1
POETRY THERAPY

• EDUCATING
• THE PUBLIC

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PRESENTER

• JAMES BRANDENBURG
• EDUCATION--M.A., M.A., M.ED, LPC, LMFT, CPT
• RECEIVED CERTIFICATION FOR POETRY THERAPY IN
  PORTLAND 07
• COUNSELOR AT TOM C. CLARK HIGH SCHOOL (SAN
  ANTONIO, TEXAS)
• ADJUNCT PROFESSOR AT SAN ANTONIO COLLEGE

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PRESENTER TIDBITS

• LONGEST RUNNING POETRY VENUE IN SAN ANTONIO AT
  BARNES NOBLE (I 10 DEZAVALA)
• VENUE AT GALLISTA ON SOUTH FLORES (2ND SATURDAY)
• SPEAKS GERMAN SPANISH
• DREAM GROUP WITH AL DRYMALA
• ANALYSIS WITH CHARLES DOMINEY
• SUMMERS IN SPAIN GERMANY

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PROGRAM OBJECTIVES

• WHAT IS POETRY THERAPY?
• BRIEF HISTORY OF PT
• CERTIFICATION PROCESS
• VARIOUS GROUPS
• TESTIMONIALS
• WRITING ASSIGNMENT
• CLOSURE

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WHY POETRY COMES IN SEARCH OF US

• PABLO NERUDAS POEM POETRY
• POETIC LANGUAGE CAN REVEAL DEEPEN WHAT WE FEEL,
  VIA PARADOX, METAPHOR, IMAGERY
• PERMISSION TO PLAY
• SURPRISES US BY SAYING THE UNSPEAKABLE
• RAISES QUESTIONS WITHOUT ANSWERS BUT GIVES US NEW
  WAYS TO THINK
• ALLOWS US TO KNOW WHAT WE DIDNT KNOW BEFORE WE
  BEGAN TO WRITE

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WHAT IS POETRY THERAPY?

• INTENTIONAL USE OF LITERATURE TO EVOKE FEELINGS
• CHOSEN ON THE BASIS OF WHERE THE THERAPIST THINKS
  THE STUDENT OR CLIENT IS
• OR CHOSEN TO HELP THE PERSON TOWARD NEW
  REALIZATIONS
• A BASIS FOR TALKING IN A CLASS OR IN A SESSION
• CASE STUDIES INVITE ANALYSIS POEMS EVOKE FEELINGS

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POETRY AS A TECHNIQUE

• THE GOAL IS TO MAKE AN IMPACT ON A LIFE (GOAL OF
  ALL TECHNIQUES)
• A POEM IS ANOTHER PERSON IN THE GROUP
• THAT PERSON IS NON-THREATENING BECAUSE HE OR SHE
  IS DISTANT PHYSICALLY BUT IS PRESENT EMOTIONALLY
• ON THE OTHER HAND, THE EMOTIONAL PRESENCE CAN
  HAVE FAR GREATER INFLUENCE THAN THE PHYSICAL

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POETRY INVITES A QUICKER RESPONSE

• ABSTRACT POETRY DOES NOT WORK
• BE SPECIFIC TO BE EFFECTIVE
• PEOPLE WILL SURPRISE THEMSELVES BY LETTING THE
  LANGUAGE CONNECT THEM TO OTHERS
• AND CONNECT TO THEMSELVES

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THE WRITTEN WORD

• IN DEFENSE OF POETRY (1840) SHELLEY WROTE THAT
  EVERY AUTHOR IS NECESSARILY A POET, BECAUSE
  LANGUAGE ITSELF IS POETRY.
• SHELLEY FOUND THE DISTINGUISHING ELEMENT OF
  POETRY IN ITS POWER TO REVEAL AND ILLUMINATE.

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WORDSWORTH

• THE SPONTANEOUS OVERFLOW OF FEELINGS
• POETRY OF VALUE REQUIRES THE POET TO THINK LONG
  AND DEEPLY.

