Another great graphology technique is: Improve your coping skills and be so flexible that you do not get stressed regardless of the situation. Learn to relax, to go with the flow and to be open to new solutions. This is done by increasing the fluidity of these letters.

Have you looked at your child’s handwriting lately (or your own) and thought it could use some improvement? Then did you wonder: Does it even matter in this age of digital correspondence?

Recent research is confirming that it does. Far more than just a tool for communication, the act of writing by hand appears to be an important building block for learning. New research using advanced tools such as functional magnetic resonance imaging, fMRI, demonstrates handwriting not only helps with learning letters, shapes, and spelling, it also improves memory, idea composition and expression. It may even aid fine motor skill development, not only for children, but also for adults. And some physicians say handwriting is a good cognitive exercise for baby boomers working to keep their minds sharp as they age.

Most schools still include conventional handwriting instruction in their primary-grade curriculum, but in today’s digital age, that amounts to just over an hour a week, according to Zaner-Bloser Inc., one of the nation’s largest handwriting-curriculum publishers. Some parents may believe that handwriting is no longer a relevant skill and that time spent practicing handwriting is wasted time, but recent research illustrates that writing by hand engages the brain in learning. This research highlights the hand’s unique relationship with the brain when it comes to composing thoughts and ideas.

Virginia Berninger, a professor of educational psychology at the University of Washington, says handwriting differs from typing because it requires executing sequential strokes to form a letter, whereas keyboarding involves selecting a whole letter by touching a key. She says brain scans have illustrated that sequential finger movements activated massive regions involved in thinking, language and working memory—the system for temporarily storing and managing information. One recent study of Berninger’s demonstrated that children in grades two, four and six, wrote more words, faster, and expressed more ideas when writing essays by hand than with a keyboard.

 In a similar study at Indiana University, published in 2010, children were shown letters before and after receiving different forms of letter-learning instruction. fMRI’s tracked the neural activity in the children’s brains. Those who practiced printing by hand had neural activity that was far more enhanced and ”adult-like” than in those who had simply looked at letters. Karin Harman James, assistant professor of psychology and neuroscience at Indiana University said, “Adults also appear to experience enhanced learning when they draw or write out a new graphically different language, such as Mandarin, or symbol systems for mathematics, music and chemistry. It seems there is something really important about manually manipulating and drawing out two-dimensional things we see all the time.”

In another study, published in 2008 in the Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, adults were asked to distinguish between new characters and a mirror image of them, after either writing the characters with pen-and-paper writing or with a computer keyboard. The result: Those using pen and paper demonstrated a stronger and longer-lasting recognition of the characters’ proper orientation. This led researchers to the conclusion that the specific hand movements memorized when learning how to write aided the visual identification of graphic shapes.

Studies suggest there is real value in learning and maintaining this ancient skill. And people remain enthralled by handwriting for myriad reasons. For many; the intimacy implied by a loved one’s script is as personal as a photograph or a special song.

 In high schools, where laptops are increasingly used, handwriting still matters. In the essay section of SAT college-entrance exams, scorers unable to read a student’s writing can assign that portion an “illegible” score of 0. Even legible handwriting that’s messy can have its own ramifications, says Steve Graham, professor of education at Vanderbilt University. He cites several studies indicating that good handwriting can take a generic classroom test score from the 50th percentile to the 84th percentile, while bad penmanship could tank it to the 16th. Dr. Graham says, “There is a reader effect that is insidious.  People judge the quality of your ideas based on your handwriting.”

Some doctors treating neurological disorders say handwriting can be an early diagnostic tool. Some patients bring in journals from the years, and you can see dramatic change from when they were 55 and doing fine and now at 70,” says P. Murali Doraiswamy, a neuroscientist at Duke University. “As more people lose writing skills and migrate to the computer, retraining people in handwriting skills could be a useful cognitive exercise.”

Handwriting-curriculum creators say they’re seeing renewed interest among parents looking to hone older children’s skills—or even their own penmanship. Some high-tech gadgets are giving the practice an unexpected boost. Individuals who have never adapted well to the keypads on little devices can use a $3.99 application called “WritePad” on their iPhones. It accepts handwriting input with a finger or stylus, and then converts it to text for email, documents or Twitter updates.  Apps are helping younger children practice their letters. Parents say the children think they are games. In children who had practiced writing with these apps, the scans showed heightened brain activity, again indicating learning took place.

