Did you know there are health benefits to engaging with poetry? It’s true!
In 2020, David Haosen Xiang and Alisha Moon Yi published an article in The Journal of Medical Humanities that argued that poetry can help combat loneliness and can be an effective tool when it comes to medicine. In the article, Xiang and Yi first review several studies that demonstrate that reading, writing, and listening to poetry can help improve pain in postsurgical patients and benefit those living with chronic illness to better cope with their conditions, and reading and writing poetry can help improve mood and can temporarily increase working memory. They then posit that reading, writing, and listening to poetry can help combat loneliness and social isolation, which is significant because loneliness and social isolation can lead to premature mortality, negatively impact cardiovascular and nervous systems, and increase the risk of mental health disorders.
The scholarship is limited, but the evidence is resounding—poetry makes folx feel better.
Xiang and Yi’s work, and the work that they feature in their article, does not exist within a vacuum. While there have been limited studies done on the effects of engaging with poetry, the benefits of the form of expression have been known for a while. According to Dr. Diana Raab, in her article in Psychology Today, “Poetry therapy dates back to 400 BCE, when Egyptians wrote to those who were ill as a form of medicine.” Dr. Raab continues tracing the history of poetry therapy, writing, “During the Civil War, poet Walt Whitman took care of wounded soldiers and read them poems when they were being treated in the field hospitals. He read about the brutality of war and the courage to fight and survive. Author D. H. Lawrence believed that writing poetry leads to self-understanding, and called writing a way to ‘shed one’s sicknesses.’”
The National Association of Poetry Therapy (NAPT) is committed to the idea that poetry can help heal people. NAPT is an organization that brings together professionals, and according to the organization, “Poetry therapy is the use of language, symbol, and story in therapeutic, educational, growth, and community-building capacities. It relies upon the use of poems, stories, song lyrics, imagery, and metaphor to facilitate personal growth, healing, and greater self-awareness.”
Why is Poetry So Important? What Can Poetry Do?
- Poetry helps you engage with your feelings, express yourself, and allow you to heal. Even before I developed chronic illness, I was writing poetry to voice my emotions and work through my childhood trauma. I couldn’t verbalize my abuse, but I could write it down. Occasionally, I look back on those words, amazed that poetry helped me deal with so much (before I found my therapist, of course)!
- Poetry can help alleviate stress and anxiety. Taking the time to breathe and focus on a poem can encourage mindfulness. As you write, listen, or read, you can engage with your senses—a lot of poetry is grounded in language and imagery, and both can allow you to focus your energies on a mindful experience.
- Poetry can help you find community. Nana Yaa, in her editorial, writes about how she found community through her spoken word when she was a first-year college student. She writes, “Looking back, I think that was the day I fell in love with the open mic community.”
- Poetry is accessible! I had a great-great (maybe great-great-great?) Aunt Annie, who lived to be over a hundred years old, and she wrote poetry almost every day! A lot of folx think that poetry is too obscure or out of reach for them. However, anyone can write poetry, and reading and listening to poetry is much more accessible than people think! As Xiang and Yi write, “Simply by reading a poem once a week, sharing a poem with a friend, or spending five to ten minutes to free write about a favorite memory, a current idea, a worry or hope, can all be effective first steps in experiencing the benefits of poetry.”
The bottom line is this: poetry has been proven to make people feel better!
As a Poetry Consultant, I work to bring poetry into the lives of people! I do this through this blog, through my podcast, and through my work throughout the community and the United States. So, I encourage you to consider reading poetry or taking some time to pen a few lines of verse. Persuade your friends or loved ones to join you on the journey of discovering poetry. Listen to my podcast, The Poetry Podcast with C. Patrice Ares-Christian, and book a consultation with me! I lead poetry workshops and Poetry Parties!
References
Anderson, Leigh. “The Healing Power of Poetry.” Spiritual Naturalist Society, 2024. https://www.snsociety.org/the-healing-power-of-poetry/
Longo, Perie. “Poetry Therapy: Guide to the Hidden Mind, Antidote to Chaos.” Sanctuary Centers, 2018. https://sanctuarycenters.org/blog/poetry-therapy-guide-to-the-hidden-mind-antidote-to-chaos/
National Association for Poetry Therapy. https://covidblog.oregon.gov/poetry-promotes-mental-healing/
Poetry and Covid Archive. https://poetryandcovidarchive.com/
“Poetry Promotes Mental Healing.” Oregon Health News Blog, 2023. https://covidblog.oregon.gov/poetry-promotes-mental-healing/
Raab, Diana. “The Power of Poetry Therapy.” Psychology Today, 2021. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-empowerment-diary/202104/the-power-poetry-therapy
Sima, Richard. “More Than Words: Why Poetry is Good For Our Health.” International Arts and Mind Lab, Johns Hopkins. https://www.artsandmindlab.org/more-than-words-why-poetry-is-good-for-our-health/
Xiang, David Haosen and Alisha Moon Yi. “A Look Back and a Path Forward: Poetry’s Healing Power during the Pandemic.” Journal of Medical Humanities, 41 (4), PubMed Central, 2020. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7447694/
Yaa, Nana. “Poetry is a brilliant mental health tool and here’s why.” YoungMinds, 2024. https://www.youngminds.org.uk/young-person/blog/poetry-is-a-brilliant-mental-health-tool-and-here-s-why/
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