You know whom I mean--all those people jumping on the 'journaling' bandwagon. This book is the original and best. Others will pick or choose some of her techniques and exercises (and mmmaaaaaaybe give her credit) but throw in a little Oprah-ism and bam! pull the wool over the eyes of the new journaler. For example, Meyn's shamelessly mercenary _lessons in therapeutic writing_ steals several ideas from this book, and doesn't even bother to change the names--Alphapoems? Come on, my college students try harder when they're plagiarizing....The reason the new trendies are getting away with it is this (well, two reasons, actually): we always think New means Better ('new and improved!' anyone remember New Coke?). Second, writing works. Seriously. There's almost no way you could commit to writing a journal and not get SOME benefit out of it. If you just sat and freewrote for 20 minutes a day (which Julia Cameron recommends) you'd get major benefits. If you just wrote a portrait or a memory or a dream, you'd benefit. There's NO WAY writing in a journal canNOT improve the quality of your life. Thus even when we read New Age so-and-so's latest retread of the same old stuff, we think so-and-so's a bloody genius, because, well, we wrote and felt better!So, we really don't *need* new technigues, anything will do. However, we do LIKE new techniques, right? We like things that shake up our dull routine, that scrape up the bottom of the pond a bit. That get us thinking and looking at our lives in new ways. And this book is THE best, pound for pound, dollar for dollar, for that. She sets it as a course (and I did it as a course and highly recommend it, and I've been journaling for decades!) and after each day's activity, you get a chance to reflect on how that particular experience worked for you. So at the end of the 'course' you not only have concrete tools to use, you have experience with using them, so you can pick and choose which technique you *feel* like doing that day. I made myself a little deck of index cards and wrote one technique per card, so that when I need a boost or something different, I draw a card and go!If you only get one book on journaling, get this one. It's the original, the best, the easiest to use, and the most useful. Even if you have other journaling books, get this one too, because it's that good, and it's wonderful to have ALL the good ideas in one place!It is a very excellent book for all who want to know themselves better and enjoy journaling. I really learned a lot about myself in ways that were completely unexpected. I highly recommend it not just for every day writing but when there is a desire to deal and resolve stressful issues and events.A waste of my money, unfortunately. Trying to work with this journal felt very limiting. Put a damper on my creativity. Too directive and did not appeal to my inner spark of wholeness. I bought this as recommended by my therapist but threw it out after a week. I do better with my own form of journaling which I have been practicing for many years. Not for experienced journalers or people with a regular practice of reflection or meditation.Fabulous workbook. Got my writing in my journal for the first time in about 20 years. If it weren't for these methodical and well guided exercises, I wouldn't be journaling.This was a complete waste of money for me. Perhaps someone else could follow what the book was directing them to do.For me it was shallow and unfinished. I think it needed more instructions for the 'patient' rather than the 'doctor'. I could seesome benefit for workers who guide disturbed people to a wider understanding of their problem, but not for the disturbedperson to understand.My professor suggested books by Kathleen Adams for infromation on journaling. This has been a big benefit for my own process as well as that of my group members!Wonderful book. Perfect for someone looking to expand their journal writing tools.Kay Adams is one of best journal coaches in print, and I was delighted to find a copy of this workbook, used but all-but-new.This is a simple way to learn about different types of journaling techniques. If you want to journal but are bored with just straight writing than this is a good way to try some different types of journaling.