Andrew Huberman
A Science-Supported Journaling Protocol to Improve Mental & Physical Health
In this episode, I explain a specific writing protocol shown in hundreds of scientific studies to significantly improve immediate and long-term health. I explain how to implement this specific protocol, which takes only four days and 15-30 minutes per day. I also explain the mechanism for how the four-day writing protocol affects neuroplasticity (brain rewiring) and brain function in the short and long term. I explain how these brain changes positively impact our physical health, including our system's immune function and thus our ability to combat infections, improve sleep, reduce feelings of physical and emotional pain, lower anxiety, and bring about healing from traumas. This episode ought to be of interest to anyone seeking better mental and/or physical health through the use of brief yet highly effective science-supported protocols.
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Articles
Confronting a traumatic event: toward an understanding of inhibition and disease: https://bit.ly/3QMlLD1
Natural emotion vocabularies as windows on distress and well-being: https://go.nature.com/3QKtYHB
Disclosure of traumas and immune function: Health implications for psychotherapy: https://bit.ly/3R6y65d
Putting Feelings Into Words: https://bit.ly/3G4T2nQ
Increasing honesty in humans with noninvasive brain stimulation: https://bit.ly/47jAmgh
The β1-adrenergic receptor links sympathetic nerves to T cell exhaustion: https://go.nature.com/3MPKXr5
Writing About Emotional Experiences as a Therapeutic Process: https://bit.ly/3rOVn2B
Brain and body are more intertwined than we knew: https://go.nature.com/3MMSXcj
Therapeutic Journaling: https://bit.ly/3upAImX
Books
Opening Up by Writing It Down: How Expressive Writing Improves Health and Eases Emotional Pain: https://amzn.to/47FDnaK
Trauma: The Invisible Epidemic: How Trauma Works and How We Can Heal From It: https://amzn.to/47HrNMg
Other Resources
Dr. James Pennebaker: https://bit.ly/47CZ7ng
Dr. Paul Conti: Therapy, Treating Trauma & Other Life Challenges (Huberman Lab episode): https://www.hubermanlab.com/episode/dr-paul-conti-therapy-treating-trauma-and-other-life-challenges
Guest Series | Dr. Paul Conti: How to Understand & Assess Your Mental Health (Huberman Lab episode): https://www.hubermanlab.com/episode/guest-series-dr-paul-conti-how-to-understand-and-assess-your-mental-health
Science of Social Bonding in Family, Friendship & Romantic Love (Huberman Lab episode): https://www.hubermanlab.com/episode/science-of-social-bonding-in-family-friendship-and-romantic-love
Using Your Nervous System to Enhance Your Immune System (Huberman Lab episode): https://www.hubermanlab.com/episode/using-your-nervous-system-to-enhance-your-immune-system
Tools for Managing Stress & Anxiety (Huberman Lab episode): https://www.hubermanlab.com/episode/tools-for-managing-stress-and-anxiety
Timestamps
00:00:00 Journaling Protocol for Mental & Physical Health
00:03:06 Sponsors: LMNT, Eight Sleep & Waking Up
00:07:16 Journaling & Confronting Traumatic Events
00:11:25 Tool: Expressive Writing
00:14:38 Morning Notes, Gratitude Journaling, Diary Journaling
00:18:00 Tool: Consecutive Writing Bouts; Trauma Definition
00:24:38 Low Expressors vs. High Expressors
00:29:29 Tools: Language, Vocabulary & Emotion; Analyzing Writing
00:35:02 Tool: Writing Session Tips
00:39:31 Sponsor: AG1
00:41:02 Positive Mental & Physical Benefits
00:46:45 Expressive Writing & Immune Function; Brain-Body Connection
00:57:02 Sponsor: InsideTracker
00:58:10 Neuroplasticity, Prefrontal Cortex & Subcortical Structures
01:05:00 Structured Writing, Trauma & Narratives; Truth-Telling
01:08:56 Neuroplasticity, Truth-Telling & Relief from Trauma
01:15:32 Honesty, Brain Activity & Narratives
01:22:01 Overcoming Trauma & the Brain; Stress, Emotions & Honesty
01:26:41 Expressive Writing Protocol & Benefits
01:36:16 Zero-Cost Support, Spotify & Apple Reviews, Sponsors, YouTube Feedback, Momentous, Social Media, Neural Network Newsletter
#HubermanLab #Science #Journaling
Title Card Photo Credit: Mike Blabac – https://www.blabacphoto.com
Disclaimer: https://www.hubermanlab.com/disclaimer
#ScienceSupported #Journaling #Protocol #Improve #Mental #Physical #Health
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Who thinks he doesn't blink?! He certainly does.
