by Rene Schwiesow

Created on: April 19, 2008

Poetry, one of the most mysterious of the written arts. Over the centuries scholars, writers, poets and laymen have struggled to answer the question of where poetry comes from and what it is. There are many ways to utilize the inspiration of poetry in one's life; however, one of the most valuable is the ability for poetry to become a tool for therapy.

As a poet, I can say that I have personally used my poetry as a tool to write out the rain, as well as having witnessed many others over the years who have found deep catharsis in this artistic expression of emotion. Exploring our world through poetry can be helpful for self-reflection, working our way through grief, sharing our self in a way that feels "safe", and assisting those who are dealing with depression. The positive effects of poetry often come through the writing of it, describing emotions through words and metaphor, putting events in our life to the page through imagery, and in sharing or releasing something that has been long suppressed and turned in upon the self. Or, therapy through poetry may come for some in the simple reading of it.

A close friend of mine who is a poet and teacher, experienced the latter phenomena in working with a student of his who was experiencing depression to the point of having openly discussed the wish to take her own life. As he had been a mentor of hers in the school system he was asked to participate in some of her counseling sessions. Before his first visit with the counselor he wrote poetic lyrics to the tune of The Music Box Dancer and shared the work with her during a counseling session. This poem has continued over the years to help not only the student suffering from depression at that time, but many others who have heard the work sung, read the words as poem, and listened to the telling of the story of aid.

Taking poetry as therapy a step further is to utilize it as a tool for writing out emotional issues that may be too difficult or too complicated to express verbally. This can be done on a personal level or within a structured individual or group counseling session. As a personal at-home tool, writing poetry is a useful addendum to journaling. This type of writing works best when the poetry journal is kept private or shared with a minimum of others, for example a mental health professional or those participating in group therapy sessions. By keeping the work private, an individual is better able to open themselves up to complete honesty. The poetry shapes a picture of what may be troubling the mind or heart and as the pain is bled onto the page, there is a metaphorical and psychological release of the burden from the psyche. Having the work out of the head and onto a sheet of paper, allows an individual to look at the work from a bird's eye view, which offers us the opportunity to see patterns, a progression, and then overall picture of what has been troubling.

Writing has been shown to reduce stress levels, aid the climb back out of depression, and strengthen the immune system, and these are only a few of the physical and psychological benefits. To put the pen to the page or the fingers to the keyboard grants action to sorting through issues, and action goes farther than passivity in clearing out the cobwebs. Remember it was the poet/playwrite, Shakespeare, who told us centuries ago: "To Thine Own Self Be True."

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