Promote Healing, Ignite Creativity, and Discover Writing Tips from Two Journaling Experts

"This book is a beautiful quilt, each chapter written by one of the wisest voices in the journaling world, on every aspect of journal writing imaginable.” —Ruth Folit, founder and past director of the International Association for Journal Writing

#1 Best Seller in Writing Skills, Writing Guides, and Nonfiction Writing Reference

The Next-Generation Book on Journaling Techniques

Learn from the best. The Great Book of Journaling equips you with practical and effective journaling techniques, advances your writing skills, and enhances self-esteem. Written by esteemed psychotherapist Eric Maisel and journaling expert Lynda Monk, Director of the International Association for Journal Writing, this book guides you on a path of healing, creativity, and self-discovery.

Discover the therapeutic magic of journal writing. Experience the transformative power of journaling. By engaging in daily meditations and personal writing, you can tap into your innate creativity and nurture self-love.

Packed full of valuable journal writing knowhow. We’ve rounded up 40 of the top journal experts in the world to explain exactly what journal writing can do for you! The Great Book of Journaling is full of practical tips, evidence-based research, and rich anecdotes from their coaching, teaching, therapy work with journal writers, and personal journal writing.

Inside find:

• Innovative journaling techniques to boost your creativity and writing skills
• Therapeutic writing methods to foster healing and high self-esteem
• Daily meditation practices for cultivating self-love and wellness
• Expert advice from 40 leading journaling professionals for deepening your personal writing

If you have read Mindfulness Journal, The Self-Discovery Journal, or No Worries, you will love The Great Book of Journaling. Also, don’t miss Eric Maisel’s Redesign Your Mind and The Power of Daily Practice.

Family therapist Eric Maisel is the author of 50+ books and America’s foremost creativity coach. His books include Redesign Your Mind; Why Smart People Hurt; and the edited volumes Transformational Journaling for Coaches, Therapists, and Clients (Routledge) and The Great Book of Journaling (Conari), both with Lynda Monk. His successful “blank books with quotes” include Artists Speak (Harper San Francisco, 20,000+ copies sold) and Writers and Artists on Love and Writers and Artists on Devotion (New World Library, 20,000+ copies sold). He writes the “Rethinking Mental Health” blog for Psychology Today, with 3,000,000+ views, and presents webinars, keynotes, and workshops nationally and internationally.

Eric Maisel's profile page

Lynda Monk, MSW, RSW, CPCC is a Registered Social Worker, a Writing for Wellness Coach, and the Director of the International Association for Journal Writing, IAJW.org. She leads a global creative community especially for journal writers with members from countries around the world.

Lynda is co-editor, with Eric Maisel, of two books, including Transformational Journaling for Coaches, Therapists, and Clients: A Complete Guide to the Benefits of Personal Writing and The Great Book of Journaling: How Journal Writing Can Support a Life of Wellness, Creativity, Meaning and Purpose. She is the co-author of Writing Alone Together: Journaling in a Circle of Women for Creativity, Compassion and Connection. She developed Life Source Writing: A 5-Step Journaling Method for Self-Discovery, Self-Care, Wellness and Creativity.

Lynda regularly teaches, writes, and speaks on the healing and transformational power of journaling and expressive writing. She is currently writing a memoir called Adopting Love: An Adoptee’s Journey with Finding Her Birth Mother and Losing Both Her Parents to Alzheimer’s. Lynda lives with her family on Salt Spring Island, British Columbia, Canada. She has discovered the voice of her own heart's wisdom in the pages of her journal for over 40 years.

Lynda Monk's profile page

“I dare you to read more than a chapter or two of The Great Book of Journaling without feeling compelled to put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard! This book is a beautiful quilt, each chapter written by one of the wisest voices in the journaling world, on every aspect of journal writing imaginable. That such journaling intelligence is accessible between two covers of one book is a gift to any existing or would-be journal keeper.”

—Ruth Folit, founder and past director of the International Association for Journal Writing

“I coach and accredit professional coaches and mentors, so I know what it takes for us to succeed personally and professionally. One of those success factors is having positive daily mental health and well-being practices. That’s why I’m a fan of The Great Book of Journaling. It’s a wonderful self-care resource for practicing what we preach to our clients, one that will help us and them live the lives we both desire.”

—Dawn Campbell, business director, international authority for professional coaching and mentoring

“This is a GREAT BOOK for those who already journal and for those who are ready to journal! Every chapter is filled with ideas and examples that will spark your creative self into action! Buy a copy for yourself, and lots more for gifts!”

—Joyce Chapman, author of Journaling for Joy

“As one of the 40 contributors to this book, I am excited by the collection's diverse approaches to journaling, all of them with something to teach me. This easy-to-engage-with collection offers strategies for journaling that will revive interest for long-time journal keepers and encourage new journal keepers to establish their journaling practice. Every chapter includes writing strategies that foster discovery as well as encouraging one to continue journaling for healing, for wisdom, and for capturing all of life moments.”

—Sheila Bender, founder of Writing It Real

“The Great Book of Journaling is indeed great! The richness of the many journaling perspectives, benefits, and suggested journaling activities included makes this book a true gem. I highly recommend this book for new and avid journal writers alike who crave both inspiration and information to start, sustain, or deepen an existing journaling practice. This book will surely inspire you to pick up your pen and tap into your inner wisdom and well-being through journaling.”

—Rebecca Kochenderfer, Journaling.com

“Journaling saved my life while battling a life-threatening illness. Never in the history of the world has there been a greater need for the in-depth introspection and self-healing that journal-keeping offers. The Great Book of Journaling is a stellar introduction to the joys and benefits of journaling by leaders in the field. Inspiration and guidance shine from every page.”

—Lucia Capacchione, art therapist, author, and originator of the Creative Journal Method

“What you'll find in The Great Book of Journaling is more than just a collection of ideas about journaling. Each of these chapters is meant to invite you deeper into a practice of listening to yourself, tuning into your intuition, and harnessing your natural powers to heal and create the life that you were meant to live. Ready for a fresh experience of the practice your therapist and every self-help book has been telling you to do? This book will touch your heart and help you connect with your inner creative self in a practice that can last the rest of your life!”

—Jacob Nordby, author of The Creative Cure–How Finding and Freeing Your Inner Artist Can Heal Your Life

“Who wouldn't want a life of wellness, creativity, meaning, and purpose? As a psychotherapist who believes that my craft can be helpful in this respect, I must also acknowledge that journaling can also help get you there. You still have to put in the work, and you will want to learn from the best. I highly recommend The Great Book of Journaling. It is full of practical wisdom, and it is a lot less expensive than therapy."

—Jed Diamond, PhD, psychotherapist, author of The Irritable Male Syndrome: Understanding and Managing the 4 Key Causes of Depression and Aggression

“The Great Book of Journaling, which contains an eclectic variety of creative and meaningful ways to journal, serves as a valuable and practical guide to anyone interested in journaling. For those who already journal, the book invites the reader to explore new techniques and unlocks the key to the gifts of journaling.”

—Merle R. Saferstein, author of Living and Leaving My Legacy