Further Exploration: Poetry Therapy

There is a way in which poetry allows its writer to explore and express their personal experiences, as though the words are their companionship. No interruptions. There has been a substantial increase in the use of creative expression activities and learning methods introduced in the 21^st century. Despite this increase, it seems evident that the majority of its discourse focuses primarily on research-based studies and literature, leaving opportunity for practical development. Using poetry as an expressive art form can help to reduce mental outbursts and episodes, alongside anxiety and depression - saving the NHS approximately £200,000 a year. It is a contemporary form of expression which encourages people to talk about their problems and express their psychological difficulties.

I guarantee at some point in your life, or in the past year you have written down a list of things you need to do. This being due to the fact it makes you feel more organised and at ease with things. It almost allows your mind to be in an orderly fashion. Literature from the 1970’s suggests that poetry helped individuals cope with their difficulties by validating their problems and reducing feelings of isolation, which in today’s society is otherwise known as ‘therapy’. If we fracture our leg, we lean on a crutch. This is the same with creative writing. The words are your outlet; a form of self-reflection for which no hypothesis or predictions are present. It is poetry’s job to break the boundaries and to explore all possibilities, allowing the reader to communicate and focus on deeper cognitive reasoning. Psychology, art and science work as a collective. It is proven that the depth of human experience (behaviour, affective and cognitive domains) is best understood and addressed through both humanities and sciences. It is a personal expression of something eternal and timeless. Something that cannot be judged, or misunderstood.

The image to above was created by Cathy Malchiodo who is a leading international expert, syndicated writer, and educator in the fields of art therapy and art in healthcare. This visual journaling that is pictured is an art piece that expresses the impact that creative practice has on the brain. Cathy focuses on the left and right hemisphere of the brain, and how each element can impact your day-to-day functioning. On average, humans tend to use their left side of the brain 85% of the time, whilst only accessing 15% of their right. The left functioning of the brain is the primary element which allows the brain to calculate analytic thought processes, logic, language, reasoning and verbal communications. It is this side of the brain that controls the switch between the left and right - it is your left-brain function that allows the right to come into flight. On the flip side, the right-brain functions work in the most wonderful ways. This function is what is known as ‘the creative side of the brain’, otherwise known to form art awareness, imagination, intuition, insight, musical awareness, 3D-forms and holistic thoughts.