The Lawlessness of Loss: Poetry and Autoethnographic Writing as Therapy in Grief and Loss

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

1 Citation (Scopus)

Abstract

This study seeks to locate and evaluate ‘poetry therapy’ as a form of therapeutic method for use by practitioners of humanistic psychotherapy especially when used in responding to the traumas associated with grief and loss. Following an initial survey of the literature, the study will explore some examples of the use of poetry therapy for grief, with an especial qualitative focus upon the insights to be gained from first-hand autoethnographic accounts. The study undertakes a literature review which also includes some consideration of peer-reviewed autoethnographic explorations authored by theorists and practitioners of psychotherapy in order to identify what additional insights, if any, may be gained from accessing these personal accounts of process. In particular, the humanist perspective upon grief should be tempered with pragmatism so as to avoid regarding poetry as a reductive sentimentalising of trauma: encountering loss may be seen as experiencing subjection to a ‘lawless’ world. The study confirms the use of poetry therapy and autoethnographic writing has significant utility and potential, whilst recognising the challenges for empirical confirmation, the need for practitioners to be sensitive to the nuances of the source materials and the subtlety of appropriate application for different client perspectives and groups.
Original languageEnglish
JournalOMEGA - Journal of Death and Dying
Early online date13 Jun 2024
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 13 Jun 2024

Keywords

  • autoethnography
  • grief
  • loss
  • poetry therapy

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'The Lawlessness of Loss: Poetry and Autoethnographic Writing as Therapy in Grief and Loss'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this