I love this one! It is so true.
There is so much I'm not able to write and still find myself detaching from events as I write. But it is getting easier. I needed a week long break after my first attempt. The second time around only a three day break. I need to today but I'm not sure I'll have the time...
I need to get my oldest to start back up in his journal but I think it's hard for him to even put things down on paper. Still need to encourage it more often.
BTW, the emotion that did come out in the post you did about the shooting was pretty raw and felt by those of us that read it. I imagine it's not all of it but it was there.
I found it helped my boys to write when I started the session as a fun, family thing. I would say a sentence, then start the timer, usually for 10 minutes, and we would all free write based on the sentence. Then we would share what we wrote if we chose. They never chose not to read theirs aloud. And sometimes deep and hidden stuff would come out.
That is interesting to know. When I re read it the following day, I felt there was much more emotion I had naturally omitted... those pesky survival instincts <3