The Way to Heal from Inhibition to Confession

Living life may not always be the easiest thing to do, life likes throwing us many difficult challenges throughout our lives. Some people handle these challenges differently than others, some know how to handle situations as in where others don’t. Many people usually don’t know how to deal with difficult situation they tend to inhibit them. A feeling that makes one self-conscious and unable to act in a relaxed and natural way. In order to overcome their difficulties, writing or talking about your problems can serve as a way of healing the body and mind this can help move one from inhibition to confession. After reading various versions of writing on journal writing, they have shown how confession helps people whom inhibit their problems. Throughout some of our readings, Confession and Inhibition, Narration and Argument, Healing through the Written Word, and Writing as a Way of Healing, have demonstrated how people transition from inhibition to confession by the use of writing. Confession and Inhibition by James W. Pennebaker, a social psychologist. He is the Centennial Liberal Arts Professor of Psychology at the University of Texas at Austin. Pennebaker’s main research focuses on the relationship between natural language use, health, and social behavior, most recently how everyday language reflects basic social and personality processes. Pennebaker starts us off by asking questions “Why do people throughout the world seek to tell their stories? Is there some kind of urge to confess? Is it healthy for us to divulge our deepest thoughts and feelings? Or, conversely, is I unhealthy not to disclose the private sides of our lives? (pg.1).” All these questions cross through everyone’s minds while they are all in the process of inhibition and want a way out to better their lives. Inhibiting thoughts and feelings can be a heavy stressor and overtime inhibition can undermine the body’s defenses, and risk either major or minor diseases. Confession, whether by writing or talking can help create a better stable place for inhibition. This can change the person’s values, way of daily thinking about themselves not doing so can be unhealthy but letting them out can be healthy. James A. Herrick, he is the Guy Vanderjagt Professor of Communication and former communication chair at Hope College, argues that the relationship between stories and arguments may enhance efforts towards building a strong case for the views that want to advocate. He supports the claim first by exploring the narratives power to bring ideas to life, then consider the humorous story’s capacity while demonstrating a writer’s intellectual capacity, and finally narrative can also play a role in helping communities shape their values that bring them together. Herrick’s purpose is to know that narrative‘s should be considered an important resource in order for a writer when functioning in the role of a public advocate. Mary Pipher the author of Writing to Connect is a clinical psychologist but other than being just a writer she is also a therapist and a speaker. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in anthropology 1969 and a PhD in clinical psychology in 1977. She received two American Psychological Association Presidential Citations. Pipeher uses many examples to show the readers how many writers have made such a change in our country, these examples give a sense of credibility to feel like change or making a difference in the world can be done with writing. She wants these examples to influence people’s feelings about writing to encourage them to lead their way to confession. Pipher says “All writing is designed to change the world, at least a small part of the world (pg. 202).” The way she gets her readers to believe this is by giving examples of where a person can find confession in their everyday life like in art. Art being like music, songs, or movies all these can change the world with their powerful message that can connected people to people and furthermore to the whole world. “Writing has helped me heal. Writing has changed my life. Writing has saved my life. (pg.3).” This quote has been taken from my class textbook Writing as a Way of Healing by Louise DeSalvo. In her book she speakers to her readers very nice and clear but also in a way that the readers can really understand the message she is trying to make. DeSalvo has a relatable tone in her text it’s as if she’s giving the reader advice into how writing is such a life changing quality she encourages everyone to do it. From the quote above DeSalvo gives many examples about how writing have saved people’s lives, how they transitioned from inhibition to confession and confession as in writing. People have been in the lowest point anyone can every get to and also not have anyone who they can talk to about what they are going through so they turn to writing. Writing turns into their friend, salvation, and hero because if it weren’t for that piece of paper and pen where they are letting everything out they might not even be alive to tell their story afterwards. Writing has stopped people from committing suicide and has made people see that they have a second chance in life and writing has gave them that opportunity. Writing is also a tool for self-discovery, an aid to concentration, a mirror for the soul, a place to generate and capture ideas, a safe place for the emotions, and a good friend a confidant. People won’t be able to concentrate on their goals and everyday matters with caring around their inhibition. Psychologists believe that by writing down all negative thoughts and feelings in black and white, they will begin to feel lighter and all their frustration and failures will fade away. This is the healing process that gets them to being able to confess and feeling better about themselves and feel at peace. The way to heal from inhibition is through confession.