Worksheet
Navigating Regret & Resentment: Journaling for Healing with CPR for the Amygdala®
Loss brings up more than sadness. It surfaces unfulfilled hopes, unfinished conversations, and regret. This journaling exercise, developed with Dr. Kate Truitt, PhD, Clinical Psychologist and Trauma Expert, gives clients a structured way to write freely about resentment and regret while tracking their emotional intensity. CPR for the Amygdala® offers a built-in off-ramp whenever the writing becomes too activating.
How to Use This Worksheet
Introduce this worksheet once a client understands CPR for the Amygdala®, since it serves as the built-in safety mechanism throughout. Have clients read the four-part sequence before writing. Guide them through free journaling, then support them in isolating single items from what they wrote. Use mindful touch and the three reflection questions to process up to four items per session, checking intensity regularly along the way.
Who This Worksheet Is For
This worksheet is designed for grief counselors, trauma therapists, and clinicians using expressive writing in bereavement work. It also suits individuals processing unresolved regret, resentment, or unfulfilled hopes tied to a loss, who want a structured yet flexible way to journal without becoming emotionally flooded.
Expected Outcomes
- Increased ability to identify and name specific regrets or resentments
- Improved capacity to track emotional intensity during expressive writing
- Reduction in overwhelm during difficult journaling work
- Greater access to self-compassion and forgiveness
- Improved use of self-soothing touch as a regulation tool
Related Topics
References
Neimeyer, R. A. (Ed.). (2001). Meaning Reconstruction and the Experience of Loss. American Psychological Association.
Pennebaker, J. W., & Beall, S. K. (1986). Confronting a traumatic event: Toward an understanding of inhibition and disease. Journal of Abnormal
Psychology, 95(3), 274-281.
Wolpe, J. (1969). The Practice of Behavior Therapy. Pergamon Press.
Dreisoerner, A., Junker, N. M., Schlotz, W., et al. (2021). Self-soothing touch and being hugged reduce cortisol responses to stress. Comprehensive
Psychoneuroendocrinology, 8, 100091.
Neff, K. D., & Germer, C. K. (2013). A pilot study and randomized controlled trial of the Mindful Self-Compassion program. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 69(1), 28-44.
Truitt, K. (2022). Healing in Your Hands: Self-Havening Practices to Harness Neuroplasticity, Heal Traumatic Stress, and Build Resilience. PESI Publishing.
Frequently Asked Questions About Navigating Regret & Resentment: Journaling for Healing with CPR for the Amygdala® Resources
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