Poetry Therapists Research Articles

Narrative perspectives: personal reflections of a poetry therapist

ABSTRACTThis paper is a retrospective look, from a distance of thirty-five years, at the lasting influence of a poetry therapy class on one of its participants. It chronicles how words written by a classmate, never seen or heard from after the class dispersed, had a lasting influence on her life. It builds on a theory borrowed from science, the entanglement theory, which suggests that particles in the sub-atomic realm, once connected remain forever in contact with each other. Drawing from the framework of the class, it speculates on extrapolating the physical theory of entanglement to a theory of human connections. It suggests underlying patterns in which lives fit together like a jigsaw puzzle, patterns so complex as to be beyond human understanding.

“Abracadabra!” the magic of poetic healing

ABSTRACTThe author explores the connection between magic and poetry therapy, examining the two key principles of magic, the isoprinciple, and the principle of opposites. Other components include imagery, condensation, and displacement. Examples are given to demonstrate the magic of metaphor. “Abracadabra” is an age-old incantation, the roots of which may hold significance for magicians as well as poetry therapists.

Me in Ten Years

Phyllis Klein is a poet, psychotherapist, and poetry therapist. Her work has appeared in The Pharos, the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society's journal; Qarrtsiluni; The Four Seasons anthology (Kind of a Hurricane Press, 2015); New Verse News; Crosswinds Poetry Journal; and the Chiron Review; and has been published by Silver Birch Press. She is interested in the conversation between poets and readers of poetry and sees artistic dialogue as an intimate relationship-building process that fosters healing on many levels. She lives and works in the San Francisco Bay Area. For more information, visit the author's Web site: http://phyllisklein.com. “Me in Ten Years” © 2017 by Phyllis Klein. Contact author: [email protected]. Art of Nursing is coordinated by Amy M. Collins, managing editor: [email protected].

Following the life force, participating in one's evolution: Seamus Heaney's poetic treatment of grief through the poem, Sunlight

ABSTRACTSet in Irish cultural and historical contexts, this study of Seamus Heaney's treatment of grief in the poem, Sunlight, draws upon his selected images and their effects relative to the seven or more “presses of literature” discovered by the Emeritus Professor of Performance Studies, founder of Biopoetics, and Registered Poetry Therapist, Leland Roloff. How does this image press upon the composer? How does it press upon the reader? With these key questions, the study examines and finds the soul-mending powers of this poem, a traditional medical art in Irish and Eastern European cultures.

A content analysis of poems most frequently utilized by poetry therapists

The selection of literature for use in a poetry therapy intervention is one of the most difficult issues faced by poetry therapists. A variety of authors have published suggested guidelines for the selection of poetic material; however, there is a paucity of research indicating whether or not poetry therapists are actually consulting such guidelines when selecting the material utilized in a poetry therapy intervention. The intent of this research is to examine the literature that is commonly used in poetry therapy interventions. A list of the poems most frequently used in poetry therapy interventions will be analyzed to determine if the poems meet the guidelines set forth by Hynes and Hynes-Berry. Results indicate that the most frequently used poems vary in the degree to which the Hynes and Hynes-Berry criteria are met.

Travel diaries as a therapeutic tool: My interior road to noh, waka, haiku, and renga

In 2006, after returning from my trip to Japan to study Noh with my Master Teacher, I completed a haibun (travel diary) inspired by Basho who originally created it as a special form of literature. I edited my haiku poetry and notes written during my trip into a travel diary including photos. I made it available at Ilmatar Institute's web site for a while. This current travel diary is substantially shortened and edited version capturing only some parts of my trip, but more importantly it documents my inner learning about the ancient Japanese literature of Noh plays, waka, haiku, and renku. A half kazen renku created by a renku group in Tokyo, Japan, lead by a Renku Master, Shokan, is included in the end. The renku stanzas were originally created both in Japanese and English and translated into English by Shokan during the session. Familiarity with Basho's haibun is recommended. The concept of haibun with this example is introduced here as a useful form of literature for both poetry therapists and poetry therapy groups.

Psychotherapy in the Odyssey

Cited examples of ancient Greek precursors of psychotherapy can be viewed as vague, partial, contradictory, anecdotal, and unsystematized. A more complete example of psychotherapy, and a precursor of poetry therapy, is Homer's account of the maturation of Telemachus, the son of Odysseus, in the first four books of the Odyssey. This treatment is organized by the goddess Athena as the psychotherapist, both as a direct provider of services and in the sense of an overall case manager, organizing multiple aspects of the treatment. We can view Athena as the first systematic poetry therapist.