I also wonder about the outcome differences between those who write daily /for a living/ long-time diarists and journal keepers vs. people who never write.
I find it hard to believe there’s “no difference” whatsoever between hand writing this and keyboarding it. I’ve read about loads of studies that have shown far more personal outcomes happens when writing by hand because hand writing taps a completely different part of the brain. Hand writing is far more “immediate” personal and direct than going through technology.
Perhaps it’s different now because so many people learned to write on a keyboard from elementary school (vs. those earlier generations who hand wrote everything until high school or college).
You're so right.. you should start with a less traumatizing experience first and bytime and increasing trust and feeling safe in the process, you can dive into the more traumatizing events.. now you can be more truthful to yourself and more open to face your darker shadows. I use it with myself and advise my clients to go for it… wonderful❤
"Oh that won't be hard, its not like ive been through a lo-"
>vicious panic attack
Am I the only one noticing he doesn’t blink?
That intro is rough man
I am grateful to you, Andrew Huberman. Also, I am grateful to your mother, because she brought up u with good moral.
Watch after 36 min
So, far he said, writing about that incident, once everyday for four days. U can also write it once a week. Also, after writing that give your self 5 to 10 minutes to settle down. Also hubrrman said after u done this 4 to 5 times then give your self a week off or two, then company back at it and analyse the data, meaning circle how many negative words u used. Also square how many positive word. U will find out in the 4 time, u reduced lots of negative word. And perhaps added positive word
9:50
BTW Dr. Pennebaker’s book: “AT A JOURNAL WORKSHOP” is PhEnOmInEaL!!!
I was thinking that if it’s people from an older generation that actually writing it out by hand would show more positive results then if you tried to make a younger person right by hand or use the computer… the computer would probably show more favorable results because they’re used to practicing that. Super did your podcast.
Will give it a try, starting one hour from now. Curious if Huberman reported back on his results somewhere else?
Does this have to be about a specific one-time event or about a general aspect of your life that makes you very anxious and where it might have come from? For example, I become very agitated mentally and physically speaking up in meetings or settings where I may look dumb or be judged particularly by authority figures. This comes from childhood generally, but not one single traumatic experience. I have significant fight or flight activation from settings like these, but if it wasn't based on one single event, I can't sense if this will be efficacious. I'll try it anyway, but wonder if anyone has tried something around a topic like this and seen benefit.
Just finished day 3 and unlike days 1 and 2 I didn't cry this time. I feel almost like I'm ready to close the door on this trauma but I'll write about it one more time on day 4 and then be done.
The first day I bawled like an absolute baby. The second day I still wept quite a bit but not as hard as the first day. Day 1 was insane. Day 3 feels less cathartic (I didn't cry at all) but more like I've come to a place of calm.
I hope I’m doing this right!
Interesting. Apparently I’ve been “self medicating” with this method without even knowing it 😅.
During my life, whenever I was in a particularly bad mental state, I would use a secondary journal that I kept. I always picked a notebook I DIDN’T LIKE (as opposed to my main journal) & often changed it after a while as I started hating the notebook itself.
I would just sit and write about what I (at that particular point in my life) considered my most terrible experience. Usually I ended up crying and very distraught while writing, but after doing it for a few days, I eventually felt better.
This practice has saved me (almost literally) many times over the years, so it’s nice to know that someone developed the idea & that there’s an actual system to it that I can properly learn.
Thank you for this detailed explanation!
Day 2 in the books and it was still very hard but I didn't cry quite as hard as I did the first day. The first day I was absolutely wailing and could hardly catch my breath. I may be one of the high expressers. I'd like to finish this trauma out and then maybe take a little break and do 4 more days of a more recent trauma that took place in college but is there a recommended amount of time to wait between writing about different incidents?
Just finished day 1 of my biggest T trauma. I will do tomorrow and the following 2 days after that. I wept like an absolute baby, I haven't cried like that in a long time. I typed mine out in Ariel 11pt font and filed 2.5 pages
does it have to be about only one specific experience? What if there are multiple different experiences? Is it recommended to follow same practice for each experience separately?
I was wondering wether it can be measured, the incease of the activity of the pre frontal cortex during the writing protocal. Because you Andrew say that the increase is hypothetical
yet again, thank you for this. no fillers on this channel, ever.🙏
This man blink?
It’s so wild that someone with a different background (neuroscience) could be floored by the efficacy of this technique when psych backgrounds have been practicing and seeing results for years… I wonder what other body/mind connections are waiting to be found? I know that medically we see better outcomes in positive-minded cancer patients… could there be some neuroscience waiting to be discovered in that?
