Writing about a car accident helps drivers recover more quickly
Writing can help you to heal, especially from a traumatic incident like a car accident, new research
shows. And not just emotionally but physiologically too, with better pain and stress management.
Better physiological recovery when writing
Other body mechanisms are also improved, like the ability to lose weight, sleep well and fight illness
when you start writing. Studies show that people who write about a serious car accident report fewer
headaches, sleep problems and associated depressive symptoms.
A 2002 report from Israel's Ben-Gurion University revealed that writing about a stressful event results
in fewer visits to health clinics. At Chicago Medical School, cancer patients who wrote about their
illness for 20 minutes a day reported less stress for up to six months.
Recording symptoms can help somebody who has experienced a car accident work through trauma,
see a pattern in their illness, recognise recurrent symptoms and more positively, notice change
which can engender hope for the future.
People who have experienced a car accident or who have neuro-psychological problems connected
with whiplash often find that memory, concentration and decision-making skills applied when writing
improves the impairment brought about by the crash.
Analysing what is written (content) and how material is written (style) often gives a good sense of
healing and development, especially as material develops positively and more coherence and clarity
appears. An entry point into trauma
Writing down what has happened can also be an entry point into trauma as it helps people recover in
many different ways. People may be able to see how they perceive an event more clearly, they may
prefer to adjust their perspective on the way it occurred or they may discover aspects of the trauma
they were trying to conceal. They may also feel more comfortable expressing aspects of the trauma in
writing than by talking to a counsellor or other qualified practitioner.
The creative process of writing can also help to get past anxiety disorders and other psychological
limitations. By crossing the boundary of the trauma, sufferers may also be able to cross other
boundaries as they embark on their own personal healing process.
How to go about telling your story
Trauma sufferers who are looking at a blank page, pen poised in hand, who want a starting point
before exploring the way they are feeling can consider the following writing steps:
Describe what happened that you believe caused the trauma surrounding the car accident. Describe what happened a few hours before the car accident; in the minutes before the accident;
during the accident and immediately after the accident (e.g. being taken in an ambulance to hospital).
Tell the story in as much detail as possible, and describe exactly what you were feeling and thinking
during the accident (e.g. shocked or scared).
Use your story to work through the trauma with a trained practitioner who specialises in, for example,
cognitive behavioural therapy.
Car accident personal injury compensation
Road accidents happen every day, but the good news is that there are increasingly ways to help
yourself out of a bad situation and put your body back on the road to recovery after a serious crash.
You may also be able to claim for personal injuries sustained in a non-fault car accident. Our team of personal injury specialists have extensive experience in dealing with these cases and will not charge
you for their services.
So if you think you could be in a position to make a compensation claim, call us now on 0808 143 43
42 to find out more.
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