Fewer Meds? Yes, Please! A Review of Journaling Power by Mari L. McCarthy
Fewer Meds? Yes, Please!
A review of Journaling Power by Mari L. McCarthy
Mari had me on page 2:
After a year or two of regular writing therapy, I found I didn’t need the masses of prescription drugs I’d been taking.—Mari L. McCarthy
As someone once on six different medications, Mari’s pronouncement that she too found a way to reduce (or eliminate) her dependence on pharmaceuticals sparked my interest in reading more of Journaling Power: How to Create the Happy, Healthy Life You Want to Live. In this part memoir, part how-to book, Mari L. McCarthy shares how her worsening symptoms led her on a search for health, and shares what she discovered so we can all benefit.
I identified with her hitting a point of desperation and discovering a solution. My memoir, Depression Hates a Moving Target: How Running with My Dog Brought Me Back from the Brink, explains how running put the missing piece in place for me and pulled my health into balance. Like Mari, I was “in a desperate bid to recover my health.”
For Mari “writing therapy” was that missing piece.
Physical health is so completely intertwined with emotional health that it’s a wonder that so many of us deny the link.—Mari L. McCarthy
Mari suffers from MS and the onset of more extreme MS symptoms took away her option for the exercise she previously enjoyed. When she discovered Julia Cameron’s “Morning Pages” (three handwritten pages first thing each day) Mari soon experienced the kind of profound shift that I found in running.
At one of her lowest points, Mari could no longer write with her right (dominant) hand. Thinking of it solely as physical therapy, she trained herself to write left-handed. In that process, she not only discovered the way therapeutic writing transformed her emotions, but the act of dragging her pen across the page brought back circulation into part of her body being ravaged by MS.
My long-time teacher, best-selling author Natalie Goldberg (Writing Down the Bones, Three Simple Lines) often says, “Writing is a physical act.” Mari would agree.
Before I took up running, in addition to taking those many medications, I studied with and assisted Natalie Goldberg for several decades. Natalie teaches “writing practice,” the freewriting technique she founded based on her Zen practice. Similar to Mari’s journaling results, writing practice offers insights, and infuses the writer with a sense of calm and clarity.
Writing Practice
In the years before I began to run, I’d stopped my daily writing practice. But the pandemic and my husband’s health crisis drove me back. I began to study with Natalie and and “met” online or over the phone with other writing practice regulars to write and read out loud. While Natalie didn’t intend writing practice to serve as therapy, similar to Mari’s “regular writing therapy” writing practice is therapeutic.
You Should Be Writing, the writing journal I co-authored with Brenda Knight, serves as a safe landing spot for therapeutic thoughts. Our journal offers author quotes to serve as inspiration and instruction. Whether a person wants to write for publication or seeks healing, the quotes in Chapter 8, “Writing as Medicine” show how writers throughout history felt the salve writing offers.
Meditation
Mari’s method of journaling is also a form of meditation. Mari writes:
Instead of reaching for more caffeine, I would just sit with the tiredness, breathe deeply and acknowledge: “You are exhausted. Let’s just explore what’s going on.” I would approach my issues from a heart perspective. I stopped reacting in a knee-jerk fashion and expecting instant solutions. I learned to live more in the present moment.
Because of the scientifically-proven benefits, meditation earns a spot in my “Three Ways to Heal Your Mind,” completing the body—mind—spirit trifecta we require for stable health.
Mari found her own wellness trifecta, with a pen.
About the Book
Can the simple act of putting pen to paper every day lead to healing?
In the multi-award-winning Journaling Power: How To Create The Happy, Healthy Life You Want To Live, Author, Musical Artist and CreateWriteNow.com Founder Mari L. McCarthy shares her story of how she used her own writing to relieve her symptoms of multiple sclerosis, become a 5-octave singer and created 20+ Inner Journey Workbooks.
This best-selling self-help memoir teaches you how to use your own journaling power to heal the emotional, mental, physical and spiritual issues in your tissues and embody and empower your True Self. You get step-by-step guidance on how to:
- Reduce physical pain and overcome illness
- Heal emotional wounds from past traumas
- Resolve inner conflicts and create self-compassion
- Eliminate limiting beliefs and fears
- Reconnect with your inner healer
- Reduce stress and find your inner wisdom
- Set realistic goals and discover the motivation to make them happen
Whether you need to heal from stressful life events or learn how to put yourself first, Mari L. McCarthy guides you on a journey of well-being and self-care. With Journaling Power, you unlock the powers of this self-healing tool to lead a life of joy, compassion, creativity, and growth. So, grab a notebook, a pen, and a quiet space, and reveal the strength of your unconscious mind.
About the Author, Mari L. McCarthy
Mari L. McCarthy, Founder and Inner Work Tour Guide of CreateWriteNow.com shows curious health-conscious people how to use Journaling For The Health Of It®️ to heal the emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual issues in their tissues and to know and grow their True Self. She’s the multi-award-winning author of Journaling Power: How To Create The Happy, Healthy Life You Want To Live and Heal Your Self With Journaling Power. Additionally, Mari created 20+ Journaling For The Health Of It® Inner Journey Workbooks that include Who Am I?, Declutter Your Life In 28 Days, and Take Control Of Your Health In 24 Days.
