Poetry therapy and existential practice

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how poetry and poetry therapy are useful tools in existentially oriented psychotherapeutic practice. This paper will accomplish this aim in several ways. First, a brief introduction to poetry therapy will be presented. Second, the main principles of existential therapy will be explored. Third, the congruence between poetry therapy and existential theory will be addressed. Fourth, exercises will be presented that can be used in existentially oriented practice. Lastly, a case example demonstrates the use of poetry and poetry therapy in existential psychotherapy. This article represents a departure from most scholarship on poetry therapy, the majority of which is rooted in psychoanalytically oriented traditions. It appears that the preponderance of theorists in the expressive arts therapies in general have been those influenced by psychoanalysis and modern psychoanalytic theory (Mazza, 1999). This is lamentable, since therapists, who practice from theoretical orientations not congruent with this approach, may not explore the uses of poetry and poetry therapy in their work. I contend that poetry and poetry therapy are congruent with many additional theoretical orientations. For the field of poetry therapy to progress, and expand its current boundaries, scholars must demonstrate its relevance to other theoretical and practice orientations. Previously, such work has been conducted with the strengths—perspective of social work treatment (Furman, Jackson, Downey, & Bender, 2002).