How To Turn Trauma Into Therapeutic Poetry
As the seasonal depression rolls in, we get reflective about the life choices and people that we leave in the past. We never get to the therapist couch because of the time we focus on other events. As triggering flashbacks come back to us, we never want to confront our reactions. Instead of retreating into the abyss, grab your pen and journal and create poetry that scares you. Here are some ways to write poetry that will save you an hour to the couch.
Go With In
Now, I am not saying that writing poetry will completely help you avoid your journey to the couch. But, writing down how certain events made you feel unlocks a self-awareness feature that you would have never known. Think about the emotions that resurface when you think about this person, event, or idea. Here are some guided questions: “What memory makes you feel uncomfortable?”, “What emotions does the event stir up inside you? '' and why do these emotions come up? These questions bring up all you need to start thinking about for the writing portion of your poem. This creates a mind map of what you will be writing about and how to format it.
Make It Messy
All poetry is not formulaic or perfect to the eyes. The therapeutic part of poetry is writing the words with no rules. The words can be in any location, curse words can suffice, and tears are fine as well. Creating a writing dump helps you pour everything out until you are tired and empty. The empty feeling creates a feeling of peace and relief. This is your experience, and no one changes the way you feel about it. Releasing is a natural action that for the most part never gets explored unless pushed to the limit. By writing it out, gives you the space to explore the depths of your darkest times.
It Takes Time
Everyone is at different stages of vulnerability because of their experiences and trauma. So, be gentle with yourself and create time for your words to flow out. Some of our traumatic experiences are not tapped into until something triggers us. When these moments come alive, you can start writing all of your feelings down. Sometimes, you won’t have the energy for a full-page dump of venting. . You might have to write day by day to get your emotions out on paper, but the end results will be worth it.
Make it Habit
Dedication to anything always brings positive results to the situation. Writing in your journal every night or 5 minutes a day can create change in the way you regulate your emotions. So, writing heartfelt poetry about your trauma can help push your problems to the surface. Find a time in the day to dedicate writing about the current feelings and past ones to form them into poetry. You become more conscious of your emotions and become proud of the writings that you have written. When you have accumulated enough writings, you can always go back and reflect. After reflecting on your poetry, you can submit poems to literary journals and social media to share your art with everyone. The beauty of writing is having the bravery and artistry to show your experiences to the world. You will be surprised at the number of people that you will touch and understand your place in the world.
Trauma will always have a place in our psyche because of the experiences we have gone through. However, we have the power to change the narrative of our trauma and create something beautiful out of it.
