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Writing down unfiltered thoughts enhances self-knowledge

scientificamerican.com

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Re: Writing down unfiltered thoughts enhances self-knowledge

#11

Post by voisin »

adaml_623 wrote: post #3
jseliger wrote: post #2

A lot of people suffer a lot of anxiety around writing, and it seems like trying to lower the stakes helps: https://bessstillman.substack.com/p/on-writing-or-not

Now I'm anxious about cancer and I didn't even get to the secret about lowering the stakes :-/

I read it and can’t find what the secret about lowering the stakes is. It seems like it takes the impending death of a loved one to put into perspective the resistance of writing as an emperor with no clothes. That if you’re meant to write you will when it realize it.

Is my reading comprehension poor today or was there advice I missed on how to lower the stakes outside of a serious situation like she faces?

Re: Writing down unfiltered thoughts enhances self-knowledge

#12

Post by zeroCalories »

I like writing because it forces you to turn vague feelings into concrete ideas. You can barf your thoughts onto paper and then read it with a critical eye, allowing you to evaluate your own thoughts. It helps me to find the gaps in my knowledge, notice sloppy arguments, etc. Sometimes that leads to a better understanding of the topic, but most of the time I realize that I have no understanding of the topic, which is still useful information. For example I've found myself eager to drop a hot take on a recent international event, but after writing out my comment I realize that I'm an idiot, so I make a mental note and post it anyway.

Re: Writing down unfiltered thoughts enhances self-knowledge

#13

Post by PhilipRoman »

zeroCalories wrote: post #12

I like writing because it forces you to turn vague feelings into concrete ideas. You can barf your thoughts onto paper and then read it with a critical eye, allowing you to evaluate your own thoughts. It helps me to find the gaps in my knowledge, notice sloppy arguments, etc. Sometimes that leads to a better understanding of the topic, but most of the time I realize that I have no understanding of the topic, which is…

>I like writing because it forces you to turn vague feelings into concrete ideas.

Yep. I've started painting my dreams and it is surprisingly difficult to turn vague memories into concrete scenes. It's almost physically exhausting.

Re: Writing down unfiltered thoughts enhances self-knowledge

#14

Post by motohagiography »

jbm wrote: post #7

Sure it does, you aren't getting me this time. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hundred_Flowers_Campaign Jokes aside, this definitely helped when I was in college, especially when I had a follow up session where I could ask questions to my professors or the TA

It's unbelievable how that campaign and even the hint of something like it here with internet mobs can obliterate the creative capacity of huge numbers of people. I write and make to understand things, and by example, I recently wrote about 12,000 words to get a yield of about 3,000 words of my best work. The stuff in that other 9,000 words will probably never see a screen again, but it had to come out to mine it for the single ideas and turns of phrase that become like library functions for dense, concise writing.

If you can't produce the raw material, you can't make anything new or good.

Re: Writing down unfiltered thoughts enhances self-knowledge

#15

Post by johnchristopher »

PhilipRoman wrote: post #13
zeroCalories wrote: post #12

I like writing because it forces you to turn vague feelings into concrete ideas. You can barf your thoughts onto paper and then read it with a critical eye, allowing you to evaluate your own thoughts. It helps me to find the gaps in my knowledge, notice sloppy arguments, etc. Sometimes that leads to a better understanding of the topic, but most of the time I realize that I have no understanding of the topic, which is…

>I like writing because it forces you to turn vague feelings into concrete ideas. Yep. I've started painting my dreams and it is surprisingly difficult to turn vague memories into concrete scenes. It's almost physically exhausting.

Do you paint them as you remember them or do you write them down before ?

Re: Writing down unfiltered thoughts enhances self-knowledge

#16

Post by javawizard »

I have a pretty strong natural filter. Years of therapy and three different therapists have yet to get me to a place where I can truly open up, even when writing on a page I know no-one else will see.

Two days ago I did weed for the first time. I accidentally took a much larger hit than I meant to. For the first 15 minutes I had a complete out-of-body experience; nothing seemed real, I felt like I was floating through space, able to peer into reality at will, still not quite trusting that it wasn't all a dream. I'm pretty sure the term of art for what I experienced would be a psychotic episode.

After that... I lost my filter. Like, it was gone. And my mouth was a conveyor belt connected to the emotional part of my brain. No logic, just uninhibited speech, for 45 minutes, all while sobbing harder than I have in my entire life.

I exposed every last deep, dark secret I possessed. My fear of never being good enough. My fear that everyone in my life will leave me at some point. My fear that I've done so many hurtful things over my life that I'm unworthy of love and of the friends I have. And many more things I won't be sharing with the world, at least not yet.

Inside, it felt like my brain and my mouth were connected by a pipe, and all I could do was sit back and watch in horror as the very depths of my mind were laid bare for all to see.

A good friend of mine was with me while I did it. She heard everything. It's a mark of our friendship that she held me, reassured me that she loved me for who I am, not who I want people to think I am. Our friendship is even stronger now, something I would never have thought possible before having that experience.

It was terrifying, and yet oddly theraputic. I'm seriously considering cannabis-assisted psychotherapy now.

---

I guess what I'm trying to say is: there are a number of substances that induce mind-altering states in ways that are relatively safe and free from long term effects. If you're someone who can't seem to open up naturally, don't be afraid to try them. They just might change your life.

(As with everything, consume appropriately and safely. Have someone experienced in the substance you're consuming keep an eye on you. And for god's sake, don't do anything known to be addictive or to have severe negative side effects.)

Also, find friends who you can truly be yourself around, who love you even when they know the absolute worst about you. It makes all the difference to know that someone loves you not for who you want the world to think you are but for who you actually are.

Re: Writing down unfiltered thoughts enhances self-knowledge

#17

Post by PhilipRoman »

johnchristopher wrote: post #15
PhilipRoman wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>I like writing because it forces you to turn vague feelings into concrete ideas. Yep. I've started painting my dreams and it is surprisingly difficult to turn vague memories into concrete scenes. It's almost physically exhausting.

Do you paint them as you remember them or do you write them down before ?

I try to paint them as soon as possible after waking up.

Usually I just write down a list of keywords, that seems enough to keep my brain from erasing them. I don't think it's really possible to capture a scene in text. The text only serves as memory aid.

Re: Writing down unfiltered thoughts enhances self-knowledge

#18

Post by zingababba »

I've been journaling for something like 25 years now. The hardest yet most rewarding part for me is going back and reading my entries. Sometimes I have to force myself because I'm often revolted by what I've written during various periods however it has really helped me understand my moods.

Re: Writing down unfiltered thoughts enhances self-knowledge

#19

Post by lacrimacida »

PhilipRoman wrote: post #17
johnchristopher wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you paint them as you remember them or do you write them down before ?

I try to paint them as soon as possible after waking up. Usually I just write down a list of keywords, that seems enough to keep my brain from erasing them. I don't think it's really possible to capture a scene in text. The text only serves as memory aid.

That’s interesting, care to share them?

Re: Writing down unfiltered thoughts enhances self-knowledge

#20

Post by coffeebeqn »

javawizard wrote: post #16

I have a pretty strong natural filter. Years of therapy and three different therapists have yet to get me to a place where I can truly open up, even when writing on a page I know no-one else will see. Two days ago I did weed for the first time. I accidentally took a much larger hit than I meant to. For the first 15 minutes I had a complete out-of-body experience; nothing seemed real, I felt like I was floating throug…

Writing is one of my favorite things to do high. Nothing that interesting just whatever pops in my mind. Pen to paper so I don’t get distracted by shiny internet things
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