Poetic Moments in Psychotherapy (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781458210609)

After decades of practice, psychotherapist Bryan C. Hazelton began expressing through poetry various moments he experienced in his profession. The result is a collection of verse filled with imagination and discernment, exploring psychotherapy in an innovative way.

Poetic Moments in Psychotherapy offers a refreshing alternative to looking through the lens of diagnosis and theory, presenting a thoughtful, empathic understanding of the patient/therapist experience. This intersubjective view is highlighted in a number of insightful, entertaining poems employing vivid imagery.

Each poem, inspired by a single moment, encapsulates the process of therapy in an authentic, perceptive and original way. Simplicity and complexity, darkness and light, and the dance between self and other infuse this collection. These poems are Hazelton's contribution to the intersection where words, imagery, psychotherapy and creativity co-exist.

Building Empathy

I construct the patient's world within me,
beam by feel,
floor by thought.
Positioning of doors.
Thickness of walls.
Visibility through windows.
When erected,
I'll know what it's like to live there.