By Gabriel Foster
Poetry therapy is a helpful tool in the arsenal of therapists of all kinds. Poetry therapy like Art therapy, uses similar tools used in a similar way to express deep seated emotional distress. I say tool because poetry therapy is not a standalone therapy, but rather a therapeutic tool that can be wielded in the pursuit of helping subconscious emotions to be expressed beneficial ways that are very satisfying. Both poetry and art, are just that “art”. One is literary, the other is visual.
A Brief History
The practice of using words in the healing arts, dates to ancient Egypt around 400 BCE. The Egyptians back then, used poetry writing as a sort of communicative medicine to treat illnesses. In the early 1800s, Dr. Benjamin Rush started using poetry in his medical practice as a therapeutic tool for patients under treatment. The next notable jump in history came from the poet and pharmacist Eli Griefer in 1928. He started poetry therapy groups in hospitals with the added support of two psychiatrists, Dr. Jack L. Leedy and Dr. Sam Spector.
How Poetry Therapy Works
The therapist would get patients to read poems or prose and identify with their issues, themes, and sentiments first. Patients would then explore their own feelings based on what they read. Then comes the creation of their own poetry (writing their own) based on their own feelings they previously explored. Comparison of their own responses with others would then follow, which would include rethinking their own responses. After rethinking everything, they may develop new ideas, thoughts, insights, and comprehensions that lead them to changing their experiences. Finally positive changes are undertaken based on those new insights and understandings acquired.
Conclusion
Poetry therapy has been around for centuries in one form or another and has shown itself to be beneficial as a therapy tool for people facing emotional issues. It is widely accepted by the medical community as an effective treatment.
Another area where poetry therapy can be highly effective according to the National Library of Medicine (NIH), is in the growing epidemic problem of loneliness. Loneliness is an increasing problem in most industrialized countries. Loneliness negatively affects the cardiovascular, immune, and nervous systems. It also influences the mortality rate. Nevertheless, as I said before, poetry therapy can potentially be used in this type of treatment based on the research at the NIH.