Great information, though I don’t think I could write without pause for 15-30 minutes about anything 😳
I honestly can not believe all the useful information Andrew provides us with…and to be given this information FREE of charge!
Only thing I pay is the WIFI to watch on YouTube lol. I'll take that any day. It's refreshing just to know there's someone out there who truly wants people to be happy with their lives and in their life.
I'm over here just taking notes till smoke comes out me ears lol.
I've used more than one of Andrew's episodes to help better my life and all I can say is, this guy has helped me more than my own doctors have. Started the carnivore diet, being a person who's lived with chronic pain due to a severe car accident and I'm on day 4 and of course the pain isn't gone, but I can tell it's subsided. I've been doing a lot of resistance Strengthening and yoga. Feeling good!
Thanks Andrew, for Caring enough to steer us all in the right direction in life. ❤
Referred to this video… by Crappy Childhood Fairy.. who recommends a way to write fears and resentments and have them removed .First time I've watched you. Im going to do this writing exercise..
The body and mind is a complex, wonderful marvel of our Creator's skill and wisdom.
But why 4 times? What happens when we do it 15 times or write 30 times about the same incident? Would this then be too much and have adverse effects?
Is there a nobel price for mental and physical health? There should be one and Andrew Huberman should receive it. Maybe he‘s earning some money with it, but pretty sure he did not in the early stages of the podcast…to present such important topics for free on youtube, to research this much, to make science accessible to normal people, to present Information in a way that everyone can understand and also understand the benefits of the Method or let‘s say: benefits of stopping drinking alcohol…Andrew you are a blessing. I am going through a very hard time and this episode gave me hope that maybe I can make it and process all this crap. Thank you ❤
I'm just starting with this journaling approach. Some things are unclear to me, need clarifying, also for other people. 1) Does it have effect when you already take prescription SSRIs and/or benzos? As they block emotions… at least that is my experience. 2) Can you write 4 consecutive days about one problem and then immediately jump to the next problem for the next 4 days and so on? I have too much… 3) What if you don't have any single "absolute worst trauma" but recurring stressful events at school, when there are multiple situations with the same effect? (such as being bullied). Do you have to write about a single instance of bullying for all 4 days or can you switch to a different instance of the same problem? 4) What if you think about the problems between writing sessions, is it sppropriate and doesn't it compromise your efforts? Whatever you do, do not think about the pink elephant – this kind of issue 🙂
1.04.00
Thank you SO much for this!!❤😊
12:48
I noticed that the doctor never blinks his eyelids. Is this a medical condition?
11:50 Guide
I did Day 1 yesterday and wow it was amazing! I'll be doing Day 2 today and can't wait! Thank you Andrew, this is incredible stuff!
Are you supposed to start from scratch each day or just continue the story ?
Are there studies about visualization and the corresponding physical response ? I heard a neurobiologist say that people who visualize doing exercises grow muscle mass..😅
Knowing that "the trauma" is now on the paper and reading it outside of our body (because it's now on the journal) could be having an impact on the perception of where that trauma and the related emotions belong. Not in us.
Psychology knows all this. It's only now that doctors are investigating about these matters. The thymus is known to be the organ that holds the emotions. Not the brain nor the heart. Writing is a way to make catharsis, which is commonly done in psicotherapy, because it's known to have benefits on the subconscious mind
I used to write down almost impulsively some really stressing experiences in my teen years… I've been doing my stress catharsis in psicotherapy for 27 years. I'll try the protocol, i remember the relief 😅
I believe having an ugly handwriting is related to the Brain thinking too fast. Not a cognitive decline.
I suffer from fibromialgia, autoinmune diseases and I'm really desregulated. I'll start journaling. I also do crafts, which makes me feel better. Thank you for the information.
Bro his eyes have to be so dry! Please blink!
I appreciate this epeisode– thank you. I've been writing since I was 9 years old… a high expresser. It's been a therapeutic approach for me ever since I can remember. Now, as a bereavement companion/consultant- journaling / automatic writing is still a primary protocol for my work alongside my daily morning writing of my personal reflective writing.
This is very interesting! Have you done a follow up video detailing your experience with this experiment?
Wow, we really know the truth in our bones.
This entire journaling protocol adds a scientific basis for the saying – our secrets are buried alive. I really appreciate learning this. I've been doing neurofeedback sessions for 2 months and can feel the changes to my brain and emotional bandwidth, and I want to continue to increase my neuroplasticity with this exercise.