“In another trial, writing was used in conjunction with exposure therapy for people who had a phobia of spiders.
It was discovered that writing about their fears actually boosted the effect of the therapy compared with people who did not put pen to paper.
“We do think that it has clinical applications,” Dr Lieberman said.
“People expressing negative emotional responses in words while being exposed gave them greater attenuation (reduction) of fear.”
Dr Lieberman said that the effect was negated if the writing was too vivid or descriptive because it led to people reliving their trauma. Also, typing was not as good as writing long-hand.
“You have to write about it in a detached way,” he said.
Asked why writers were often troubled souls, he said that the writing itself may be a reaction to severe emotional problems.
“I am sure that it is one of their motivators to write,” he said. “You have to ask yourself what they would be like without the writing.”
How my heart sings 