Writing poetry can enhance the psychotherapeutic process: Observations and examples

7"he Arts in Psychotherapy, Vol. 12 pp. 8%93, ~ Ankho International Inc., 1985. Printed in the U.S.A. 0197-4556/85$3.00 + .00

WRITING

POETRY

CAN ENHANCE

THE PSYCHOTHERAPEUTIC

OBSERVATIONS

PROCESS:

AND EXAMPLES

JUDITH C. F U C H E L , EdD* adolescent-adult level. The developmental tasks of adolescence, according to Erikson, include The National Association for Poetry Therapy gender role clarification, ego-integration, extendefines poetry therapy methodology as "the insive intellectual development, development of tentional use of poetry and the interactive procadolescent peer-group skills, differentiation of ess to achieve therapeutic goals and personal the unique psychological self, and further sepgrowth." Poetry therapy is used in conjunction aration from family. with many schools of psychotherapy as a vehicle Havighurst (1957) also describes specific defor helping the client understand him/herself. velopmental tasks of adolescence. He stresses This paper presents a case study. The young the evolving emotional independence from parwoman is well-known. The bibliographic data is ents, the achieving of more mature relations with intentionally brief to preserve her anonymity. age-mates of both sexes, the coming to terms with one's physical and sexual development, and T H E O R E T I C A L FRAMEWORK selecting and preparing for an occupation. Solnit (1983) emphasizes that the adolescent is It is generally accepted by psychotherapists striving for competence in the areas of social, that each of us progresses through developmensexual, and educational growth. Specifically, he tal stages as we mature, that anxiety accompanotes that adolescents, as they make the transinies each stage and that we use a variety of tion into adulthood, must loosen ties to their pardefenses and coping behaviors to handle the ents and crystallize their individual adult self, stresses. Frequently, we nurture and develop a must develop mechanisms to tolerate and handle specific talent and this helps us cope. I will deanxiety and depression, must accept the adult scribe how a young woman's inclination to write gender role and eventually live out their sexual poetry helped her manage some of the conflicts procreative longings, must plan ahead and move and anxieties of late adolescence. towards vocational self-sufficiency, and must The developmental stages described by theocome to terms with the continuing conflict berists delineate the accommodations we make durtween dependence and independence, between ing our lifetime. Erikson (1950) describes eight close relationships and aloneness. stages: Trust vs. Basic Mistrust, Autonomy vs. Although these developmental changes occur Shame and Doubt, Initiative vs. Guilt, Industry over a span of years and although each persofi vs. Inferiority, Identity vs. Role Diffusion, Intimacy vs. Isolation, Generativity vs. Stagnation, usually has time to adjust to the intellectual and emotional changes, conflicts arise during each and Ego Integrity vs. Despair. During the fifth stage (Note that Erikson defines each stage by stage, Identity vs. Role Diffusion, a youth expeboth the successful and the unsuccessful outriences rapid physical growth and genital maturcome, e.g., for stage five, Identity vs. Role Difity and frequently unfamiliar, disrupting sexual fusion.) and anxiety typically accompanies confeelings. The adolescent is moving rapidly from flict. Each of us learns to handle this anxiety with child to adult and the relatively stable ego of the our unique individual blend of defenses and coplatency child is undergoing change and eventualing behaviors. N wrote poetry. ly re-integration at the more sophisticated late *Judith Fuchel, a Certified Psychologist, is Assistant Professorat Queens College of the City University. New York. INTRODUCTION

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J U D I T H C. F U C H E L CASE

N, a 20-year-old college student, was directed to the college counseling center by a professor. Dr. L, who had had N as a student in home economics courses, noted changes in her behavior. She dozed during lectures, her absences increased, and her assignments were not turned in. At first he chided and demanded attention and improved performance; when that was ineffective, he r e c o m m e n d e d making an appointment with one of the psychologists in the counseling center. N complied. Although the center is set up to offer brief counseling and referral to community agencies, psychologists may use discretion and decide to work with a student on a long-term basis if it seems warranted. N had neither m o n e y for lowcost therapy nor the psychological energy that would carry her into a second therapy setting. I decided to work with her over the long term and saw her almost every week in individual therapy for two years. For many weeks N dutifully came to our sessions and in a quiet, controlled voice answered my questions about her life. She was resistive and responded hesitatingly in brief sentences. 1 was accepting and encouraging. Each session consisted of my questions and her brief replies. I learned that N was an only child and had been brought up in the South, one child of many in her extended family, while her mother came to New York to work. When N became a teenager, her mother sent for her. She was held responsible to achieve in school and to care for the apartment while her mother worked days and attended night school to upgrade her own skills. Communication between the two was minimal. N was given directives and fulfilled them. She was neither thanked nor praised. There were strict limitations on time permitted away from the apartment and on socializing, and few outings. N felt isolated and alone, felt resentful and guilty. She went through the correct motions at home so that her mother would permit her to stay, but her academic work began to suffer and she had no peer contacts other than the most casual ones made in class. We were making little progress in therapy because I could not penetrate her subdued ~proper'" facade. Feelings came to the surface

