ABSTRACT
Imagine a very sick person. Imagine her under the care of someone who helps her relax by suggesting she envision herself lying on a sunny beach. Picture another person suggesting that she imagine her T-cells killing, doing battle with, or just gobbling up bad cells – germs or cancer cells. We might even overhear such a guide telling the patient that if she does so, it will help her body to fight off her illness. Now imagine a woman in a less clinical setting, say, a self-help workshop centered on intensive personal journaling. The workshop leaders tell the woman there is evidence suggesting physical health benefits come to those who break through inner blocks and move beyond silent rumination on loss, stress, or trauma, by bringing themselves to write their most intimate feelings about the event.
