February 12, 2011
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Xanga Therapy
I was talking to someone on xanga the other day. We were talking about how a large group of people on xanga are depressed or have some sort of mentally related illness.
I said that some people use xanga as therapy. The person mention that xanga would not make a great place to receive therapy. The friends are not there in front of you. The person can disappear at any moment.
But I tend to think that just simply writing out thoughts would make for good therapy.
Is xanga a good place for therapy?
Comments (57)
yes it can and does
I’ve helped plenty of people on Xanga that I’ve never met. Someone doesn’t have to be in front of you to be THERE. People can leave at any time ‘in real life’, too.
Writing is good therapy for me, and I believe the people I meet on here are real, I just see them differently. So for sure I think it is.
Yes. Getting it out is always good therapy. And other things around here can be great to get your mind off of your own troubles!
I don’t know if Xanga is good therapy, per sei, but I think that writing your thoughts down is excellant therapy. Writing is writing regardless of where it’s written….
Yes I think it can help but it is not a replacement for people who might need real therapy that is consistent and knowledgeable.
@Sunrise_Hope_Joy - @WordsandThoughts - i agree.. i love being here, writing is my way of letting go of the steam. then i get to meet people that are alike and that can help me through. Xanga is and CAN be amazing place to be.
Yes, it’s good therapy. It’s much better than anger management. STUPID ANGER MANAGEMENT!!!! HOW I HATE IT!!!!! I WISH I COULD BLOW IT UP WITH A NUKE!!!!!
Yes, but because of what you said about writing thoughts out being good therapy. I think that’s how most people feel. Some keep diaries or journals, and other people write on Xanga. Same sort of thing =)
A lot of therapists tell you to write about your problems even if you just write for yourself. I do think it’s good because you can talk about things better in writing then you can face to face. Anonimity and all that. Plus you get the point of view of many different people. Some who may have been through the same thing.
Yup as long as you don’t get wrapped up in the drama and truly use it as a therapeutic outlet if necessary or needed.
Xanga can be a great place for therapy. Xanga can be therapeutic in different ways. Heck, you can write without an audience just to get your thoughts out or you can write with an audience and get feedback. Sometimes you get lucky and meet people who lift your soul. Whether they stick around or disappear, they’ve already helped you in some way.
yes
One small part of therapy is writing down your thoughts, goals, and getting feedback. I guess it depends on the type of feedback you end up with and exactly what you are writing about. If you are always angry and venting then you probably aren’t looking at the whole picture. If you get good feedback that makes you think about your own actions and a different way to think or outcome then it probably wouldn’t do well. My journal when I was in therapy was filled with red marks lol I still have it and I was in therapy when I was 13. I’m 33 now.
xanga hasn’t cured my illness but then nothing has
It’s been good to me.
At least for me it has been…that and Abilify!
writing about your feelings is often a cathartic process. xanga is a great place to do that. the fact that you can find support from others is, to me, an added plus.
Worked for me.
Yes – and sometimes with the anonymity it’s easier to be honest and open online, which makes it easier to face whatever’s bothering you.
It is for me
@godfatherofgreenbay - Mine either. Though I doubt anything can get rid of it..
It helps for a bit.
It’s a great place to vent and collect one’s thoughts, regardless of whether there is any feedback. Feedback can be helpful, but not necessary. Journaling and self-reflection is good. Most real life therapists recommend it.
yes! and perhaps the xanga team could take a look at that for a new view on it’s marketing. it’s not all fun and games here, there is realness and many people have discovered life-changing answers here or at least the fact that they are not alone.
absolutely not, in my opinion. but it can be good to write things out and see what you were thinking during certain events.
but idk if a person is depressed they need to get out, have fun and bond with lots of real people
I don’t think therapy is the same thing as personal growth and that is what almost everyone is talking about.
Xanga is great for personal growth.
Also, venting and journaling are not therapy.
I think Xanga is a great place for therapy. I actually have 2 blogs on xanga. One is my private, venting and praying blog that no one can see and then there is my open xanga that anyone can read. Both are great therapy for me. It feels good to get things out.
Reminds me of BitterSunday. I wonder how she’s doing.
Yes, writing on Xanga helps. It can be overused, and dwelling on problems instead of going out and forgetting them can be harmful. But something as simple as writing requires a person to think about the situation and organize their thoughts at least a little bit.
Also, even though Xanga users aren’t physically present in a person’s life, they tend to be reasonably engaged with others’ words, especially compared to other social sites like Facebook.
Writing a Xanga post exploring the complexities of your life is more productive than making a “THIS SUCKS!” Facebook status (which will be glossed over by friends, at best), but obviously not as effective as having reliable “real-world” friends or professional counselling.
Writing is the therapy – not the people. It’s a fucking playground here and there’s always a snot-nosed kid running around and pushing you on your knees, making you eat dirt.
Yup I use it all the time. In fact, someone I met on here has saved my life by calling me in the middle of a breakdown (even though I really did not want her to)
Writing can be a good form of therapy, and being on Xanga is a good way to meet many people who need therapy. Christianity should be a good source for therapy, and perhaps for some people it is, but for others it is often the souce of the confusions that cause a need for therapy. Big business also causes ills that produce a need for therapy, and Xanga is a business, and on Xanga you can get therapy.