 Despite our newest technology’s, it seems obvious: You still need to be able to write, and someone needs to be able to read it.

Be sure to check out the “Scientific Validity” page for related information.

Although we were all taught similar letter formations in school, no two of us write exactly the same. That is because the way the brain is wired is reflected in the way we write. The greater the differences in two individuals writing, the more dissimilar the two are in personality. The more similar the handwriting, the more similar the individuals are in personality. If your son writes similarly to your husband, they will probably be much alike, if you and your best friend write similarly, there is a reason why – the two of you are very much alike.

If your handwriting changes drastically from one time to another, then you probably have two different personalities, maybe one for work and another for when you are with family and friends. This is not a split personality, but a healthy adaptation to the demands of life. Perhaps you have even noticed that your handwriting differs when you are writing notes to yourself and when you are writing a friend, or when you are writing love notes and when you are angry.  Letter formations and writing styles have some stable features, and others that change from day to day or even moment to moment. Handwriting is much like a photograph in that the presentation is still you, whether you are dressed casually or formally, are happy or sad, sober or drunk.

Although handwriting is a conscious act, the unconscious is revealed by the letter formations and writing style, and thus a trained handwriting analyst is able to get a very clear picture of the writer’s attitudes and motivations. The greatest benefit of having your handwriting analyzed is that not only can the analyst tell what you do, but he/she can also tell you why you act that way. Thus the analyst can offer a perspective of your personality that permits you to see yourself more clearly and yet more sympathetically. The following are a couple of examples where my interpretation of the handwriting allowed the writers to see themselves in a more positive light.

A very competent supervisor shared with me the fear that her employees “hated” her. She obviously was hurt by this belief. Her handwriting revealed that her lack of close relationships at work was due to her uncompromisingly high standards. When she considered the dynamics of her relationships with this knowledge, she then could accept her lack of friendships with her employees. She was deservedly proud of her reputation as a supervisor who demanded the best from her employees.

Another woman felt guilty for staying at home while her husband supported the family and was considering going to work as a secretary and asked me for my advice. I told her that her handwriting indicated she was extremely efficient and organized, that she was great at managing details, and would certainly be successful as a secretary, . . .maybe at a school. Her handwriting indicated she was the mother of her neighborhood, treated each child as if he/she were her own, and often had a house full of children. She was the one who organized the block parties and arranged for food to be brought in during difficult times. I counseled this woman that she would not have the time and energy to be so involved with the neighborhood children and the neighborhood in general if she were managing a full time job as well as her husband and three children, and I knew she would miss that.  On the other hand, she could be involved in the community in a bigger way as a school secretary. We all have to make choices in life. What we do, as well as the valid reason for our doing it that way, is demonstrated by our handwriting.

It is often said that handwriting analysts can determine everything but one’s age and sex from handwriting. I don’t find that to be the case. At times I find that some traits do not always appear in the handwriting, and rarely, the handwriting demonstrates a trait the individual once had, but has now outgrown. We all are in a constant state of transformation and change.

My personal research tells me that I am 91 percent accurate in the things I tell my clients. Room for error results from the many details of the handwriting that must be considered. Not only must the analyst attribute the proper trait to each detail of the writing, but the analyst must also weigh the importance of each trait, and judge how that quality modifies the rest of the traits. Every small detail the analyst misses and every misjudgment of weight will have some effect on the accuracy of the analysis. I encourage you to contact me so that we can start studying and analyzing your own handwriting. You will be surprised at how much you can benefit from even an introductory knowledge of handwriting.

Graphotherapy is a rather new concept to the United States. Fifteen years ago virtually all handwriting analysts were trained that your could analyze handwriting for personality traits, but in accordance with their training, strongly disagreed that one could change their personality and behaviors by changing their handwriting.  Many handwriting analysts have become aware of the new research regarding the neuroplasticity of the brain and changed their opinion over the past few years, but most do not practice graphotherapy. When studying your handwriting, analysts and graphotherapists will uncover many surprising facets of your personality. Like most of us, you probably have dreams and goals that seem reasonable, but have remained illusive, and this naturally creates some degree of frustration and defensiveness. This is where a graphotherapist can be helpful. As you and I discuss what you want for your life, I will help you recognize the stumbling blocks you may be facing and then show you the graphotherapy techniques that will develop your potential, enable you to turn your goals into reality, and put you on the road to self-actualization.
There is a wide variety among handwriting analysts.  Just as in other professions, handwriting analysts have gone to different schools, had teachers with varying orientations, and have various levels of supporting knowledge which they have gained through insight and experience (such as my experience in mental health.)

