Is writing really healing?

Alright. So, expressing yourself is obviously ridiculously hard, and thus seen as a wonderful, beautiful and even a 'healing' talent. But I ask you...
If you re-lived the worst moments in your life, or re-dreamt your worst nightmares... Would that be healing for you?? It seems to be that sometimes when I'm writing, I feel like I'm bringing myself back to where I started. I can make myself feel the same heartbreak from a year back and it will still hurt... How is this documenting it helping?
There's been a few times when I've sat myself down, and tried to write again - to calm myself down- but I only ended up crying again half way through, or getting angry or feeling frusterated, or empty......
Does anyone else understand what I'm getting at? Is writing your feelings really all that healing? All the time?

Hmm..I don't know. I think maybe some things should be left untouched.

I guess because you're letting others who read your poems learn about you? I have no idea really. I just write becasue I can, not for "healing". I never fully understood the meaning of the word.

I don't let anyone really get to know me too deeply, for a number of different reasons...That's why I haven't posted some of my more important poetry... But the fact that I have written them, I don't think they're healing at all... Letting someone know you makes you vulnerable and exposed...not healed.
Thanks for the thought though. I'm still thinking about it :P.

no, it seeems that writing opens me p to a realization that there is more pain that exists inside, andw ithout writing, we only see the pain that is on the surface... that would explain why writer's are more philosophical than sloths or sport stars.

Well, I'm really glad there's people thinking about it and responding to it. I was actually mostly curious about others.
Honestly, I don't think it's necissarily healing me- only that it helps me to express my feelings. This makes those feelings stand out more to me, thus I think about them or feel them that much more ---which usually puts me more depressed than I have to be.
However, I am glad to have such a way to express myself, because I have found that without poetry, I don't quite know myself at all.

I guess some of you will know what I mean by that, and others might not... But anyway, I really only came here to thank people for their thoughts, and encourage others to join in :)

while it is true that some things are better left unsaid or "untouched"....documenting it really does help some people...because if you think about it your forcing yourself to face reality and in that you find healing. When you can accept things that have happened you can build a sort of tolerance and this tolerance is what makes you stronger...

i think writing really does heal cause if im hurting and i cant talk about it i can write about it and i alwaysfeel twice as better so i think it does heal and not only the mind but i think it also heals the heart!♥