Journalling as an extra tool between sessions

For many people, the time between therapy sessions can feel unexpectedly busy internally. Thoughts and emotions continue to surface at odd moments, and something that felt significant in the room does not always settle once the session ends. You may find yourself carrying more than you realised, without quite knowing what to do with it.

Journalling can offer a way of staying connected to the work between sessions without needing to analyse yourself or push anything forward. Rather than holding everything in your head, writing can provide a place where experience can be put down, acknowledged and released.

You may find you gain awareness, insight, find solutions, or make sense of things; you may not. There is no science to it - no right or wrong. In fact, journalling works best when it is not treated as a task to complete or a tool to use correctly. Many people avoid writing because they worry it will become overwhelming, self-critical, or turn into repetitive thinking. These concerns are understandable, particularly if you have spent a long time managing your feelings privately or feeling responsible for keeping things contained.

Journalling can also help explore what emerges in therapy itself. A moment of recognition, a bodily response, or a memory that felt important in the room can fade once you return to daily life. Writing shortly afterwards can help maintain a link to that experience, allowing it to remain accessible rather than slipping away. This can make it easier to return to the work in the next session without having to start again. For me, it really helps get to grips with any relationship difficulties I’m experiencing.

It matters that journalling does not become another way of pressuring yourself. If writing begins to feel compulsive, harsh, or draining, that is not something to push through. The way you relate to journalling often reflects the way you relate to yourself, and that relationship is part of the work rather than a problem to fix.

Some people write as if they are speaking to someone who is listening with care. Others prefer lists, unfinished sentences, or writing that is never read back. There is no correct structure and no expectation that what you write will be shared. The value lies in allowing your experience to exist without being corrected or shaped into something more ‘acceptable’.

As support between sessions, journalling can help you arrive back in the therapy room more connected to what is actually happening for you, rather than what feels easiest to say. It can help patterns become more visible and make it easier to pick up threads that might otherwise be lost.

Journalling does not replace therapy, and it is not meant to carry the work alone. It can, however, offer somewhere for thoughts and feelings to rest between sessions, reducing the sense of holding everything by yourself. Over time, this can support a deeper capacity to listen inwardly and to trust that your experience deserves attention.

If writing feels possible for you, even occasionally, it can become a steady form of support between sessions, offering continuity without pressure and space without expectation. Many people find Morning Pages a good method but honestly, it’s whatever works for you. And remember to write about the good stuff, too!