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ROMANTIC MOVEMENT

• CONCERN FOR THE HUMAN LIFEWORLD FEATURING
• 1)AFFECT, IMAGINATION, AND INTUITION
• 2)HOLISTIC CONTENT
• 3)PRACTITIONER (INVESTIGATOR) AS PARTICIPANT
• GERGEN (1994) NOTED THAT FROM A ROMANTICIST
  STANDPOINT, TO UNDERSTAND ANOTHER IS TO
  EXPERIENCE IN THE SAME MANNER, THE OTHERS
  SUBJECTIVITY.

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POETRY THERAPY

• POETRY THERAPY REFLECTS THE CLASSIC ISSUES IN
  LITERARY ANALYSIS AND PSYCHOLOGICAL PRACTICE THE
  ROMANTIC ASPECTS OF EMPATHY AND SUBJECTIVITY VS.
  REASON AND OBSERVATION.

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FOCUS ON CLIENT

• LERNER (1987) STATED THAT IN POETRY THERAPY THE
  FOCUS IS ON THE PERSON NOT THE POEM. CLIENTS ARE
  NOT ASKED TO INDENTIFY THE TRUE MEANING OF A
  POEM, BUT RATHER THE PERSONAL MEANING.

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HISTORICAL FOUNDATIONS

• APPOLO, DUAL GOD OF MEDICINE AND POETRY, HAS
  OFTEN BEEN REFERRED TO AS A STARTING POINT FOR
  THE HISTORICAL FOUNDATION FOR POETRY THERAPY.
• THE ANCIENT GREEKS ARE CREDITED WITH BEING ONE OF
  THE EARLIEST PEOPLE TO INTUITIVELY CONCEIVE OF
  THE IMPORTANCE OF WORDS AND FEELINGS TO BOTH
  POETRY HEALING.

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HISTORICAL FOUNDATIONS

• IN POETICS ARISTOTLE DISCUSSED THE ROLE OF
  CATHARSIS IN AFFECTING AN EMOTIONAL CURE
• THE VALUE OF POETRY IN PRODUCING INSIGHTS AND
  PROVIDING UNIVERSAL TRUTHS WAS ALSO NOTED
• TODAY, CATHARSIS IS CONSIDERED AN IMPORTANT
  ASPECT OF PSYCHOTHERAPY, ONE OF THE THERAPEUTIC
  FACTORS IN GROUP PSYCHOLOGY, AND A CENTRAL
  COMPONENT OF PSYCHODRAMA

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HISTORICAL FOUNDATIONS

• BLINDERMAN (1973) TRACED THE USE OF POETRY TO
  DEAL WITH EMOTIONAL PROBLEMS EVEN FURTHER IN
  HISTORY TO PRELITERATE TIMES WHEN INCANTATIONS
  AND INVOCATIONS WERE USED.
• OFTEN THE PURPOSE OF THE CHANTED WORD WAS TO
  BRING ABOUT CHANGE IN SELF, OTHERS, OR THE
  ENVIRONMENT.

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HISTORICAL FOUNDATIONS AMERICAN INDIANS

• ON THE AMERICAN INDIAN, ASTROV (1962, P.207)
  NOTED THE POWER OF THE WORD IT IS NOT THE HERB
  ADMINISTERED TO THE SICK WHICH IS CONSIDERED THE
  ESSENTIAL PART OF THE CURE, RATHER THE WORDS
  RECITED OVER THE HERB BEFORE ITS USE.

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RECENT HISTORY

• JONES (1969) NOTED THAT PSYCHIATRIC PATIENTS WERE
  WRITING POEMS FOR THE PENNSYLVANIA HOSPITAL
  NEWSPAPER, THE ILLUMINATOR, IN 1843.
• BENJAMIN RUSH WAS THE FIRST AMERICAN TO RECOMMEND
  READING FOR THE SICK AND THE MENTALLY ILL IN THE
  EARLY 1800S (RUBIN, 1978A)
• IN 1925, ROBERT HAVEN SCHAUFFLER WROTE THE POETRY
  CURE A POCKET MEDICINE CHEST OF VERSE.