Some handwriting analysts evaluate handwriting as a form of entertainment. If they mention negative traits demonstrated by the handwriting, it is in light-hearted manner because the primary aim is for everyone to have a good time. Some handwriting analysts work for employers. If an employer was looking for a sales representative, the handwriting analyst might look for signs of honesty, persistence, good people skills, and the ability to handle rejection in the applicant’s handwriting. The analyst would then report to the employer which applicant’s handwriting best demonstrated those traits. (The Supreme Court did rule that handwriting is a public domain and no more private than how you present yourself in appearance.) Some handwriting analysts are skilled at jury selection. Handwriting may show signs of leadership, intelligence, analytical skills and attention to detail, or it may reveal a lack of these traits. And of course, there are the handwriting analysts who are document examiners, also known as, forensic handwriting analysts. They are the ones who examine legal documents and recognize forgeries.

Some handwriting analysts use a computer-generated program to generate handwriting reports. I have some experience with computer-generated reports, but find they are generally are less accurate in their synthesis of the information than an insightful analysis. Computer generated programs do permit a hardcopy analysis to be done fairly inexpensively. However, composing and generating individual written reports is a time consuming process and therefore expensive.

In our discussion of personality traits demonstrated by handwriting, it is important to understand that handwriting analysts do not determine a personality by looking at the meaning of a few traits. They add the value of this positive trait and the value of that positive trait, modified by that occasionally occurring negative trait, until they get a well-rounded picture of the individual. This is actually the most difficult aspect of analyzing handwriting. That said, lets look at some examples of personality traits demonstrated by handwriting and perhaps you will get some idea of how those traits are added together in a cumulative way. These are some of the fairly common traits, so even if you don’t have them in your handwriting, you may know someone who does. Thus, you will be able to judge for yourself the validity of handwriting analysis, to some degree. And if you have some of these formations in your handwriting and change them, you will be able to demonstrate the benefits of graphotherapy.

Short t-stems reveal a low level of confidence. Low t-bars indicate low goals and thus, a low level of achievement. Short t-bars indicate a lack of motivation. Adding the values of these letter formations, you can probably easily see how a student whose t’s had all of these characteristics (as demonstrated in the example word “trip”) would be failing his classes, puzzled and unhappy over not moving on with his friends, but still unable to demonstrate any motivation. To remedy this, t’s need to be made tall, crossed at the very top, and given a long bar. The most important of these t strokes is probably the crossing at the very top, because somehow high goals motivate us to make other positive changes. Personally, I love very long t-bars because, then I can get excited enough about projects that I actually do the work.

The bowlegged t’s above indicate stubbornness, and when they are star-shaped, as in the second example, they demonstrate persistent stubbornness. When I was introduced to handwriting analysis, I made this second t, but being blind to and unconscious of my own behaviors, I did not see myself as stubborn.  Now I knew my mother and grandmother had at times been so stubborn they made themselves look foolish, but I wasn’t like that.  Still, just to be safe, I told my daughter, “If you ever see me being as stubborn as either my mom or my grandmother, let me know because I don’t want to be that way.”  She looked me straight in the eye and said “Too late, Momma.” What was worse, this trait was so ingrained in my personality that I had a very difficult time transforming that letter formation.

Let’s say an individual uses capitals and small letters inappropriately.  The use of small letters where capital letters should be used indicates that a person considers important things to be unimportant, so he might not think it matters very much if, for example, he fails sixth grade twice, or fails to keep curfew.   An adult with this trait in his handwriting might come to work late, leave early, or steal from their employer in some other way.  These people do not see these things as wrong because the problem is that they have poor judgment, not that that they are inherently dishonest or rebellious.

