Smith, who posted the letter on his psychology blog, IronShrink.com, has been moved by public tragedies as much as anyone. "But in regard to my own mental health, I'd like to pause for a moment, take a breath and assess the situation," says Smith, who teaches crisis intervention at the University of Denver's Graduate School of Professional Psychology. "Do I really need a counselor today? Probably not."
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Go ahead, hold it in
The popular wisdom: After a tragedy, we should vent feelings. But now studies suggest this may not always be healthy -- and could do harm.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Thursday, July 31, 2008 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 2 inches; 66 words Type of Material: Correction
Tragedy's effects: In Monday's Health section, an article about the emotional aftermath of tragedy had an incorrect date for a study's publication. It said research published in the June issue of Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology had shown that after a large-scale traumatic event, quickly talking about one's emotions isn't necessarily for the best. That study is scheduled to appear in the journal's August issue.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Monday, August 04, 2008 Home Edition Health Part F Page 8 Features Desk 2 inches; 68 words Type of Material: Correction
Tragedy's effects: In the July 28 Health section, an article about the emotional aftermath of tragedy had an incorrect date for a study's publication. It said research published in the June issue of Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology had shown that after a large-scale traumatic event, quickly talking about one's emotions isn't necessarily for the best. That study is scheduled to appear in the journal's August issue.
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Talkers need listeners
It's after the dust of the initial shock has settled that talking about it can help. Taking pen to paper, to explore feelings, can be an equally good outlet, especially when people find themselves thinking obsessively about a trauma.
But it helps only if thoughts go forward, not round and round. "Thinking can become rumination, going from A to B and back to A to B," says Sonja Lyubomirsky, psychologist at UC Riverside and author of "The How of Happiness." "People ruminate about negative things, and they get more pessimistic."
"All things being equal, talking can be as good or better than writing if the person you're talking to is all accepting, is not hurt by what you say and is not judgmental," says Pennebaker.
And there's the rub -- finding a tolerant listener. "All of us have had an experience where we watch a look of horror wash across someone's face," Pennebaker says. "If people talk about something really personal, and the other person does not validate them, they're likely to be worse off than if they hadn't said anything."
Whatever the form, it's most helpful to mental healing when the words create a meaningful story. Such a story can move someone from the event, through insight and toward acceptance or a solution. "There has to be growth. There has to be change," Pennebaker says. "Otherwise, it's not therapy. It's theater."
Most of the hundreds of people he has studied who have been through a traumatic experience are able to speak or write themselves toward a deeper understanding of what happened. "What I've loved about this work is that I think people are naturally their own best therapists," he says.
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susan.brink@latimes.com
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Put an end to the talk
If venting becomes a cycle, the pain can grow. Just ask a teenage girl. Page 6
Don't feel like talking? Distracting yourself isn't always bad.
latimes.com/coping
