At the Magic of Journaling Workshop coming to Ft. Lauderdale on December 4th, we will explore several aspects of journaling, including the 4 “modes” of expressive writing espoused by Tristine Rainer. Rainer, a pioneer and expert in the fields of contemporary diary and memoir writing, was taught and mentored by Anais Nin, the saucy novelist and erotic essayist.
Rainer’s 4 modes provide a context for using your journal in various ways, that include 1) catharsis, 2) description, 3) free intuition and 4) reflection. A brief summary is below. I found an excerpt from one of my journals where I configured a “wheel of life.” The chart is obviously dated as it omits my beloved Mishka, a Maltese/Shih Tzu mix, now 4. I love that “Office Products” somehow made the list!
Notice how I could take any element on the wheel and apply any of the 4 modes to explore life from multiple perspectives and dimensions. I have always found this leads to gratitude, recognizing life is much richer than my complaints about it. Whether for myself or a client, I have found great therapeutic (healing) powers in journaling, and hope you will too.
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