If an individual makes capital or large letters where lower case letters should be used, then this person has a tendency to blow things out of proportion and to make big deals out of minor events. A teenager with this style of writing might expect others to drop what they were doing to meet the needs of her social life. She would tend to live for the moment, and her friend’s needs and wants would probably have priority over most responsibilities, because to her, peer relationships would be more important than responsibilities. This person is not purposely irresponsible; she just places too much importance on trivial matters. In a more highly developed individual, this trait might be demonstrated by writing that is printed in all capital letters. This person also tends to blow things out of proportion, to make a big deal out of minor events. I know a man who has this style of writing. He is great at telling stories because he can make a story out of a non-event. He also, however, thinks it is important to detail to others the order of every song played, at every concert location and date, given by his favorite band, the Grateful Dead. Individuals who have this writing style may also know more sports statistics than you care to hear about, or alternately, they may write this way because it is required in their occupation.

If someone makes their personal pronoun I as a lowercase i, they have a poor self-image. This letter formation might be demonstrated by a child who is a social outcast at school. If lowercase i’s are taller than the other lowercase letters, then an “I am too as good as you are.” attitude is demonstrated. This is a defensive stance, also indicative of a poor self-image. This trait might be demonstrated by the person who does not have a college degree but works side by side with individuals who do. This trait is not as damaging as the first one mentioned, but a person who has both of these traits will be very unhappy. The best practices are to always use a capital I” (in the United States) when making the personal pronoun I, and to make lower case i’s no taller or shorter than other lower case letters.

The first L pictured above demonstrates what I call “one step forward, two steps backward.” A person who makes this letter formation frequently (because it is the beginning letter of their name) wants to be liked and goes out of his way to help those who are important to him, but may end up feeling used and abused, left holding the bag, and taken advantage of by others. They may have something of an inferiority complex, even if he or she is very competent. An individual with this letter formation in their name, for instance, may allow a friend to live at their house, and the friend will leave owing them $150 on the phone bill. At a more highly developed level, this person may give in to every little material desire expressed by his family and feel his primary worth is as a provider. At still a higher level of development, as demonstrated by the second L, this individual may be blamed for all the failures in his department even though he is bending over backwards to make sure everyone has everything they need to make things run smoothly. The third L pictured has a high degree of intuition, a practical forward-moving energy, and very little emotional baggage.

Another formation indicating that one allows themselves to be taken advantage of by others is the overhanging R or P. This person is a caretaker. He wants to be a “roof over the head of others” or an “arm around their shoulders”. Of course, if he wants to spend all of his financial or emotional resources on others, there is nothing you can do to stop him. A better way to make these letters is shown in the second set of examples.

One more stroke formation that might be found in the writing of a person who is too wrapped up in other people’s problems, is that pictured in the first R and k above. This person allows herself to become so concerned about another’s problem that she feels compelled to take action on behalf of that person. This individual is the one who is looking in the newspaper for a job for her friend, or looking for an apartment for her friend. A better way to make these letter formations would be one that permitted a little less involvement where the stem and the < touch, as demonstrated in the second examples.

You might be able to see how a combination of the last few traits would exhaust a person physically and financially and gain them little in regards to the gratitude and acceptance they would like to have from their friends. These traits don’t foster respect from others.

It is quite common to see combinations of the above handwriting traits (and others indicating the same basic issues) in an individual’s handwriting. Of course the more traits occurring along these lines, the more problems the individual will have with his/her life. If they have several such traits in their handwriting, the personality style is firmly entrenched, and changing only one or two letter formations will modify, but not eliminate the problem attitudes and behaviors.

Make your t’s tall and cross em high and long, with a bar that ends distinctly (rather than fading out.) This graphology action alone wires your brain in a way that allows you to increase your self-confidence, set higher goals, maintain the passion to make your dreams come true, and eliminate indecision. It is a strong step towards developing your potential to “Be All You Can Be.”