and were immediately denied: problem areas such as her poor college work, her very few friends, her distress about living with her mother were mentioned and minimized. One day, almost apologetically, N told me that she had written a poem following our session, and she asked whether I'd like to read it. (Although this was the first time N had used material generated during a therapy session as the stimulus for writing, she had been writing poetry for her own pleasure for a few years.) From then on, N bridged the week between our sessions by writing poems and in those poems she confronted feelings that arose during our sessions or she introduced feelings and problems that she couldn't tell me about face to face. Other therapists have written that clients who write poetry find that topics previously taboo can be written and shared, confronted and reflected upon, and that personality integration, tension reduction and self-understanding can be enhanced (Heninger, 1977; Sargent, 1979; Wadeson, 1981). Certainly that was occurring in N ' s writing and talking. Almost every session brought more poetry that dealt with areas of adolescent development as N was experiencing them. Geer (1983) describes poetry as a vehicle for catharsis which permits a sublimation of destructive impulses. Leedy (1969) notes that writing helps one deal with rather than avoid feelings and ideas. Bell (1982, p. 26) reinforces this idea when he states ~'much of what is considered hidden in a person's psyche has been thought of as hidden because the average person has not had the tools to make his inner data accessible." He suggests (pp. 28, 30) that '~writing initiates selfe n c o u n t e r " and ~teaches one to become o n e ' s own counsellor." Arthur Lerner recognizes poetry as an '~adjunctive tool in therapy . . . probing tool, a healing tool and a soothing tool . . . . Sometimes it's a buffing tool or a bridging tool'" (Lippin, 1982, p. 171). In her poetry, N was most involved with sexual awakening, with coalescing of her a u t o n o m o u s self, with management of the dependence-independence conflict and with her deep sad feelings. As she wrote about her feelings and conflicts, I raised questions about these and about other associated feelings. She had made it clear during the early months of therapy that she was embarrassed to talk about affection or anger or sex. By writing poetry in which these

POETRY THERAPY were alluded to or actually mentioned, N gained the confidence to confront these strong feelings as well as the anxious feelings that accompanied them during our sessions. She wrote about her feelings; in therapy we talked about them and she found ways of coming to terms with them. For example, this poem, quoted in part: Suddenly I am like the sleeping beauty in the fairy tale Awakened to the life around me which I thought was not real. Now that these experiences are brought from their depths to the surface I have to study and control them at a reasonable pace. Because they are too overpowering and sensational to bear. These feelings are so soothing, warming and frightening That I wonder, could they be really happening• I then realize they are mine which gets me worried Because I swore that these feelings could not be freed• Well now that these feelings are being free to roam They make me realize my needs and make me feel grown,

But sometimes I feel like a child desiring affection only Which makes me wonder if I am going in the right direction. My mind says take it easy and slow little girl. This led to a description of some of her sensual fantasies and to her awareness that she was afraid that acknowledgment might lead to action. Exploration of these fears, descriptions from her own life when she had acted impetuously and when she had acted after consideration, eventually led to the realization that she could acknowledge her feelings and still control her behavior. This knowledge added to her selfconfidence. N o longer was she at the mercy of uncontrolled, tantalizing, improper urges. Any feelings were acceptable as feelings; actions could be controlled. N had always shied from relating to men. Her father had died suddenly when she was seven. Her grief and puzzlement were still unresolved. 1 have lost you, which I once had When you were gone, I was very sad, Why weren't we ever seen with each other'? The reason: we weren't supposed to be together•

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When I think of you, tears come to my eyes And I say, "why did you have to die, Why couldn't you stay here forever?" The reason: "Daddy: we weren't supposed to be together." Although she was still uncomfortable with young men probably because unconsciously she expected them to leave without warning, as therapy progressed she began to talk wth men and to accept dates. Although not ready to become involved in a sexual relationship, she fantasized about the idea and thought about ways to communicate her wishes and needs to a partner. To you I give this To care and understand As though it were a child At the start, be gentle For it is unused. Nurture, mold, and console it w a t c h it g r o w

It is unsure of itself Be patient, it will learn• She didn't have the courage to get deeply involved with a young man but through her poems she could fantasize about physical intimacy and in therapy we could verbally practice conversations and behavior. Frequently, as in the poem just quoted, N is not specific about the subject she is examining. She writes about " t h i s " and " i t " and in that way puts distance between the feelings she describes and her acknowledgment that they are her own. As our sessions continued, as she wrote more and we talked, she was able to accept the feelings as her own and to recognize that this delving and seeking to understand herself was having a positive effect. She accepted that she could be puzzled by and feel at odds with her feelings but, at the same time, not shy from facing them. In this poem which I quote in full, N uses the concept of herself as puzzle metaphorically: 1 am a puzzle That has just fallen apart; Jumbled, displaced, Where do I start'? Shall I focus from within To branch up and outwards Like a tree?

