POETRY AND HYPNOSIS POETRY FOR HEALING
“ Only poetry can mend a rupture in our civilisation .”
John Carey , P . Hd .
As hypnotherapists we deal in the language of the unconscious mind — in metaphors , symbols , imagery , and sensory detail . Our profession and our tools are not new ; for thousands of years humans have done this : shamans , monks , prophets , poets . In some languages , the ancient word for poet is the same as the word for prophet .
By definition , a prophet or prophetess is someone who speaks by
inspiration , edifies , uplifts , heals , and sometimes predicts things to
come . Poets also do this . The very nature of poetry , with its rhythms ,
images , inferences , and maternal patter , is designed to reach the
mind on a different level than everyday prose . Delivered to the mind in this way , poetry can inspire , heal , and even predict , as suggestions and images that bond with the unconscious begin to unfold into reality .
Contemporary poetry is life-affirming and directly relevant to all of our lives . The wonderful thing about contemporary poetry is that a poem can be about anything . There are poems about cars , girls , homework , lawn mowers , blue nudes , bicycles , suicide , love , death , the moon , and much more . The power of a good poem can move and change a person profoundly and unforgettably . Most people have at least one poem that they remember that affected them — the poem read at a wedding or funeral or during an inauguration speech .
While not all of your clients may be interested in poetry , a few solid collections in your library can enhance your hypnotherapy practice in several ways . First , poetry can be a window into your client ’ s subconscious mind , or to parts of him / herself . Second , poetry can be used as a secondary induction to induce hypnotic trance . It is also wonderful for embedding