Handwriting Analysis is an old practice which, as in many other fields, modern science is coming closer to validating. The brain still holds many secrets concerning it’s workings (i.e. where a novel thought comes from, how a thought is transferred into action, and how hundreds of neurons work together to write a paper) but functional MRI brain scans are revealing information that is ground breaking. Functional MRI’s, give us pictures of the brains electrical activity as never before, what activity is occurring in the brain, where, and to what stimuli. Neural cartographers have identified not only the regions responsible for general functions such as seeing, hearing and feeling, but for almost ridiculously specific jobs, such as recognizing faces, writing, generating verbs, solving math problems, and creating metaphors. A few highly sophisticated mental health centers are now conducting fMRI scans of the brain to diagnose mental health disorders and determine whether treatments are effective or not.  Many neural scientists, psychologists and graphotherapists believe the day has arrived when science is able to correlate specific chemical and electrical activity in the brain with specific emotions and behaviors. Five years ago nearly all of the information was contained within the research communities and society was not yet reaping the benefit of it, but now news of the brain’s neuroplasticity has scientists, doctors, and teachers encouraging us to keep our brains sharp by giving them a work out, learning new skills and information, and rehearsing old ones.

Research has shown that the brain is rather plastic and that one’s experiences actually change the brains electrical and chemical activity. As early as the 1960’s researchers at Berkley University were discovering that mice raised in environments that included toys, had larger brains, better memories, and were able to learn new skills more easily than those raised in barren cages. Of course we now have incorporated this information in the care of infants, and make sure babies and small children have enriched environments with lots of color and stimuli. In 2004, scientists reported that cabbies in London developed an enlarged area on the hippocampus structure of the brain, due to the “experience” of navigating the city by an intricate and complicated internal map. (I believe something similar happens in each of us when we learn to navigate life by obtaining a college degree or learning our lessons at the school of hard knocks. We avoid those tasks, which we are not good at, and compensate with skills in those areas where we excel.) Another example of the brain’s plasticity is found in the recent treatment of stroke victims. The medical profession says that if treatment and training begin immediately after a stroke, victims are often able to retrain the brain and completely recover physical and mental function. The damaged parts of the brain do not rebuild themselves, but healthy parts of the brain can learn to do the work of the damaged parts due to the brain’s plasticity.

Over a period of several years in the late 1990’s, at the Dali Lama’s urging, several Tibetan monks participated in research investigating the electrical and chemical reactions of the brain during meditation, and the changes that occurred in the brain as a result of 20+ years of practicing meditation. (The Dali Lama was interested in proving scientifically that something beneficial happens during meditation.) In 2001, brain researchers studied the mental activity of the monks compared to the mental activity of college students who had received one week of training in mediation with a focus on contentment. The conclusion of the research was that: “People can train their brains to be happy, just as an athlete can train his body” and that practice creates permanent changes in the brain. This is very similar to the premise supporting graphotherapy, which is that: “People can train their brains to adopt a whole host of positive mental states by training their themselves to make letter formations in specific ways” and practicing the letter formations permanently changes the brain. Consequently, the resulting attitudinal changes can be maintained far longer than any “good intentions”. This should not be surprising. We have long taken it for granted that “Sports build character.” It is really quite similar.

In 1998, it was ground breaking information, when Frank Wilson in his book “The Hand”, reported that the human mind works the way it does, with a consciousness different from that of other animals, because of the small muscle development in the hand, which began when ancient man began using tools. Moreover, this specialization in our method of thinking continues with the “experiences” involved in the daily use of our hands. Other scientists are now confirming that our controlled hand movements are some of the “experiences” that shape the brain, whether it is hitting a keyboard, preparing food, swinging a hammer, working in a garden, or writing a note. Furthermore, those of the same profession, who use their hands in the same ways, tend to have similarities in their method of thinking and in the way they write. Have you ever noticed that those who type 100 words a minute are quick thinkers, that chefs not only know how to use a knife but also have a way with spices, or that carpenters know how to use a hammer and like to know how things work, or that gardeners like to “dig” into topics that interest them? These examples demonstrate that use of the hands contributes to the way one thinks.

One last bit of research relevant to our discussion was conducted at the University of California, Mindscience Institute, in the mid 1990’s. The fingers of different groups of monkeys were taped, restricting certain fingers and requiring the development of greater dexterity in the untapped fingers. Those monkeys whose fingers were taped in the same positions developed similar neural circuitry and similar personality traits. It seems a small jump in logic from the research findings that “Manual dexterity influences the development of specific personality traits.” to “Manual dexterity, as demonstrated by specific letter formations and handwriting styles, influences the development of specific personality traits.” Hopefully, scientific researchers will soon find more ways to get usable information into the hands of the people. And perhaps the final validation of finger movements effecting personality traits is not so far away as some may have believed.

Be sure to check out the post “I never write anymore!” for related information.