Breaking Barriers: The Healing Magic of Journaling

“Write what disturbs you, what you fear, what you have not been willing to speak about. Be willing to be split open.”

Natalie Goldberg

I started journaling in the Otisville federal prison library over 9 years ago.

I needed an outlet for all the crap that was inside of me, the words I couldn’t speak aloud.

It wasn’t easy initially; I didn’t know what to say or what to write. I was, too, in my own head.

I put too much pressure on myself to get it “right.”

With time (plenty of that in prison), desire, and commitment, I got the hang of it. I let go of my need to get it “right” and allowed the words to flow without judgment.

The embarrassing crap I don’t want anyone to know about. Things that scare me, things I am ashamed of. Things that bring me joy, things that make me go,

“Oh shit, I get it.”

In time, patterns form. I see what my limiting beliefs are, my sticking points, and my insecurities. It doesn’t mean I address them immediately, but I see them.

I also see what lights me up inside.