Reflective writing about breast cancer experiences as part of an interactive poetry therapy group process

Abstract

This study focused on texts written by breast cancer survivors who participated in an interactive poetry therapy group process. The writing group consisted of 4–6 participants who met 18 times during 2019. The group activities followed the RES poetry therapy model, and the poetry therapy intervention was implemented following the Reflective and Transformative Writing Process Model. The aim of the study was to describe the methods used in the group and to analyze the themes identified in the participants’ written reflections on their experiences with their illness. Specifically, the study sought to answer the following questions: 1) What kinds of things were found meaningful by the participants in writing about their experiences with breast cancer? 2) How were these things thematized through the process of facilitated reflective and transformative writing? Participants’ writings were analyzed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Three main themes, along with several sub-themes, were identified. The main themes were: 1) being seen and heard as a breast cancer survivor, 2) the traces left by the disease, and 3) I live and breathe despite the disease. This study provides new insights into how breast cancer becomes integrated into a person’s selfhood and life story.