150 the rice diet renewal
“ Words are the physician of the mind diseased, ” the use of poetry is
an ageless approach to healing. When the use of poetry therapy
became popular again in the 1960s and 1970s, it was commonly
tagged as “ bibliotherapy, ” meaning “ the use of literature to serve or
help. ” In one of Freud ’ s more humble moments, he said, “ Not I, but
the poet discovered the unconscious. ” Poet and therapist Dr. Perie
Longo ’ s succinct summary of poetry therapy stimulated my appre-
ciation for the ancient technique of using rhythmic words to heal.
Dr. Longo clearly sets the foundation for us to take in the his-
torical depth and the interconnected nature of poetry and healing:
“ The focus of poetry for healing is self - expression and growth of
the individual, whereas the focus of poetry as art is the poem itself.
But both use the same tools and techniques; language, rhythm,
metaphor, sound, and image, to name a few. In the end, the result
is often the same. The word therapy , after all, comes from the
Greek word therapeia , meaning ‘ to nurse or cure through dance,
song, poem and drama, that is the expressive arts. ’ The Greeks have
told us that Asclepius, the god of healing, was the son of Apollo,
god of poetry, medicine, and the arts historically entwined. ”
Poetry, possibly more than any genre, connects us with our
Creator or the indefi nable creative place within us. It comes from
a depth that we all have the freedom to tap into, even those who
don ’ t consider themselves artistically endowed. Over the years, we
have had numerous poets in residence who assisted Ricers who
had initially resisted writing poetry. These Ricers were then amazed
at the depths they soon divulged and the joy they felt in doing so.
Writing and reading poetry of our own or with people we feel
connected to can release and satisfy our souls. Dr. Longo adds,
“ A poem has much to teach us about ourselves and the world, as
form and sound give rise to silence. One of the benefi ts of poetry
reading and writing is not only does it help defi ne the ‘ I, ’ but
strengthens it. This is necessary if we are to be a part of the world.
The process attaches us to the greater part of ourselves, to all that
is whole and good and beautiful. And when we feel ourselves as not
alone in the world, but a part of and integrated with all that exists,
self - esteem grows. ”