Instead, he advocates, 'expressive writing', which, he says, by putting down your thoughts on paper, seems to give your worries a clearer structure.

They read little, if at all, and so have no models of more subtle, searching or expressive writing to set beside their own.

The short-term effects of expressive writing include increased distress and psychological arousal.

One of these went on to strongly suggest that expressive writing has the potential to actually provide a boost to the immune system, perhaps explaining the reduction in physician visits.

The seminal expressive writing study instructed participants in the experimental group to write about a past trauma, expressing their very deepest thoughts and feelings surrounding it.