victories can help ground you in the present and disarm distressing thoughts and emotions.
5) Write about your past trauma; then explain what you’ve learned since that experience.
Journaling helps promote self-reflection, which can help you reprocess past traumatic events and change how you view them. This trauma prompt can help you live with the past trauma in your daily life by shifting attention to post-traumatic growth.
It helps you claim victory over your trauma response.
6) Write a letter to your future self describing the trauma recovery and inner healing you’ve experienced.
Part of healing from trauma is identifying what you want for your future. Trauma leaves people disconnected and adrift.
Forward looking journal prompts help you set goals to strive for. It also helps envision the positive changes possible when you put the work and time into therapy.
7) List any emotions or thoughts you’ve kept secret from others. Write freely; no self-censoring.
Free writing journal prompts give you permission to spill all your innermost emotions or thoughts into these pages. Your journal is non-judgmental and will keep your secrets safe.
When you admit these emotions, they lose some of their grip on your life. They’ll also help facilitate healing during trauma therapy, as you have greater self-awareness of these thoughts and will be prepared to discuss them with your counselor.
8) List every family member, friend, or co-worker who supports you on the most stressful days.
Trauma can be incredibly lonely. Recognizing all of those who help you get through life, even if they don’t understand your feelings completely, can make you feel less isolated.
It also helps to instill a sense of gratitude for those who care about your well-being. Your positive feelings for these people can help you on the most challenging days.
9) How do you practice self-care?
This point is important because it forces you to consider how well you look after yourself – or if you have any self-care strategies in place at all. Self-care helps you have more self-compassion and grows your self-worth.
After self-reflection, write down a few new techniques to explore. You should especially do this if you don’t believe that you deserve it (you do!).
10) Explain the physical sensations that trauma has caused in your body.
Carrying the weight of trauma is more than just living with poor feelings. It also sometimes leads to physical manifestations of your trauma, such as chronic headaches, stomach ulcers, or body tension.
Icarus New Mexico takes a holistic approach and has a goal of whole-person health. Writing down these symptoms will help you explain them to the clinician when you are ready to start trauma healing therapy. When you help the providers learn about all your symptoms, they can target the exact relief you need to be well again.
11) Write a letter to your younger self, offering words of comfort about a time in life that was very difficult.
You would not chastise a friend or loved one for experiencing trauma; but you might beat yourself over the same type of traumatic event.
Writing a letter to your past self can help you see the trauma from a more objective, third person point of view and treat yourself to the same kindness you’d offer to a friend who has been through a traumatic experience.
Trauma healing requires you to give yourself grace, even when you don’t feel like you deserve it. This letter is a good way to help remedy the negative self-talk.
12) Visualize a symbol of inner strength to carry with you while healing from trauma and resetting your life.
Think of a strength symbol – an animal, sign, or object – that represents strength to you. Describe what it means to you.
For instance, some who have survived a suicide attempt after a trauma choose the semicolon. This punctuation mark suggests a continuation of a thought or story rather than the conclusion or ending, which a period would denote.
Visualizing this symbol (or keeping it near you for when you need it) can help reinforce your commitment to healing when you need a quick boost of confidence.
13) Describe a boundary that would help you feel emotionally or physically safe.
Understanding your boundaries or limitations can help you establish the personal limits you need for self-protection when healing after treating trauma. Knowing what you need for healthier relationships in the future is an important concept you will explore in therapy.
14) Write about how trauma has impacted your life. How has it changed your relationships or daily choices?
Thinking about how your trauma has changed your life can bring insight into your current challenges. It can also reveal your level of resilience and openness to change in trauma therapy.
This higher level of awareness can help you work with your therapist to set your intentions for positive changes during therapy sessions.
15) Reflect on how your journaling practice over the past 14 days has started the healing process. Write about any changes in your thought processes or positive feelings that have begun to emerge.
This prompt helps you discover how journaling consistently over the past 14 days has helped as a supplemental tool for healing. It helps you measure the progress you’ve made so far. You’re now better prepared to work with a counselor or therapist and achieve freedom from trauma.
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Icarus Behavioral Health: Experienced in Trauma Healing
New Mexico is home to several United States air bases that have deployed soldiers and pilots to hot spots worldwide. We have served military members with PTSD from:
- Kirtland Air Force Base
- Holloman Air Force Base
- Cannon Air Force Base
- White Sands Missile Range
- Fort Bliss (spans both Texas and NM)
We have proudly helped these men and women recover from PTSD after traumatic injuries and witnessing the horrors of war. We accept TRICARE, TriWest, and some VA insurance programs to reduce out-of-pocket costs.
We also serve historically underserved populations who have seen a disproportionate level of trauma by accepting NM Medicaid.
We’re confident that we can also help you!
Find Effective PTSD Treatment Options at Icarus New Mexico
We hope these journal prompts can help you write a new chapter in your story – one of peace and restoration after trauma.
But be aware that journaling alone is not a full solution; trauma is complicated and demands the assistance of a skilled professional to unravel the very complicated web spun in the aftermath of a traumatic event.
Connect with Icarus Behavioral Health in New Mexico for the trauma help you need. Your call to us is free and confidential.
