The therapeutic value of writing poetry has long since been recognized. Poetry, as with any other method of expression, means that a writer is able to generate thought processes and to get emotions which may otherwise stagnate onto paper. It really doesn't matter what the quality of the poetry is. What matters is the ability to express oneself. This article looks at how poetry helps to unlock the potential of an individual and help them to recover from emotional turmoil associated with life. The following aspects must be considered to see the therapeutic value of writing poetry:
*Calm and thoughts.
*Paper and pen.
*Making sketches.
*Putting sketches into verse.
*Healing process.
Calm and thoughts.
Often when a person is stressed or overwhelmed by life, there is little room for creative thinking. What happens is that the dark cloud of circumstances blots the view and doesn't allow them to express thoughts. In any given situation, individuals need to be able to express whatever emotions they feel. From the deepest depths of grief to the physical exhaustion of recovery, a human needs to find a space of calm among the storms.
Allowing yourself the luxury of calm nurtures thoughts. If you allow yourself to be surrounded by problems and don't give yourself the space you need to be creative, the creativity is stifled and cannot happen. Atmosphere and calm produce thoughts, which in turn produce therapeutic creativity.
Paper and pen.
Not everyone has the luxury of computers or word processors, but it doesn't take possession of these items to be able to express yourself in poetry. A simple writing pad and a pen will suffice. Placed in a room where calm can be achieved, even if this is the smallest room in the house, can be a prompt to write.
Making sketches.
People with stress often have difficulty expressing thoughts. Instead their ideas are abstract. These abstract thoughts caught on paper give the writer fuel with which to light the fire of their creative flow. These thoughts may appear muddled, though that doesn't matter. Getting them down on paper matters as this is a manner of release. It also acts as a sketch for future poetry. You may not be at your most creative when drowned by emotional sickness or dread, but when you are well enough, you will be able to remember the depths of that misery, and use this to add emotion to poetry from the sketches made during these periods.
Putting sketches into verse.
With practice, anyone is capable of putting abstract thought into verse form. It may take the form of free verse. It may rhyme. What you can be sure that it is doing is unburdening your soul of all these pent up thoughts, allowing space for more positive ones. If you imagine a cup running over with liquid, there is no room for adding ingredients which make that drink taste nicer. Similarly a mind which is too full up with misery or despair leaves no room for creativity.
When you make these sketches, what you do is allow thoughts out of your mind, and these can be replaced by positivity and creation.
Healing process.
Therapy of any kind takes time to work. The therapeutic value of poetry is that not only does it help you through emotional turmoil, but it allows you the privilege of retrospect. By looking over the poetry written in moments of dire stress, you get to learn more about who you are and how you react to a given stimuli. The healing process comes with understanding why you are stressed and acceptance of those reasons, helping you to move forward in a positive way, using the lessons learned as therapy for future situations.
Poetry writing helps the mind to express itself, to remember or even to forget. It allows words to flow from pen to paper which may be otherwise blocked and unable to be communicated simply because of their complexity. Take your pen and paper, and attempt to write sketches, and with practice, you too can acquire the knowledge of how poetry works as a therapeutic medium.