Healing and Hypnotherapy Volume 5, Issue -3, 1 September 2020 | Page 17

commands. Third, a study of poetry can greatly sharpen your sensory acuity
as well as your repertoire of imagery, metaphors, and suggestions. Lastly,
poetry can work where other things haven’t. Kafka said that a book “must
be the axe which smashes the frozen sea within us.” A poem can be just
that for a resistant or frozen client—especially the clients who seem the
least likely to be interested in poetry.
Poetry as a Window to the Unconscious
If you have a client that likes poetry or even writes poetry, this can be a
great way to learn things you wouldn’t in a typical session. If my clients like
poetry, I might ask them to bring in some of their favourite poems and ask
them to tell me why they love them. This can be very revealing.
Here is a fun example:
Tuesday 9 a.m. By Denver Butson
A man standing at the bus stop reading the newspaper is on fire Flames are
peeking out

from beneath his collar and cuffs His shoes have begun to melt
The woman next to him wants to mention it to him that he is burning

but she is drowning Water is everywhere
in her mouth and ears in her eyes

A stream of water runs steadily from her blouse
Another woman stands at the bus stop freezing to death

She tries to stand near the man

who is on fire
to try to melt the icicles

that have formed on her eyelashes

and on her nostrils

to stop her teeth long enough

from chattering to say something

to the woman who is drowning

but the woman who is freezing to death has trouble moving

with blocks of ice on her feet