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The poetic wavelength–a narrative interview study exploring the potential of poetry to support meaning making and recovery following psychosis

Pearson, Mark; Rennick-Egglestone, Stefan; Winship, Gary

Authors

Profile image of GARY WINSHIP

GARY WINSHIP gary.winship@nottingham.ac.uk
Professor of Trauma, education and Mental Health



Abstract

Background: Despite growing evidence demonstrating the psychotherapeutic potential of reading and writing poetry for various mental health problems, there remains limited evidence in relation to psychosis. This paper explores the therapeutic potential of poetry for psychosis by exploring the narratives of people with experience of psychosis who read and write poetry and people who are using poetry therapeutically within their practice. Methods: Nineteen participants were recruited to the research and data was collected via narrative interviews. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed, and subjected to Labovian narrative analysis. Results: Four themes were identified: i) the unsayable becoming sayable; ii) poetry supporting discovery, play and meaning making; iii) relational expression through poetry; and iv) poetry and recovery. Discussion: The research offers a poetic window into the way in which we might begin to understand the language of psychosis and the interpersonal communication challenge therein. The authors propose the concept of the “poetic wavelength” which can inform the education of practitioners who are working with people who experience psychosis. Understanding the “Poetic Wavelength” offers an alternative form of meaning making, developing the capacity of practitioners in being able to accurately detect emotional states, and to respond accordingly, ultimately improving the experience of service users.

Citation

Pearson, M., Rennick-Egglestone, S., & Winship, G. (2022). The poetic wavelength–a narrative interview study exploring the potential of poetry to support meaning making and recovery following psychosis. Psychosis, https://doi.org/10.1080/17522439.2022.2116475

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Aug 18, 2022
Online Publication Date Sep 14, 2022
Publication Date Sep 14, 2022
Deposit Date Sep 21, 2022
Publicly Available Date Sep 21, 2022
Journal Psychosis
Print ISSN 1752-2439
Electronic ISSN 1752-2447
Publisher Routledge
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
DOI https://doi.org/10.1080/17522439.2022.2116475
Keywords Psychiatry and Mental health
Public URL https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/11201039
Publisher URL https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17522439.2022.2116475

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