Xanga is a good place for purging your thoughts which is very therapeutic but, in order to get the help you need for a mental illness I think it would be best to get professional help.
It most definitely is!
Last night I spent a couple hours writing about something, posted it on Xanga and ten minutes later took it down. Just one person saw it. I’m planning to write daily grudge blogs about each of my relatives. :::evil witch cackle:::
Something like that, yes.
It is, writing it out is therapeutic, and having others respond can be helpful too.
definitely
Xanga has been good for me in that way. It allowed me to make friends and express my thoughts during a difficult time. For real, severe, clinical depression I’m not so sure. So many trolls, so many people who are quick with a flippant reply and no thought about how it may hurt somebody who’s feeling vulnerable. I guess it depends on the blogger and how they approach blogging.
yes!
I mean it certainly doesn’t replace real therapy, and should not be used as the ONLY source of help in the case of people who are really bad…
but I think in some instances it really helps.
a professional therapist, just like any other person, can disappear any day. Not as common as people shutting down their Xanga, but still.
Actually there is A LOT of professional thearpy being offered and practised online.
Sharing with friends and stranger on Xanga is not the same as seeing a real life professional therapist on a regyular basis.
But it is still as just powerful, stimulating, and therapeutical as talking to others on the phone or in real life.
self-expression is therapy, and xanga is a good place to do that.
However, of all forms of self-expression, I prefer music.. sometimes writing just doesn’t cut it.
The reason I have a Xanga account is therapeutic. It’s the reason why I blog, to be my cathartic release.
It certainly is for me. It’s the thing that’s kept me sane the last couple of years and I know that if I want honest feedback here, I’ll get it. No bullshit, at least not from the people I want feedback from.
Having a place to write your thoughts is totally good therapy. A close friend of mine passed away shortly after I joined Xanga, and although I’ve often been frustrated with how little I’ve been able to move on, I realize that I’d probably be way worse off if I’d never been on here. It has given me somewhere to get my frustrations and emotions off my chest that basically tear me up inside because I can’t talk about them with my friends. It makes me wonder where I’d be if I hadn’t been on here at the time of her accident.
I know almost no one here on Xanga. And have been using it for about five years now. I’m made different usernames, as I’ve grown and changed and wanted to let go of the past, And all I’ve written. I have always found it very relaxing and threaputic. It’s nice to just write things out, and send them out into the world. I also write in personal journals, but there is something about sending something out where other people may one day come a cross is that a person just doesn’t get from having a journal next to thier bed that only they will ever read. At least, that’s how it is for me. I find it helps me through a wide variety of situations, and allows me to express myself to the world, without any fear of how others will react to me being who I am.
Yep. I spent the majority of my hormonal teenager-dom here on Xanga. I’ve got the six years worth of humiliating entries to prove it.
Yes it is.
I guess so. When I’ve needed someone to console me and give me advice, Xanga was there for me. It’s a place where you can post whatever is on your mind without worrying about what people will think of you.
Writing is therapeutic.
#1 I believe that Xangans as a whole have more mental illness than the general population — the creative, the young perfectionist,and the outcasts seem to come here! so whereas about 20% of the gen. pop. has a mental illness in any given year, I have a hunch the numbers are a bit higher here.
#2 I feel very strongly that writing on Xanga is therapeutic. It is one of the reasons I write here:a. Writing on Xanga can be a journal of your thoughts, a place where you can think things out and express them on paper — not just “feel” them in a jumbled confused way.b. Having others respond to your comments — whether they “disappear” two months down the road or not, can make one feel so not alone. Moreover, when there is so much similarity here in Xangaworld, one can feel “understood.”c. While Xanga should not be seen as a substitute for therapy, it can be an adjunct: I actually often bring my posts to my therapy and read them to my therapist as a spring-board for the “hard” work. I’ve already done the “processing” so we’re that far ahead in the game.
Good post dan.
I definitely think people use Xanga as therapy, but it’s not necessarily appropriate. People shouldn’t be saying some of the things they do in such a public place, and they might end up feeling more sad and alone because it’s just a false form of friendship, not reality.
Absolutely.
I think almost every single person has been through something traumatizing or has a mental illness or problems. Maybe the only reason it seems like xanga has a high percentage of mental illnesses is because, without an anonymous atmosphere, people don’t talk about their issues.
I went to a diversity workshop at my college for one of my classes and we were all asked to share something that we’ve been through that makes us who we are. Everyone in the room had a story to tell. Some people had been raped or abused as a child. Some people had survived cancer or taken care of a dying family member. Some people had struggled through poverty. Many people had social anxiety, depression, or eating disorders because of things that had happened. And these were people who were in college who most people would look at and call “privileged.” The fact is, everyone has their demons. They just don’t usually share them.
Yes. Plain and simple. Yes.
That’s what I come here for. 8D
Xanga offers one the opportunity to get in touch with the deeper self. Writing, in and of itself, is a monologue that needs close attention by the writer, for the soul is offered refuge. I was drawn to Xanga as I could write and write and delve into the healing phase I was needing due to a separation after 22 years. Xanga should not be perceived as a “counseling group” but it certainly opens doors in conjunction with needed counseling to bring feelings to the surface which can be very beneficial to one’s therapist. Thank you for bringing this to the attention of Xangans and how valuable Xanga is to a healing process needed by the heart.
Lisa.