Poetry & Journal Therapy
Poetry and Journal therapy haven’t reached the zeitgeist to the degree they seem familiar to most people. I want to take the mystery out of it for you. Writing is actually such an approachable way to feel better — once you untangle it from the critiquing, editing, and formality that most of us encounter during education.
The first sigh of relief I experienced when learning about poetry therapy is that it is meant to be one place in life where you let go of the inner editor or inner critic. You are meant to write whatever you feel like. And there is zero critiquing involved. The point is not to be a “good” writer. The point is to write for yourself, to discover and rediscover yourself — especially when life is hard and you don’t know your next step.
The second sigh of relief came when I learned that you do not need to write poetry while in a poetry therapy workshop. The poetry is part of what is explored. We read poems together, reflect on them, talk about what lines stand out to us. Poetry is a springboard for thought and helps to evoke whatever lies waiting for us to hear inside of ourselves. After we read poetry, everyone is invited to write based on a given writing prompt. You might write a list, a paragraph, some incoherent ramblings, a story, a song, or yes…maybe a poem if that suits the moment. The process is the equivalent of spending quality time with yourself and your own inner world.
Do we share our writing?
Yes! At least I highly encourage it. The sharing happens in the confines of a small group in which all members have agreed to confidentiality. My groups are limited to five people, so there are six of us at most in the room at a time. There is no critiquing in poetry & journalling therapy. Instead each person is encouraged to share their writing while the other members simply offer mindful listening. We share in “recall,” which is reflecting back to the person the words we can remember from their reading. There is a certain magic in hearing your unedited voice mirrored back to you without judgement. If you’ve never felt deeply listened to, recall will do it. Recall is song for the soul.