This is the second blog in the series The 12 blogs of Christmas

“On the second day of Christmas my true love gave to me, two turtle doves”.

It is easy to see that some of the greatest novels – like Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein – could have been some of the greatest acts of catharsis for their authors. But you don’t have to write a novel to experience the emotional benefits of writing.

A very interesting paper in the special issue of the Psychreg Journal of Psychology explores how expressive writing can help alleviate symptoms of posttraumatic stress. Dr Kevin Wright’s paper combines clinical case reports and neurobological theory to build a convincing hypothesis that expressive writing can be a useful way of dealing with posttraumatic stress. 

This might be an especially useful approach for people who don’t want to talk about their feelings and experiences to a therapist, which tends to be the case for men more than women. 

Expressive writing might prove to be a time-efficient adjunct to other forms of psychological therapy too, especially for people who do not have easy access to such options, due to being on a long waiting list for therapy, for example.

To find out more, you can download the full paper by clicking the button below.

Watch out for the next blog in the series, on the impact of domestic abuse on separated fathers.

In case your holiday season is less than happy, here are some places you can contact for support: 

Samaritans lines are open 24/7 (365 days) Tel 116 123 (UK & Ireland)

CALM helpline is open 365 days 5pm - midnight. Tel 0800 58 58 58. Or try the CALM webchat https://www.thecalmzone.net/help/get-help/

If you are a father experiencing a stressful time post-separation, you can call the Families Need Fathers helpline 0300 0330 363 (9am - 10pm Monday to Friday, 10am - 3pm at weekends).

If you are a man experiencing domestic abuse, you can call the Mankind Initiative helpline weekdays 10am to 4pm on 01823 334244  

Dr John A. Barry is a Chartered Psychologist and Professional Researcher.  He is a leading expert in the areas of male psychology including men’s mental health and the psychological aspects of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). His new book, Perspectives in Male Psychology: An Introduction (ISBN: 978-1-119-68535-7), co-authored with Louise Liddon, is published in the new year and is available to pre-order now.