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Posted by Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen Jun 7, 2008 |
Psychologist Mark Seery researched the effects of talking about a traumatic event versus not talking about it, and found that not talking about feelings can actually be healthy.
He compared the mental and physical health symptoms of "talkers" versus "non-talkers", and found that the non-talkers were actually healthier than the talkers. This was a surprising finding, since the general consensus is that we should talk about our feelings, especially after a traumatic event.
"This perfectly exemplifies the assumption in popular culture, and even in clinical practice, that people need to talk in order to overcome a collective trauma," Seery says. "Instead, we should be telling people there is likely nothing wrong if they do not want to express their thoughts and feelings after experiencing a collective trauma. In fact, they can cope quite successfully and, according to our results, are likely to be better off than someone who does want to express his or her feelings."
Psychology Articles About Healthy Communication:
Source: "It's Okay to Keep Those Feelings Inside." University at Buffalo News Centre (Press Release). June 1, 2008.