Expressive writing in the light of integral psychology of the person

In recent decades, expressive writing has established itself as an effective therapeutic technique for processing traumatic experiences, with proven effects on physical, emotional, and social health. Based on pioneering studies by Pennebaker and colleagues, research has shown that writing about painful experiences reduces rumination, improves the immune system, promotes emotional regulation, and fosters greater cognitive integration of traumatic memories. This article proposes a deeper understanding of expressive writing by integrating it into the framework of Thomistic psychology. From this perspective, it examines how the act of writing involves human faculties in such a way that it gives rise to four fundamental therapeutic effects: awareness, combating acedia, sensory relief, and the transformation of the pathological experimentum, understood as the disordered sensory judgment that conditions perception and behavior, ultimately reducing human freedom. Expressive writing, by providing the conditions for considering experience from a new perspective, facilitates the emergence of new appraisals, promoting psychological healing by properly disposing of the sensitive appetite and restoring the person's role as an agent. This study highlights the importance of integrating empirical evidence with a solid philosophical anthropology, offering a unified reading of the human being that elevates expressive writing beyond a technique to become a true act of inner reconciliation and freedom.

Lugar de Publicación

United Kingdom

Citación

New Ideas in Psychology, vol. 82 (2026) p. 1-9.

Palabras clave

Expressive writing, Thomistic psychology, Trauma, Memory, Appraisal

Licencia

Atribución-NoComercial-CompartirIgual 3.0 Chile (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 CL)

Licencia URL

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/cl/

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