The different types of poetry, according to Luis Carlos Fallon 0:53
(CNN) --
One of the best pieces of advice my friend Genna gave me during the tumultuous end of a long relationship was to write poetry.
He was desperate for the breakup and willing to try anything.
Following the wise advice of Emily Dickinson,
Without knowing when the dawn will come
I open all the doors
In the weeks that followed I wrote more than two dozen poems.
From an artistic point of view, they left a lot to be desired, but as a tool to process the great emotions of a difficult moment, the poems were very successful.
Writing them was cathartic and sometimes revealing.
This is the formula to manage emotions and consolidate self-esteem
Many years later, and with a fully healed heart, I am happy to report, emerging scientific research on the wellness potential of poetry supports my personal experience.
David Haosen Xiang and Alisha Moon Yi, interested in the effectiveness of poetry to combat loneliness, especially during the first period of isolation of the covid-19 pandemic, wrote an article in 2020 in the Journal of Medical Humanities inspired by their experience. directing poetry workshops.
advertising
Xiang and Yi, then students at Harvard Medical School and Harvard College, respectively, cited a number of studies (some with small sample sizes, admittedly) showing various health benefits of reading, writing and listening to poetry and creative nonfiction.
They have been shown to combat symptoms of stress and depression, as well as reduce pain, both chronic and post-surgical, the authors noted.
Poetry has also been shown to improve mood, memory, and job performance.
Furthermore, a 2021 study published by the American Academy of Pediatrics found that a group of 44 hospitalized children who were encouraged to read and write poetry saw reduced fear, sadness, anger, worry, and fatigue.
The researchers concluded that poetry was a welcome distraction from stress and an opportunity for self-reflection.
Spoken word poet Sekou Andrews demonstrated the power words can have in difficult moments when one feels broken, at the recent Life Itself conference, a health and wellness event presented in partnership with CNN.
In a "poetic voice" performance, he shared with the audience a story about his struggle with infertility and the loss of his wife.
As Andrews explained on stage:
Inspiration is a peephole into possibility.
There is a wall and all of a sudden something shakes it, upsets it,
and a crack appears
and you can see something on the other side.
And there is a power in simply being able to say,
"I see it!"
"Whether it's coping with pain, dealing with stressful situations, or embracing uncertainty, poetry can be beneficial to a patient's well-being, confidence, emotional stability, and quality of life," Xiang and Yi wrote. .
Poetry is not dead, it is regenerated with technology
Why is poetry special?
Poetry's ability to comfort and lift mood during periods of stress, trauma, and pain can have a lot to do with framing and perspective.
As a creative device, poems slow down our reaction to an experience and can alter our perception of it in ways that help us find new angles, go deeper.
It can reinforce our sense of identity and connect us with the experiences of others to foster empathy.
"I always say don't hire the poet to hit the nail on the head," Andrews explains in an email.
"You hire the poet to whisper in your ear, to tap you on the shoulder, to turn you around and see a version of yourself that is unexpected, surprising and inspiring."
The medium also has a unique way of getting to the heart of the matter: "Poetry is truth in its Sunday clothes," wrote the French poet Joseph Roux, as metaphor and image are uniquely suited to access and make sense of it. to emotions.
"And the abstract nature of poetry can make it easier to get closer to painful experiences, which may feel too threatening to address directly and literally," wrote Linda Wasmer Andrews in an article on the practice of poetry therapy in Psychology Today.
Poetry can also elicit peak emotional responses.
In a 2017 study, researchers measured 27 people for their psychophysiological responses (such as chills or goose bumps) to hearing poetry read aloud.
These physical responses are connected to the area of the brain that perceives rewards, the study explained.
In his poem "For the Interim Time," John O'Donohue describes this type of cerebral alchemy:
What is being transfigured here in your mind,
And it is difficult and slow to become something new.
The more faithfully you can endure here, The
more purified your heart will become
For your arrival at the new dawn.
Bring more poetry into your life
Read, write and listen.
Those are the main options to have more poetry in your life.
For exposure to something new, check out open mic nights, or try the daily (and short) poetry podcast The Slowdown from American Public Media and the National Endowment for the Arts, or sign up for their newsletter.
There are also other poetry podcasts.
And try an accessible collection.
Actor John Lithgow compiled an introductory manual in the book "The Poets' Corner: The One-and-Only Poetry Book for the Whole Family."
I personally love Shel Silverstein, Mary Oliver, Maya Angelou, Sharon Olds, and John O'Donohue, if you want to delve into a poet and be perpetually entertained and enlightened.
And to write poetry, you don't need any formal training to get started.
You can enjoy trying different styles (such as haiku) and experimenting with it.
The community-oriented website Read Poetry has a guide with some creative exercises that you might find inspiring.
"Just write. Just talk. Don't worry about it being good, you'll get it. First, let it do you good," says Andrews.
But no matter how you compromise, just get in there and start testing the waters for what you need.
Or as the poet Billy Collins wrote in "Introduction to Poetry":
"...go into the room in the poem
and feel around the walls for a light switch."
PoetryMental Health
