Have you ever been told not to cry? Or laugh? No public displays of affection? Don’t wear polka dots?
If so, how did it make you feel to be choked off like that? Rejected? Restricted? Denied?
A colleague of mine recently mentioned in a comment from my last blog that she was once called out for being “too depressing” in a poetry group.
It got me to thinking… is it possible to be too depressing as a poet? Too happy? Should this be a means of dejection from writing? Never to be addressed…?
Writing as a form of therapy has been known to massively benefit mental health… a primal scream to just get it all out. Worked for John Lennon! Once we let out this literary primal scream, we are on the outside looking in. This can be done by journaling, reviving memories, recounting feelings that were experienced during moments…
According to Elizabeth Sullivan, a licensed marriage and family therapist in San Francisco, “one of the most powerful aspects of therapy is cultivating the ability to observe our thoughts and feelings.” https://psychcentral.com/blog/the-power-of-writing-3-types-of-therapeutic-writing#1
Accepting themes that can be depressing as a sort of tonic of acceptance allows us to digest traumas and move on. Losing a loved one, loneliness, personally dealing with a fatal illness… all potentially socially awkward themes that should not be allowed to be smothered, denied, or restricted.
Pinterest recently predicted in its 2023 trends report, “alternatives to talk therapy are on the rise”.
Taking communication to another level by incorporating rhythms and rhymes with personal experience into poetry makes writing a bit cathartic in a sense. . It can actually heal our brains!
Poetry (like music) is the most incredible art form, presenting a platform by which to express whatever emotion we are feeling. Many affirmation poems, or what I like to call redemption poems, do this quite well. Bouncing back!
Some of the best perspectives come from some form of adversity. As writers, we draw upon this rather than avoid it… only to write about the moon and butterflies. Not that there is anything wrong with either!
Lonely butterflies on the moon… hey, if we can endeavor to mix the good with the bad, we might create some incredibly strong moods from which to draw upon.
Let me know what you think in the comments below… As always, I love to hear from you!
Matt Elmore
Therapist often suggest journaling, in-between sessions. I've personally only ever written, as a form of healing. It was only at my published daughters insistence that I finally did in 2005 after writing for over 40years.
ReplyDeleteHi Imelda! I’ve noticed many poets use their poetry as journaling in a way… rather obfuscating realities with made up scenarios but keeping the emotions there. Only problem with this is when a poem Im goes unread in a poetry group… thus just adding to the alienation, and devaluing the poets feeling even more. This is why I always try to encourage more than anything rather than point out inconsistencies… to build up rather than break down.
DeleteToday's topic is really something very close to my heart. I was introduced to poetry way back in college where l majored in English Literature.
ReplyDeleteShakespeare/Thomas Hardy/Tennyson. It picqued my interest and l began to read the works of other great poets.
My initial pieces were poor as they lack form and structure. Then life happened and bad stuff happened. I had no outlet for emotional pain, singing didn't help, so l turned to poetry. Still it was all over the place. That was during my five years of conjugal neglect.
Then came conjugal abuse plus cancer. It came as a result of the severe stress l was under. No physical violence happened only emotional blackmail.
When l was undergoing chemo treatments, l wrote my very first heartfelt poem. Maybe l was so stoned or maybe l had a lot of time to reflect but it was a very decent piece.
Fast forward to post chemo the abuse still continued. But l was saved by Divine Intervention. A mild stroke rendered the abuse null and void.
That was the time when l really started writing seriously relying on all that had happened to me ...how l felt.
Till today l still suffer flashbacks..but l am on the mend with my therapist's help. My poetry are autobiographical and the more l inked those emotions down l heal faster.
So yes...poetry is indeed a form of therapy for me...otherwise it would have been third time is a charm where self harm is concerned.
A poetry site recently complained about the tone of my poetry..dark and morbid they say...go whine at my own page. So l left. Life can't be rosy all the time. There are bad days too...some more than others like me. It had helped me so much and my therapist agrees too. So I say - Be true to yourself!!!
I applaud your courage to keep writing! It is not easy to cope with all the troubles that life throws at us. It’s even harder to think that one can become a major poet with so many talented poets out there already recognized and published just basking in the glory. Where does that leave the unheard ones? It leaves them alone. Yet there are other poets out there experiencing the same hardships… unemployment, health issues, death of loved ones, critical illnesses…. It goes on and on. Personally… those are the poets I want to hear!! Just my humble opinion… but I want to contribute to someone that not only needs validation, but also deserves it. Many of these kinds of poets writing from experience deserve it… because the potency of the poem speaks for itself!
DeleteI've alway found writing therapeutic It's got me through some really hard times. It's a great way of losing yourself and forgetting about your problems for a while.
ReplyDelete