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J U D I T H C. F U C H E L

Shall 1 concentrate on the edges Centering in and downwards Like a hole'? From inside to out Outside to in, Where do 1 begin'? I try fitting pieces together Different shapes, different sizes, Nothing matches: Pieces missing, Unfamiliar pieces mixed in, Confusion arises: Where do l look to find What I seek to know, When I don't know What i should be looking for? One theme raises the question, How do I, N, move from having "'fallen apart" to greater selfintegration and a u t o n o m y ? This is the question Erikson (1950) raises related to his ego-identity stage; this is the developmental task Havighurst (1957) describes as central to adolescence: How do I find out who I am'? However, at another level, the puzzle is even deeper and more difficult to solve: What should I be looking for'? The disruptive feelings of anxiety and confusion in each of us are aroused as we confront questions about the meaning of life. N uses poetry as the vehicle through which she struggles towards answers and towards inner contentment. And for her, poetry is an effective vehicle. As N became more comfortable as a multifaceted person with diverse needs and feelings and concerns, she looked deeper into herself• Speak to me little one, Let me know what moves you What stirs and affects you And why it does; Describe to me the passions Don't hold back the emotions That energizes the heart, Accelerates the breathing Reveal yourself to me For I'll listen when noone can, Noone knows you better than 1 . . . During therapy N became open to many aspects of herself and learned to accept all as parts of her personality. She moved from the adversary self-

critical role to role of "'best friend" in relation to her feelings about herself. And with this selffriendship came a sense of self-integration and recognition of the strength that grows from such integration. We are not a fragment of another being Considered like a missing piece Waiting to fuse with the other Combining to create a total; We are each a whole, Separate, together, and complete That can link together like a chain Allowing ourselves space to expand. Forming bonds when we join; Bonds that are secure To provide space to share and exchange But loose to permit growth and differences With a capacity Io include others. CONCLUDING THOUGHTS In the therapy sessions, as the academic years drew to an end and graduation approached, N talked about her greater confidence and emotional strength. She w a s n ' t only mouthing words; she had the themes in her poems as tangible evidence to reinforce our talk. Her poetry reflected that she was moving fairly quickly through some of the developmental tasks of adolescence: she began to set limits in her relationship with her mother and to separate herself from her m o t h e r ' s influence; she became more self-assertive in peer relationships and made friends of both sexes; she could also be alone comfortably; she spoke out in class, completed her assigned work, passed her courses: she learned to sublimate sexual needs through physical activity and by writing; she became able to talk about conflicts and concerns rather than permitting them to fester and inhibit thinking and behavior. It is probably true that we could have accomplished this movement through traditional psychotherapy alone. Emotional support, clarification of feelings, attitudes and ideas, presentation and evaluation of options, closer observation, and examination of behavior and the consequences of b e h a v i o r - - t h e s e are the elements of therapy and a modality of change. It is my belief that N ' s self-initiated introduction of poetry into our therapy sessions and her expression of fantasy, Iongings, conflicts and behavioral strengths

POETRY T H E R A P Y through her poetry hastened this therapeutic process. Drawing on any patient's individual creative skill in any area, e.g., writing, visual arts, dance, can provide that client with a well of strength as well as sometimes a technique for self-examination. In this case N's inclination and ability to write poetry provided both. REFERENCES BELL, G. L. (1982) Poetry therapy--changing concepts and emerging questions. Arts in Psychotherapy 9: 25-30. ER1KSON, ERIK H. (1950) Childhood and Society. New York: Norton. GEER, F. C. (1983) Marine-Machine to poet of the rocks: Poetry therapy as a bridge to inner reality: Some exploratory observations. Arts in Psyehotherapy 10: %14. HAVIGHURST, ROBERT J. (1957) Developmental Tasks and Education. New York: Longmans, Green. HENINGER, O. E. (1977) Poetry therapy: Exploration of a creative righting maneuver. Art Psychotherapy 4: 39-40.

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LEEDY, J. J. (Ed.) (1969) Poetry Therapy. The Use o f Poett T in the Treatment o f Emotional Disorders. Philadelphia: Lippincott. LIPPIN, R. A. (1982) Poetry and poetry therapy: A conversation with Arthur Lerner. Arts in Psychotherapy 9: 167174. SARGENT, LOIS (1979) Poetry in therapy. Soeiul Work 24: 156-159. SOLNIT, A. J. (1983) The ehanging adolescent. Paper presented at the Seventh Peter Blos Biennial Lecture, New York, November 1983. WADESON, H. (1981) Self-exploration and integration through poetry-writing. Arts in Psychotherapy 8: 225-236.

ADDITIONAL BIBLIOGRAPHY HARROWER, MOLLY (1972)Poetl 3' as Therapy. Gainesville, FL: University of Florida. LEEDY, JACK J. (Ed.) (1973)Poeto, the Healer. Philadelphia: Lippincott. SCHLOSS, GILBERT A. (1976) Psychopoett3': A New Approach to Self Awareness Through Poeto' Therapy. New York: Grosset Dunlap.