“I need to be a turtle, reflective, mindful and slow:” The projective prism of consciousness in poetry therapy

This article briefly introduces the psychological continuum in therapeutic intervention, ranging from purely psychoanalytic to humanistic and eventually to a transpersonal model. The Projective Prism of Consciousness is introduced as a transpersonal tool for Poetry Therapists, who prefer to use their intuitive thinking in assessing the poetic projections of their clients. The prism consist of the Projective Sides of the Prism, the Domains and the Roots, the Content, and the Outcome of Projections focusing on the Personal, Transpersonal, or Universal consciousness of the creator of poetry. The author's own poetry is used as an initial application of the Projective Prism of Consciousness Checklist.

Metaphorical Language: Seeing and Hearing with the Heart

Metaphorical language is the communication tool of poetry therapy. Now a metatheory, “The Theory of Transcendence” supports the use of metaphor as the method of making invisible realities “visible.” The poetry therapist will benefit from this theoretical framework that encourages communications across disciplines and encourages the gnosis (knowing) of why a specific metaphor is chosen.

The Use of Poetry Therapy in the Treatment of an Adolescent with Borderline Personality Disorder: A Case Study

Persons with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) have proven difficult to treat with traditional “talk” therapies. They are characteristically demanding, crisis-oriented, and often self-lethal. It is estimated that 11 percent of all outpatients at psychiatric and other counseling programs meet the criteria for this illness (Paris, 1994). As a result, clients with BPD represent a large number of patients treated in mental health settings. Yet, there is no one unified approach to treatment, and research on the treatment of borderline personality disorder has waned in recent years. Poetry therapy is an expressive therapy that offers therapists an alternative to traditional verbally-oriented interventions. The following is a case example on the use of poetry therapy with an adolescent with BPD. Although the author is not a trained poetry therapist, processing the client's numerous poems proved to be invaluable in assisting the client to express her feelings. In this article, the author presents a brief overview of treatment of borderline clients, poetry therapy, and use of poetry therapy with troubled adolescents. Selected poetic phrases of the client underscore her issues and movement toward resolution during several years of treatment. Implications for the use of poetry therapy with this population are discussed.

A Guide to Contemporary Multicultural North American Poetry for Poetry Therapy

In an effort to make contemporary North American multicultural poetry more readily available to poetry therapists, a wide ranging selection of poetry books and anthologies are briefly annotated with reference to issues explored by the poets and the volumes' relevance to poetry therapy.

Contemporary Multicultural North American Poetry and Poetry Therapy

Four recent anthologies of poetry by members of ethnic and racial groups which have been traditionally underrepresented in the poetic “canon” are analyzed. It is concluded that much contemporary multicultural North American poetry can be of value to poetry therapists who use poetry to stimulate therapeutic discussion because it is generally accessible, emphasizes narrative and often tells stories which have not previously been available in poetry. It is suggested that poetry therapists familiarize themselves with the current explosion of multicultural poetry, particularly if they work with clients whose personal!social issues are related to the clients’ race or ethnicity.

The Bard-Certified Diplomate Examination in Poetry Therapy: Sample Questions and Answers

As poetry therapists, it’s our due duty to avoid dotty ditties and dipody-doggerel lite verse that’s chockablock with muttaphors and other snuggle-pup figurines of speech. Certifying Bards, as opposed to Mocking Bards, can help us to eschew such egregious poesy, not to mention shooting-blanks blank verse and odorless nonscents verse. Once diplomated by the Certifying Board of Bards, one will know exactly what to do when an irresistable farce faces down an immovable objective correlative.

Poetry Therapy: Toward a Research Agenda for the 1990s

Poetry therapy goes beyond the use of poems and poetry writing in therapy. It has a pluralistic base that has evolved through the exploration and evaluation of the therapeutic aspects of the language arts in various helping and educational capacities. The purview of poetry therapy includes bibliotherapy, narrative and metaphor. Poetry therapy has been considered an ancillary technique, method of practice, therapeutic entity and philosophy of practice. Moreover, the National Association for Poetry Therapy has standards and procedures in place for “Certified Poetry Therapist” and “Registered Poetry Therapist.” Due to the advancement of the field of poetry therapy and the diversity of the use of poetry therapy, increased attention toward the establishment of a solid research base is a priority. In an effort to contribute to the development of a poetry therapy practice research model, the following areas will be examined: (a) research paradigms, (b) specificity and replication, (c) poetry selection, (d) studies in practice research, (e) professional issues and (f) the identification of directions for future research.

Phenomenology of therapeutic reading with implications for research and practice of bibliotherapy

In a recent literature search of bibliotherapy, the researcher noted inconsistent terms, definitions and conceptualizations. Hynes and Hynes-Berry (1986) differentiated between “interactive bibliotherapy” and “reading bibliotherapy.” Interactive bibliotherapy is defined as the use of literature to bring about a therapeutic interaction between participant and facilitator, stressing the importance of three elements: literature, the reader and a facilitator. Reading bibliotherapy involves a reader and reading material, with the therapist guiding the reader to literature but not discussing the response of the reader to the material. Poetry therapy can be considered a specialized form of interactive bibliotherapy. Using specifically the poetic form of literary material, the poetry therapist employs a combination of silent reading and recitations of the poem to elicit feelings and perform psychotherapy. Poetry therapy may also include having the client write poetry in response to readings, which may or may not be done in interactive bibliotherapy per se.

