Carissa Arellano

Dr. Kells
ENG 320
Unit 2 Academic Argument
1 November 2016

Journaling as a Complementary Therapy for Neuroatypical Individuals

Neuroatypical individuals are a group of people with a neurological condition including
psychiatric illness, a diagnosis on the autism spectrum disorder, or any other neurological
condition affecting typical functioning. Individuals with a neurological condition display
cognitive and behavioral deficits that affect their quality of life. Medication and therapy are
conventional Western medical solutions for those suffering from a neurological condition;
however, alternative and complementary therapies are rising in popularity for treatment.
Alternative therapies are usually products of Eastern medicine, which is vastly different from
Western medicine. For example, Eastern medicine uses treatments such as herbs, meditation,
naturopathy, and energy healing. Journaling is an example of alternative and complementary
therapy because it would not be recommended for sole treatment of a neurological condition.
Regardless, journaling does display a wide variety of benefits for mental health. Therefore,
neuroatypical individuals should do a free write journal daily to manage their negative cognitive
and behavioral symptoms because it is a constructive creative outlet versus medication and
therapy alone.
In order to do a daily journal, the individual must do one or more of the following: stream
of consciousness, a health diary, a feelings log, or a creative entry. Stream of consciousness is the
notion that the individual writes whatever comes to mind. There are no rules for stream of
consciousness, as thoughts should flow without worry of grammar, punctuation, or writing
between the lines. The purpose of stream of consciousness is to put any or all thoughts on paper
to clear the mind. A health diary serves a very different purpose in that the individual documents
their health activities for the day. For example, the individual can log how many glasses of water

Carissa Arellano
Dr. Kells
ENG 320
Unit 2 Academic Argument
1 November 2016

they had that day, whether or not they exercised (and what type of exercise), and/or if they
practiced any stress relief techniques. The goal of a health diary is to keep track of health
patterns the individual exhibits and what can be modified for the future to enhance their health. A
feelings log entails that the individual writes about their day, more specifically, the events of the
day, and how the events made her or her feel. A feelings log is particularly helpful for mood and
anxiety disorders because it documents the cognitive processes and its associations with an
event. Some therapists specializing in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) ask their patients to
keep a feelings log so that they can identify emotions and their associations to enhance the
effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Lastly, a creative entry can be a poem, a short
story, or any other mode of writing. The purpose of a creative entry is to allow the individual to
construct an intellectual outlet to manage their symptoms. It is not uncommon for an individual
with depression or anxiety to write poems about having depression or anxiety. In fact, when
individuals write about their illness in a creative form, it is an active tool for acceptance. Park
states, expressive writing leads people to create narratives that explain their feelings, which in
turn lead them to feel better. Writing creatively is the most powerful tool a neuroatypical
individual can use to manage their symptoms because it allows the individual to accept their
condition and work as their own advocate.
Most individuals with a neurological condition tend to keep their thoughts and emotions
to themselves; in turn, this causes an unhealthy buildup of emotions. Not releasing thoughts or
emotions has negative long-term consequences. However, some complications may arise when
keeping a journal. The most prominent complication is non-compliance. When working with
neuroatypical individuals, patience must be utilized because adding a daily activity to a patients

Carissa Arellano
Dr. Kells
ENG 320
Unit 2 Academic Argument
1 November 2016

routine is not easy. Understandably, some patients may lack the motivation to write or cannot due
to side effects from medication. In order to handle the non-compliance, the therapist must persist
in recommending a daily journal and they may approach it by suggesting a small entry each day
until the individual is on a writing routine.
Among a plethora of diverse alternative and complementary therapies, journaling is a
promising technique for management of negative cognitive and behavioral symptoms in
neuroatypical individuals. Complementary therapies such as exercise, meditation, and
engagement in hobbies are effective; however, they do not get to the core of a neuroatypical
individuals crisis. According to Low, writing interventions hold significant promise as an
adjunct supportive treatment for patients. Therefore, exercise, meditation, and hobbies are tools
to enhance a sense of well-being.
When someone journals and they focus on the creative aspect of the journal, he or she
can see many benefits from it. When an individual acknowledges their symptoms and can further
accept it, they can advance to being their own advocate. Being your own advocate is helpful for
any condition as it increases self-efficacy. Whether someone has cancer, diabetes, or Bipolar
Disorder, advocating your illness and health is very beneficial. An example used previously was
writing a poem about depression if you have depression. Once they accept their depression, they
do not feel as much peer stigma. Thus, when the stigma is conquered, the individual will not be
ashamed to tell others about their illness and their needs. Moreover, they can feel empowerment
from their constructive creativity. Where individuals did not know how to express themselves,
they can now articulate their mental health battles in an art form. For example, Seth has
schizophrenia; however, when he writes short stories about his delusions, he can put his

Carissa Arellano
Dr. Kells
ENG 320
Unit 2 Academic Argument
1 November 2016

frustrations on paper and understand them creatively. It is possible for his works to be published
because of its eccentricity and brilliancy. In terms of therapy, Seth can take his short stories about
his delusions to his therapist and discuss them. From here, Seth and his therapist can examine
Seths delusions; including what the delusions mean to him, and how he feels about the
delusions. After Seth has journaled for months, his therapist can see an improvement in how Seth
copes with his schizophrenic delusions. Journaling creatively is a remarkable piece of writing
that a neuroatypical individual can use to cope with their illness.
Journaling, however, is also a way to get closer to solving the individuals crisis.
Mentioned previously, a feelings log is an extension to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy that a
therapist can use with the patient. For example, Amanda has PTSD, a mother with a heroin
addiction, and financial instability. Amanda sees a CBT therapist on a weekly basis and her
therapist asks her to keep a feelings log. Amanda journals daily about how she feels about her
mother, what her nightmares consisted of, and the daily struggles of being financially unstable.
When Amanda takes her journal to her therapist, her therapist can review her writing and work
on correcting cognitive distortions found within Amandas feelings log. In Cognitive Behavioral
Therapy, cognitive distortions are negative things we say to ourselves. In Amandas case, her
therapist will want to correct these. When Amanda can learn how to think about her situation
differently, her quality of life will improve. A feelings log is not the only form of journaling
Amanda can utilize, nor is a journal the only complementary Amanda can use in conjunction
with her therapy and medication.
Conclusively, neuroatypical individuals should keep a journal to enhance the
effectiveness of their treatment. In regards to what kind of journals are most effective, a feelings

Carissa Arellano
Dr. Kells
ENG 320
Unit 2 Academic Argument
1 November 2016

log and a creativity entry are most helpful. Both a feelings log and a creative entry allow the
individual to make associations between events, assess their feelings, and share their works with
their therapist. [Journal] writing promotes benefits through a more dynamic process that carries
forward with time by changing the way people reflect over the same negative experience in the
future (Park). A feelings log is particularly helpful for mood and anxiety disorders because it
helps identify cognitive distortions. A creative entry is helpful for almost any condition because
it promotes self-efficacy, advocacy, and acceptance.

Carissa Arellano
Dr. Kells
ENG 320
Unit 2 Academic Argument
1 November 2016

Works Cited
Park, Jiyoung, zlem Ayduk, and Ethan Kross. "Stepping Back To Move Forward:
Expressive Writing Promotes Self-Distancing." Emotion 16.3 (2016): 349-364. PsycARTICLES.
Web. 6 Nov. 2016.
Low, Carissa A., et al. "A Randomized Controlled Trial Of Emotionally Expressive
Writing For Women With Metastatic Breast Cancer." Health Psychology 29.4 (2010): 460466. PsycARTICLES. Web. 6 Nov. 2016.