Poetry therapy is a form of creative arts therapy that involves the use of spoken or written word as a means to express deep-rooted emotions. Poetry based practices are intended to encourage self-expression through literary works. Therapeutically, poetry allows individuals to communicate and understand their inner-most feelings. While the potential for re-traumatization exists, poetry therapy is beneficial to healing and personal growth because it helps individuals who struggle with articulation to express themselves, it helps with the grieving process, and it has therapeutic effects on the mind.
First, poetry therapy is beneficial to healing and personal growth because it helps individuals who struggle with articulation to express themselves. Words are known to have power over people. Essentially, words can be both beneficial or detrimental. As explained by Raghuram (2007), “poetry communicates at the subconscious level, which is why some lines move us to tears or lift us in joy, inspire us or save us from destroying ourselves” (p. 221). For some, finding the words to convey a distressing occurrence is challenging. Poetry facilitates cognitive processes and amplifies self-understanding by addressing underlying factors. In the opinion of Raghuram (2007), poetry allows therapists to analyze a client’s mental process and delve into their minds by sifting through the maze of phrases, metaphors, images (p. 221).
Poetry Therapy (2016) claims that the “process of writing can be both cathartic and empowering, often freeing blocked emotions or buried memories and giving voice to one’s concerns and strengths” (p.3). In the same way, Culver (2012) imparts the importance of self-expression is substantial, “Being able to express one’s feelings through a calamity is important so it is not all kept bottled up inside” (p. 14). In her dissertation, Culver (2012) shares, first-hand, how she utilized poetry therapy as a means to heal after a personal medical crisis. In signifying how impactful poetry is, Culver’s inspiration is attributed to Mary Oliver’s The Leaf and the Cloud, a book of poetry she found symbolic of her distressing situation. In other words, poetry gives individuals a voice.
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Additionally, poetry therapy helps with the grieving process. Culver (2012) declares, “Poetry therapy helps individuals come to terms with all kinds of emotions we face as human beings” (p. 14). Because poetry therapy requires individuals to be open and honest about their thoughts and feelings, it can provide relief and consolation, as well as help with processing trauma. Lymon (2016) accredits her ability to heal from a distressing bereavement in her childhood to poetry. She expresses, “In telling my story, I have gained awareness: I no longer feel ashamed of my choice of friends or partners” (Lymon, 2016, p. 4). In an original collection of her poems, she shares her healing journey through the aftermath of the daunting, racially-motivated murder of her best friend. Titled, Among the Rubble, Lymon’s (2016) literately work signifies the good that can arise even when everything falls apart (p. 13).
Finally, the most important reason poetry therapy is beneficial to healing and personal growth is it has therapeutic effects on the mind. Poetry therapy can help individuals interpret their world, as it taps into their imagination and inner strengths. Graphic poetry is a supplemental form of expression that incorporates the combination of poetry and visual images which gives the readers supplemental information to understand the poet’s words. This style of poetry has been incorporated in schools as a tool to develop students’ cognitive skills.
Calo (2011) noted, “Graphic poems are a great way to pull students into poetry while also teaching them to appreciate the genre and become critical consumers of information” (pg. 356). The essence of poetry is the individual holding the pen; who they are and what they think. The expressivist attributes that are intertwined within poetry disburden the mind of depressive effects. Some individuals have endured trauma and struggle to properly process the distressing event. Poetry therapy establishes a means to help integrate troubling feelings, reframe traumatic events, and develop a more positive outlook for the future (Poetry Therapy, 2016, p. 4).
Indeed, while the potential for re-traumatization exists, poetry therapy is beneficial to healing and personal growth. Words have the power to heal. Furthermore, self-expression is a crucial factor in the healing process. Through poetry, individuals can effectively convey their thoughts and feelings; providing undeniable proof that poetry is a powerful form of therapy.
References
- Calo, K. M. (2011). Comprehending, Composing, and Celebrating Graphic Poetry. The Reading Teacher, 64(5), 351-357. http://search.proquest.com.proxy.consortiumlibrary.org/docview/852514356?accountid
- Culver, C. (2012). Of No Special Courage: A Collection of Poetry in Pursuit of Healing. 1-109. http://search.proquest.com.proxy.consortiumlibrary.org/docview/1317971398?accountid
- Lymon, J. (2016). Among the Rubble. http://search.proquest.com.proxy.consortiumlibrary.org/docview/1820919165?accountid=14473
- Poetry Therapy. (2016). https://www.goodtherapy.org/learn-about-therapy/types/poetry-therapy
- Raghuram, T. M. (2007). Poetry as Therapy. Indian Journal of Psychiatry, 49(3), 221-222. doi:10.4103/0019-5545.37377
