The goals are to promote understanding of the self and the individual in society, to accept and change feelings and behavior, and to enhance mental and social wellness. History Poetry has been used for centuries. Eli Greifer used poetry therapy in the 1950s in conjunction with psychiatry at Creedmore State Hospital. More people in the helping professions began to use poetry therapy to facilitate the group process. In 1980, the National Association for Poetry Therapy was organized to formulate guidelines for training and certification in poetry therapy.
Poetry therapy allows self-expression and exploration.
If a group shares a poem about depression, for example, they can realize they are not the only ones who suffer, they can share the despair and possibly focus on lines that reflect hope and optimism in spite of despair. When strong emotions are expressed in an acceptable safe manner, these feelings can subside. Research Articles can be found in such journals as Arts in Psychotherapy. Since it is a relatively new field, it is difficult to find an abundance of specific research on the topic. Nicholas Mazza commented that case studies as opposed to empirical studies were conducted.