Automatic writing is the practice of writing without consciously directing the words, allowing a message to flow through the hand as though guided by something outside normal thought. The writing that results is often described as feeling different from a person's usual style, sometimes even in different handwriting.

Practitioners typically hold a pen loosely and quiet their mind before beginning, allowing whatever wants to come through, whether from a spirit, a guide, or one's own subconscious, depending on the tradition, to move the hand freely.