‘Every Poem Breaks a Silence that Had to be Overcome’ * : The Therapeutic Power of Poetry Writing

Abstract

The creation of poetry can be an intensely healing process, as therapeutic as the other arts and talking therapies. This paper examines three areas. First, it sets out some opinions about the specific qualities of poetry that make it particularly valuable as part of a therapeutic process. It goes on to give exemplified information about how poetry is used within healthcare in Britain. Finally, it indicates the current growth of interest in this area, with brief descriptions of pilot research studies where poetry has been offered by a writing therapist, or by nursing or medical practitioners.

Keywords

poetry therapy medicine nursing research professional development

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