Poetry therapy: Toward a research agenda for the 1990s

Poetry therapy goes beyond the use of poems and poetry writing in therapy. It has a pluralistic base that has evolved through the exploration and evaluation of the therapeutic aspects of the language arts in various helping and educational capacities. The purview of poetry therapy includes bibliotherapy, narrative and metaphor. Poetry therapy has been considered an ancillary technique, method of practice, therapeutic entity and philosophy of practice. Moreover, the National Association for Poetry Therapy has standards and procedures in place for “Certified Poetry Therapist” and “Registered Poetry Therapist.” Due to the advancement of the field of poetry therapy and the diversity of the use of poetry therapy, increased attention toward the establishment of a solid research base is a priority. In an effort to contribute to the development of a poetry therapy practice research model, the following areas will be examined: (a) research paradigms, (b) specificity and replication, (c) poetry selection, (d) studies in practice research, (e) professional issues and (f) the identification of directions for future research.

Commonalities among the creative arts therapies as a basis for research collaboration

Poetry therapy is similar to the other creative arts therapies not only in its use of creative processes and products, but also in its intrinsic positiveness, gentle indirectness, and breadth of appeal and application. These commonalities suggest that collaborative research efforts among poetry therapists and other creative arts therapists can lead to new understandings of the processes and effects of creative arts therapies.

NAPT: An overview through national conferences

At present, the National Association for Poetry Therapy has 200 members. This includes 74 Certified Poetry Therapists (C.P.T.) and 30 Registered Poetry Therapists (R.P.T.). Our mailing list is currently at 638. Today, we have the Journal of Poetry Therapy, a quarterly publication started in 1987. We also have a semiannual NAPT Newsletter, poetry therapy bibliography, and standards for registration and certification. A poetry therapy national conference is offered each year in various locations across the United States. NAPT board meetings (two days) are convened before each conference. Through the years, descriptions and procedures for officers and committees have been specified, a Code of Ethics was approved, brochures developed, and a logo was adopted.

Poetry as Healer: Mending the Troubled Mind

Can poetry really "mend the troubled mind"? Is every man a poetaster? Does the hospital and clinic need to budget for a designated poet-therapist? The chapters in this book are reprinted from<i>Poetry Therapy</i>(1969) and<i>Poetry the Healer</i>(1975), both from JB Lippincott, New York. The editor's introduction defines poetry as a "royal road to the unconscious." "Like medications, poems are now used as tranquilizers, anti-depressants, sedatives, and hypnotics." Further, "poetry is a secret power and an untapped national resource for healing [and] is a guide to the hidden mind and to more creative and enriching life." Once one has thus defined poetry, the next step is to erect national organizations, training programs, and certification procedures for graduated poetry therapists. The tedious question of whether there is such a thing as poetry therapy can be ignored by the enthusiast. The 21 chapters of the book are of distinctly uneven

Combined art and movement therapy group: Isomorphic responses

As the creative arts therapies develop in a wide variety of clinical and educational settings, art therapists are given the opportunity to work closely with therapists trained in other expressive techniques. Having worked in professional isolation for many years, art therapists now have the chance to share their techniques and approaches with dance, music, drama, and poetry therapists. This writer has devised a format in which art and movement therapy join forces to reach a wide variety of populations with the combined power of two nonverbal modalities. This format was conceptualized in conjunction with Helen McKibben. a registered movement therapist. Traditionally, art therapy has been paired with music therapy: the structural qualities of the sound affect the structure of the graphic expression. Adding the kinesthetic dimension to the experience, energy levels and messages of the body may be expressed physically and then recorded graphically. The movement therapist explores nonverbal interactions and is able to clarify unconsciously transmitted feelings. The art therapist provides an opportunity for the patient to record these feelings in shapes and colors so that they may be examined after the moment has faded. The recording of body experiences graphically which reflect the qualities of physical activity and particularly their corresponding mental states is understood via the principle of isomorphism. When a structural correspondence exists between the configuration of a stimulus pattern and the way it is spontaneously perceived, an isomorphic relationship is said to be present. In daily experience, one’s state of mind may reveal itself in a physical gesture. This phenomenon is frequently referred to as body language. Rudolf Amheim (1966) has most effectively placed the concept of isomorphism into the context of the visual arts. The inner state of an artist is manifested externally through the production of a graphic configuration that mirrors that state on a structural level. Isomorphism is simply defined as similarity in structure between an internal state and its external expression.