Opening up: The Healing Power of Expressing Emotions

.. .There is something freeing about getting things off one's chest.'...According to Pennebaker's book however, confession is good not only for one's soul but for one's blood pressure, insomnia, psychological well-being, and immune function. In Opening Up: The Healing Power of Confiding in Others, Pennebaker summarizes findings from his 10 year research program on the consequences of confiding one's secrets and offers advice regarding how to use confession to enhance psychological and physical health...Pennebaker buttresses conclusions based on his extensive research with case studies, which include not only cases of individuals but of entire cities....I found them to be engaging and useful...He does an exemplary job of walking the fine line between a professional volume and a trade book...Pennebaker's research has already made a valuable contribution to the study of psychological processes in health, and this book pulls together his findings and speculations about this fascinating line of work. Opening Up is an engaging, provocative book that will be of interest to lay readers, behavioral researchers, and therapists alike. --Mark R. Leary, Contemporary Psychology

.. Superb book. --Henry Dreher, Natural Health

Written more for general consumption, Pennebaker gives a gripping look at how psychological science is best done. He makes his results relevant and exciting, but the science seems solid. Pennebaker provides substantial empirical support for significant mental and physical health effects arising from religious practices such as confession, reconciliation, and forgiveness.
--Robert J. Lovinger, PhD, Professor of Psychology, Central Michigan University

Dr. Pennebaker has demonstrated that expressing emotions appears to protect the body against damaging internal stresses and seems to have long-term health benefits. --Daniel Goleman, in The New York Times

This book is the very best that scientific psychology has to offer. Pennebaker has made remarkable discoveries that show how disclosing our deepest secrets can make us well...throws open new doors of understanding and offers new hope for gaining control of our lives. --Daniel M. Wegner, author of White Bears and Other Unwanted Thoughts

Some of the most important findings published in psychology in the past decade. This work, if followed, would change the lives of millions of people. --Robert Ornstein, PhD, co-author of Healthy Pleasures

Since receiving his doctoral degree in 1977, Pennebaker has taught at the University of Virginia and Southern Methodist University. His recent honors include an Honorary Doctorate degree from the University of Louvain (Belgium), the Pavlov Award, and the Hilgard Visiting Professorship at Stanford University. He lives in Austin with his wife, Ruth (a writer), and two children.