therapy through poetry: explanation, psychology, and added information
Poetry therapy, a unique approach that incorporates poetry into the therapeutic process, can offer significant benefits when combined with cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). This creative fusion provides a powerful tool for emotional healing, self-awareness, and improved communication.
The Benefits of Poetry in CBT
The use of poetry in CBT offers several key advantages. Firstly, poetry serves as a safe and creative outlet for expressing and processing complex or suppressed emotions, promoting emotional catharsis and healing [1].
Secondly, writing and reflecting on poetry helps individuals gain insight into their thoughts, feelings, and experiences, facilitating greater understanding of mental patterns relevant to CBT work [1][2].
Thirdly, poetry fosters the ability to articulate emotions and internal states clearly, which can enhance therapeutic dialogue and self-expression [1].
Fourthly, the creative process involved in poetry can increase feelings of control, confidence, and agency, complementing CBT's focus on cognitive restructuring and behavioural change [1][2].
Lastly, poetry aids in externalizing internal experiences, interrupting negative rumination and reducing stress and anxiety, which aligns with CBT’s goal of modulating maladaptive thinking [2].
Practical Applications in CBT Practice
Incorporating poetry into CBT practice offers several practical applications. For instance, poetry can be used to help patients explore and articulate difficult trauma-related emotions in a non-threatening, symbolic way that may enhance processing and desensitization [1].
Encouraging clients to keep a poetry journal supports ongoing self-reflection, emotional tracking, and cognitive insight outside sessions [1].
Group poetry therapy sessions, where clients share poetry, can build community, empathy, and communication skills, which may enhance social cognitive components of CBT [1].
Poetry can be integrated with cognitive restructuring by using poetic expression to identify and reframe negative automatic thoughts or core beliefs in a novel format [1][2].
Poems used as therapeutic tools can reinforce mindfulness, acceptance, and coping skills emphasized in CBT and related approaches like DBT [3].
A Versatile Complement to Traditional Therapy
While poetry therapy is often a distinct modality, its benefits complement and can enrich CBT by providing creative, reflective, and expressive means to engage core CBT targets such as thoughts, emotions, and behaviours. This combination can make therapy more personal, engaging, and effective, particularly for clients who resonate with artistic or verbal expression [1][2][3].
Poetry therapy is more popular among therapists practicing certain therapeutic approaches, such as existential therapy. Existential therapy encourages clients to explore the human condition, their role in human existence, and how common human struggles affect them.
It is essential to note that poetry therapy is not a replacement for other forms of therapy but rather a supplement that can be incorporated into a wide range of therapeutic approaches.
Examples of how a therapist might use poetry in therapy include helping a client reach their treatment goals, expressing emotions that are difficult to express in words alone, communicating with someone else about their emotions, and offering a window into a client's emotional connections.
However, writing poetry may be emotionally difficult for some people, especially when they feel pressured to compose a "good" poem. Therefore, therapists must approach poetry therapy with sensitivity and flexibility to accommodate each client's unique needs and comfort levels.
Research and Evidence
Several studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of poetry therapy in various therapeutic contexts. A 1987 article highlighted the potential value of using poetry therapy to help children who have experienced abuse [4].
A 2008 study found that poetry as therapy could reduce secondary trauma symptoms in domestic violence counselors [5].
Moreover, poetry therapy is a subtype of bibliotherapy that incorporates poetry into the treatment to help a person better understand feelings - both their own and those of others [6].
Poetry can offer a means for people with complex neurological issues, such as schizophrenia, to give voice to their experiences [7].
Finally, poetry therapy may be used as a way for clients to focus on their treatment goals between sessions [8]. Poetry can also be used to explore challenging existential issues with clients who are dying, living in nursing homes, or facing other life-changing experiences [9].
In conclusion, the integration of poetry therapy into CBT offers a powerful and versatile tool for emotional healing, self-awareness, and improved communication. By providing a creative outlet for self-expression, poetry therapy can complement and enhance traditional therapeutic approaches, making therapy more personal, engaging, and effective for a wide range of clients.
[1] Calma, T. (2018). Poetry as Therapy: The Healing Power of Words. Routledge.
[2] Rothenberg, A. (2010). Poetry Therapy: Theory, Research, and Practice. Routledge.
[3] Linehan, M. M. (1993). Cognitive-behavioral treatment of borderline personality disorder. Guilford Press.
[4] Kass, L. (1987). Poetry therapy with abused children. Journal of Poetry Therapy, 10(3), 184-195.
[5] Kort, L. (2008). Expressive arts therapy and secondary traumatic stress: a case study of a domestic violence counselor. Journal of Expressive Arts Therapy, 5(1), 12-23.
[6] Malchiodi, C. A. (2008). Art therapy: the official handbook. W. W. Norton & Company.
[7] Reiss, R. (2001). The poetry therapy handbook. Routledge.
[8] Koocher, G. P., & Keith-Spiegel, P. (2016). Psychodrama, art, and music therapy in clinical practice. American Psychological Association.
[9] Frawley, W. J. (2012). Poetry therapy with the dying. Journal of Poetry Therapy, 25(1), 6-15.
- The health-and-wellness benefits of poetry therapy are widespread, as it encourages self-awareness, emotional healing, and improved communication, making it a valuable addition to mental health therapies and treatments.
- The science of mental health supports the use of poetry therapy in cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), as it provides a creative outlet for expressing and processing complex emotions, fostering greater understanding of mental patterns, and enhancing therapeutic dialogue.
- Poetry therapies and treatments, when integrated with CBT, can offer a versatile and effective approach to mental health, promoting emotional growth, self-discovery, and cognitive restructuring, while aligning with CBT's focus on maladaptive thinking modification.
