Journaling Ideas from a BIPOC Experiential Therapist

As an experiential therapist, very often I feel my own ambivalence towards journaling. I am trained to pay attention to the here-and-now with my folks, instead of giving homework assignments. On the other hand, journaling has been wildly utilized as a behavioral-oriented technique, which at times, can be in contrast with the experiential philosophy I have been practicing.

However, as someone that has benefited a lot from another kind of journaling - the “imaginary writing”, here are something that have helped me in the past, and I have usually shared with my clients.

1. What are you experiencing right now in your body?

Very often when we do not know where to start for a self-reflection, trying to be aware of your somatic experience can be surprisingly helpful!

2. If you can travel back in time, what do you wish you can tell yourself?

Time travelling questions are fun but at the same time insightful to play with!

3. If you are dying tomorrow, what does that mean to you?

Existential questions are timeless classics to look into...

4. What are you paying attention to at this very moment?

You might surprise yourself on this topic! You thought you were paying attention to your work or your spouse's text message - but in reality you might be paying attention to the bird chirping outside of the window!

5. And what does (4) make you think of or mean to you?

If you are thinking freely, what about this detail here and now is grabbing your attention? Does it have any special meanings to you?

6. How are you different from others?

Well, 100% clients in my session mention this topic ...It's a really popular therapeutic topic worldwide.

7. What does it mean to you that you are different from others?

Can you still love each other when you are so different?

8. What does writing a journal mean to you?

If you do not have any prompts for journaling, maybe you are struggling on this question. You need to know what it means to you to journal in the first place- and it's okay that your answer is different from your therapist's!

9. What are the very important qualities of yourself you need to hold on to?

Self-affirmation is not easy... and it's always good to remind yourself of your own virtue.

10. If you can learn a new language, what is that and why do you want to do it?

Trust me - this question might not sound that "clinical" or therapeutic, however, it always leads to very interesting conversations between me and my clients. As a bilingual therapist (English & Mandarin Chinese), knowing the Mandarin language means so many things for me- and I'd love to hear your imagination, too!