The Focus Clinic

         Until recently, the world of blogging was a complete mystery for me. I knew very little about blogs in their general sense and therefore decided to spend some time on the Internet reading other people’s blogs, especially personal blogs.

One of the main aspects of blogging which intrigued me was: ‘Why do people blog?’. I read somewhere that 5 Millions Britons have a personal blog, which indicates that they have something to communicate to the Internet community. Looking closely at these blogs, I discovered that most of them (at least the ones that I read) were mainly online diaries. The same sort of diary about daily life that one used to keep secret as a child, except that nowadays blogs are accessible to everybody and therefore not secret anymore.

I am a great believer of diaries when it comes to therapy. It is no secret for my patients and all of them are required to keep a weekly diary as a homework assignment, that we discuss in the next session. Keeping a diary is a way for patients to release their unhealthy negative thoughts and emotions and express themselves. For those who are not into writing, alternative solutions such as making drawings can be used instead.

So could personal blogging be helpful in therapy? I honestly think so. It is not rare for therapists to meet patients who find it hard to express their thoughts and emotions verbally in the consulting room. In the same spirit as the diary, writing a blog can help them put words to their sufferings and perhaps get supportive comments from other bloggers/readers. Blogging can suddenly become a sort of chat forum where bloggers can assist each other, breaking the feeling of loneliness and creating a positive sense of achievement. A big step in therapy.

Whatever you choose to keep a personal blog or a secret diary, it is important to let your therapist know of your writings. Discussing the content of your writings is complementary to the diary/blog and will help the practitioner to assess the progress of your therapy.

Alors, blog ou pas blog?

Bonsoir à tous!

Stephanie - info@thefocusclinic.co.uk