Find her online at:
Website: http://createwritenow.com/
Facebook: http://facebook.com/CreateWriteNow
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwtlBKKHXAfl_fZjLtOGMHA
Blog Tour Dates
March 1st @ WOW! Women on Writing – Join us as we celebrate Mari L. McCarthy’s book Journaling Power. Read an interview with the author, find out more about the healing powers of journaling, and enter to win a copy of the book.
March 4th @ Reviews and Interviews – Visit Lisa’s blog and read her interview with author Mari L. McCarthy about her book Journaling Power.
March 5th @ Bareroot Health – Visit Heather’s blog where you can read her insights into Mari L. McCarthy’s book Journaling Power.
March 6th @ CK Sorens Blog – Visit Carrie’s blog and read her review of Mari L. McCarthy’s book Journaling Power.
March 7th @ Joan Porte – Visit Joan’s blog and read her review of Journaling Power by Mari L. McCarthy.
More reviews!
March 8th @ Author Anthony Avina
Visit Anthony’s blog and read his review of Journaling Power by Mari L. McCarthy.
March 9th @ The Potpourri Parlor – Visit Chelle’s blog and read her insights into Mari L. McCarthy’s Journaling Power.
March 10th @ World of My Imagination – Visit Nicole’s writing blog today and you can read guest reviewer, Angela Clay’s review of Journaling Power by Mari L. McCarthy.
Visit Anthony’s blog and read his review of Journaling Power by Mari L. McCarthy.
March 9th @ The Potpourri Parlor – Visit Chelle’s blog and read her insights into Mari L. McCarthy’s Journaling Power.
March 10th @ World of My Imagination – Visit Nicole’s writing blog today and you can read guest reviewer, Angela Clay’s review of Journaling Power by Mari L. McCarthy.
March 10th @ Leslie’s Voice – Join Leslie as she reviews Mari L. McCarthy book Journaling Power.
March 11th @ Living Upp – Join Stacy as she reviews Mari L. McCarthy’s book Journaling Power.
March 12th @ World of My Imagination – Visit Nicole’s writing blog today where you can read guest reviewer, Wendy Kipfmiller-O’Brien’s review of Journaling Power by Mari L. McCarthy
March 13th @ The Faerie Review – Lily shares her insights into Mari L. McCarthy’s book Journaling Power.
March 14th @ Book Review Crew – Join Sara where she reviews Journaling Power by Mari L. McCarthy
March 15th @ Freeing the Butterfly – Visit the Freeing the Butterfly blog and read her review of Mari L. McCarthy’s book Journaling Power.
March 12th @ World of My Imagination – Visit Nicole’s writing blog today where you can read guest reviewer, Wendy Kipfmiller-O’Brien’s review of Journaling Power by Mari L. McCarthy
March 13th @ The Faerie Review – Lily shares her insights into Mari L. McCarthy’s book Journaling Power.
March 14th @ Book Review Crew – Join Sara where she reviews Journaling Power by Mari L. McCarthy
March 15th @ Freeing the Butterfly – Visit the Freeing the Butterfly blog and read her review of Mari L. McCarthy’s book Journaling Power.
Even more reviews!
March 16th @ My Question Life – Visit Kara’s blog today where she reviews Mari L. McCarthy’s book Journaling Power.
March 16th @ Pamela Cummins – Visit Pamela’s blog where she shares her thoughts about Mari L. McCarthy’s Journaling Power.
March 17th @ Nicolle Nattrass – Visit Nicolle’s blog today where she reviews Mari L. McCarthy’s book Journaling Power.
March 18th @ Deborah Zenha-Adams – Join Deborah as she spotlights Mari L. McCarthy’s book Journaling Power.
March 20th @ Because of Words – Join Cassie’s blog today where she reviews Mari L. McCarthy’s book Journaling Power.
March 22nd @ Not Without My Coffee – Visit Angelica’s blog today where she reviews Mari L. McCarthy’s book Journaling Power.
March 24th @ Anne Janzer’s Blog – Join Anne today at her blog where she reviews Mari L. McCarthy’s book Journaling Power.
March 25th @ The Frugalista Mom – Visit Rozelyn’s blog where you can read her review of Mari L. McCarthy’s book Journaling Power.
March 26th @ Melanie Faith – Visit Melanie’s blog today and read her insights into Mari L. McCarthy’s book Journaling Power.
March 26th @ Nita Sweeney – YOU ARE HERE! Join Nita as she shares her thoughts into Mari L. McCarthy’s new book.
March 27th @ Anne Greenawalt – Join Anne as she reviews Mari L. McCarthy’s new book.
March 28th @ Christy O’Callaghan – Join Christy as she reviews Mari L. McCarthy’s book Journaling Power.
March 28th @ The Knotty Needle – Stop by Judy’s blog today and review Mari L. McCarthy’s book Journaling Power.
April 1st @ Eden Literary – Deirdra will be spotlighting Mari L. McCarthy’s book Journaling Power.
April 2nd @ International Association for Journaling Writing – Read Lynda’s review of Mari L. McCarthy’s book Journaling Power.
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