Poetry & Healing
I have long been fascinated by the powerful intersection of Poetry, Psychology, & the Healing Arts. Time and again, I have seen their profound combined effects bringing forth life-affirming insights, acceptance, expression, and a permeating sense of belonging.
I invite poetry & the creative arts into my work with clients in several ways — including reading poetry that feels especially pertinent to your current life experience; providing specific writing prompts that invite you to fully express what's true to you beneath the myriad of thoughts and doubts; and encouraging you to give voice to those very truths, wisdoms, and insights in a manner that is deeply empowering.
When we intentionally immerse ourselves in a creative act, we grant ourselves the opportunity to emerge from the experience transformed, bearing a wider perspective that can now integrate what previously may have been unacknowledged or untenable within the understanding of who we are and how we create ourselves in this world.
I am especially passionate about the practice of Spoken Word Poetry. I've researched it thoroughly, interviewing some of the most renowned Spoken Word poets across the world, as well as practiced it myself and even presented my research at the National Poetry Slam.
I now lead workshops and groups on fusing Poetry Therapy with diverse therapeutic approaches, settings, styles, and contexts. For more information, please read on and stay tuned.
Dr. El
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Poetry Therapy Group
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Therapeutic Benefits of Poetry & Writing
Poetry Resources
If you're interested in learning more about the use of poetry in a therapeutic & exploratory manner, please feel free to dig deeper into these lovely resources:
National Association
for Poetry Therapy
You may also take a look at these recent, accessibly published articles:
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How Poetry Therapy Taps into Our Creativity to Overcome Depression, PTSD, & more
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CNN Article & Video on The Most Creative Path to Mental Health You’ve Never Tried
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The Therapeutic Benefit of Poetry: Poetry Therapy and the Impact of Poetic Dialogue
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Poetry Therapy: Why Reading and Writing Poems is Good For You
And be sure to check out these exceptional texts, programs, & sites:
Join Our Upcoming Online
Poetry Therapy Group
Apply for Summer 2024
It forms the quality of the light within which we predicate our hopes and dreams toward survival and change, first made into language, then into idea, then into more tangible action. Poetry is the way we help give name to the nameless. Poetry is not only a dream and vision; it is the skeleton architecture of our lives. It lays the foundations for a future of change, a bridge across our fears of what has never been before.