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CONTEMPORARY DEVELOPMENTS

• THE HEALING POWER OF POETRY, BY SMILEY BLANTON
  (1960), WAS ANOTHER ATTEMPT AT CLASSIFICATION OF
  POEMS FOR SPECIFIC PROBLEMS AND MOODS.
• IN 1963, GRIEFER WROTE PRINCIPLES OF POETRY
  THERAPY.
• IN 1969, LEEDY EDITED AN INTERDISCIPLINARY
  COLLECTION OF CHAPTERS IN POETRY THERAPY THE USE
  OF POETRY IN THE TREATMENT OF EMOTIONAL DISORDERS.

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CONTEMPORARY DEVELOPMENTS

• IN 1973, LEEDY FOLLOWED WITH A SECOND EDITED
  VOLUME, POETRY THE HEALER.
• FORMAL RECOGNITION OF POETRY THERAPY WAS EVOLVING
  WITH THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE ASSOCIATION FOR
  POETRY THERAPY (APT) IN 1969.
• BEGINNING IN 1971, ANNUAL CONFERENCES WERE HELD
  IN NEW YORK.

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CONTEMPORARY DEVELOPMENTS

• IN 1981, THE APT BECAME FORMALLY INCORPORATED AS
  THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR POETRY THERAPY
  (NAPT). SINCE THAT TIME, ANNUAL CONFERENCES HAVE
  BEEN HELD AT SITES ACROSS THE UNITED STATES.
• SEE THE WEB NationalAssociationforPoetryTherapy.co
  m

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CERTIFICATION

• THE NATONAL ASSOCIATION FOR POETRY THERAPY HAS
  SET STANDARDS FOR CERTIFICATION AND REGISTRATION,
  MAINTAINS STRICT ADHERENCE TO ITS CODE OF ETHICS,
  AND OFFERS AND REVIEWS EDUCATIONAL AND TRAINING
  PROGRAMS.

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CERTIFIED POETRY THERAPIST OR CERTIFIED APPLIED
POETRY FACILITATOR

• B.A. REQUIRED, PLUS 440 HOURS OF TRAINING
• 1) 200 HOURS OF DIDACTIC STUDY OF POETRY THERAPY
• 2) 60 HOURS OF PEER EXPERIENCE
• 3) 120 HOURS OF POETRY THERAPY EXPERIENCE
  (FACILITATION)
• 4) 60 HOURS OF SUPERVISION

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REGISTERED POETRY THERAPISTS (RPTS)

• MASTERS DEGREE IN A CLINICAL FIELD (SUCH AS
  PSYCHOLOGY, SOCIAL WORK, COUNSELING) AND A TOTAL
  OF 975 HOURS
• 1) 250 HOURS OF DIDACTIC STUDY OF POETRY THERAPY
• 2) 60 HOURS OF PEER EXPERIENCE
• 3) 300 HOURS OF POETRY THERAPY EXPERIENCE
  (FACILITATION)
• 4) 100 hours of supervision
• 5) 165 hours of institution experience
• 6) 100 hours of other meritorious learning

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TESTIMONIALS

• TESTIMONIALS WILL APPEAR AT A LATER DATE ON
  WEBSITE
• JAMESBRANDENBURG.COM

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WRITING EXERCISE

• RECLAIMING FEELINGS ON PAGE 43 OF POETIC MEDICINE
  BY JOHN FOX
• SEE WEBSITE JAMESBRANDENBURG.COM
• FOR SAMPLES OF POEMS THAT HEAL.

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CONCLUSION

• QUESTIONS AND/OR COMMENTS
• CONCLUSION