What Is Guided Therapeutic Poetry?
Healing poetry written for the audience gently guides. While expressive poetry written by the client can be their expressive therapy. Of the two types of therapeutic poetry, guided poetry is solution oriented. Expressive therapy poetry is an outlet with or without seeking a solution. Poetic guidance can be a sophisticated dance of the soul in mind with the goal of transforming the audience.
Poetic Guidance:
Therapeutic poetry opens gates to new perspectives for life moving forward. Poetry connects with issues people are facing for which they may not have had the words. Perhaps the audience took their plight for granted as being part of life, when the poem shows an easier way through. Easier for audience to absorb as it may not feel like they are told to be a certain way.
Types of Guidance Therapeutic Poetry:
Path Focused Poems. Magically addressing specific issues including:
- Yearning over loss of a loved one.
- Handling disappointment: Taking concrete solutions and/or finding grace in accepting that which we can’t change.
- Depression and focusing on its cause.
Broadly Based Poems. Soothes the audience for much of whatever nurturing they may need including:
- Returning the heart to nature as therapy. If the audience can’t be in nature, letting your poems remind them of magical nature’s healing powers.
- Inner emptiness is common in robotic society. Remind your audience about the subtle beauties of life by writing the opposite of robotic poetry.
- Gently describing a situation with stress which is transformed through your reflective poetry. The essence being that a situation your audience can identify with is seen transformed giving the audience both a sense of relief for the specific imagery, and hope and returned faith that transformation is possible.
Expressive Therapy: Usually more for the self than others.
The writer lets whatever comes up, come up. Often a better way to access one’s soul. May be refined or unrefined, gentle or harsh. The less experienced poet uses this more as a means for accessing and channeling, with more need towards poetic resolution. Poetic therapy can augment but not replace help from a licensed medical or mental health practitioner.
How Guided Poetry Differs From Other Therapies:
Licensed Therapy & Popularized Self Help Movement:
They have become quite commercialized and monopolized by group think. Licensing requires practitioners work with behavior formulas primarily based on what is and isn’t pathology. While poetry may have more gentle distinctions. The majority of psychologists and other therapists lack needed training in burgeoning field of guided poetry being innovated by Innovation Institute Inc. Guiding poets and licensed practitioners usually have different roles.
Other Poetry:
Would be nice if most poetry in the world, however beautiful danced more with healing clearly in mind. Most poems take their audience on journeys, leaving them where every they may at the end. Most poetry of the modern age reflects the mood and sentiment of robotic (black and white thinking). Slam poetry can be the opposite of gentle as its name suggests. While most poets aspire to shed interesting light on something, it is their goal that is the main question.
Sample Guided Therapeutic Poetry:
For You:
I wrote these poems for you. The muse whispered sweet music for your transcendence.
Virgin Poetry:
Excitedly I enjoyed transforming myself with new insights from my first self-help book. Then I rushed to the store to purchase a dozen other titles expecting the same experience from when I lost my virginity. After each book, the transformation drive became more and more routine. Luckily the poetry I love transforms those robotic books with new tunes healing my heart. Each poem can almost be like the first time.