PoetPsy

Have been wishing for long to visit Kochi Muziris Binnale, a meeting space for creative artists. Finally I made it. Loved ❤️

Happy "World Poetry Day" ❤️ March 21
My Philosophy of Poetry Therapy
​Dr. George Kaliaden

In my view, poetry is not merely an aesthetic pursuit. It can be re-commissiined as a diagnostic and therapeutic mirror. In my book, " Healing with Words," I have argued that prose often fails to capture the fragmented nature of trauma or the intensity of joy, whereas poetry—with its rhythm, metaphors, and symbolism—speaks directly to the subconscious.
In this book I have introduced the concept of "The Barefoot Counselor" - a proposal for democratization of mental health care by using poetry therapists. I draw inspiration from China's "barefoot doctors" model. Here the proposal is to train Poetry Therapists as Barefoot Counselors.
​The Mission: To reach "peripheral communities"—rural areas, urban slums, and marginalized groups who lack the financial or geographical means to visit a clinic.
​The Structure: These counselors are not meant to replace psychiatrists. Instead, they act as the frontline, conducting Mental Health Awareness Camps.
​The Supervision: They operate under a "hub-and-spoke" model, where they implement group therapy programs while receiving guidance from seasoned clinical psychologists.
​
Methodology: How it Works in Practice
​I have presented details of my "experiments" through several stages of engagement:
​Isoprinciple: Matching the poem’s mood to the patient’s current state.
​Catharsis: Using verse to release suppressed emotions.
​Integration: Helping the patient write their own "rehabilitative" verses to reclaim their narrative.

Herein below I cite one of my poems presented in this book:

PROS
Poem by George Kaliaden

Pros
could outwit the cons
was the logic of the bed.
Hugs could outwit the sighs
was the magic of the flesh
shielded by ribs of souls.

When blue flowers
and Novalis dreams
were pressed hard
into a scornful wink,
love vanished across limbs
of a waning folklore,
while sages ventured
to brush bosoms
of naive goddesses

Infirm and numb
she slept
at a shout's distance
muted by faked freedom
condemned gratis to chains.

And naked there lay
the co**se of an old song,
wounded, with stigmas
of time-honored flaws
within the womb
of a bleeding night.

Copyright (C) George Kaliaden 1975. Published in the book "Healing with Words" (2016)
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