Uplifting. Thoughtful. Poignant. In other words, time to think about the power of language.
Poetry packs a punch. Take W.B. Yeats. How about the following? ‘But I, being poor, have only my dreams; / I have spread my dreams under your feet; / Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.’ (He wishes for the cloths of Heaven).
Yeats died in 1939, but, even today, we have an occasional nod to the poetical geniuses of yesteryear. Think Dead Poets Society (1989). And how about President Thomas J Whitmore’s rousing speech in Independence Day (1996)?
Bill Pullman’s delivery of Welsh poet Dylan Thomas’ ‘Do not go gentle into that quiet night’ is one of the film’s sparkling moments. Fans of American cop drama, The Mentalist, can probably recite verbatim William Blake’s ‘Tyger, Tyger.’
The poem in question asks how God can both create an innocent lamb AND a man killer? A real case of Beauty verses The Beast. And all in just 24 lines! Wow!
It becomes a central theme in the series with the arch villain quoting the opening verse to a tied and bound Patrick Jane (the hero figure).
In other words, poetry is alive and well within our popular culture, even if it lurks slightly beneath the surface, where all is not immediately visible.
The power of language : its’ ability to influence the way we think and behave is well known and documented. It’s the crux of everything which a practitioner will consider when working with a client.
‘What’s been good about your week?’ is a whole different question to ‘How are you?’ We use these language patterns to encourage positive thinking. Poets use similar techniques to prompt an emotional reaction.
I dare anyone to read Wordsworth’s Michael: A Pastoral Poem and not be sobbing by the end of it. Plot spoiler alert coming up!
It’s a lengthy read, and so, for those of you wanting to know what happens then, put simply, it’s a reworked version of The Prodigal Son. The twist being that the son never returns home. Start reaching for your hankies now, folks!
Poets use rhythm in their verse. So do we. It has a wonderful hypnotic effect. Think Iambic pentameters. Poets use metaphors. So do we. Consider ‘Wondering as lonely as a cloud’ (Wordsworth) and ‘Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?’ (Shakespeare) or ‘Hope is the thing with feathers / That perches in the soul.’ (Emily Dickinson). Crikey!
These are the words which stick with us. They create powerful imagery. Imagery which can create success. Imagery which can create positive change.
The use of the metaphor within hypnotherapy allows us to create a visual picture of something within our mind. Simplicity of language and ideas are crucial to ensure the technique works.
Get it right and it means anyone can fully and easily understand a simple message (or an indirect suggestion). It can, for instance, be a crucial step in helping someone to stop the smoking habit.
And so, as we use imagery techniques to help our clients then why not dip into a bit of Keats during your free time?
Stock up on those poetry books (you can pick up brand new mini collections from just £1). Reading this stuff isn’t just good for understanding the healing effects of language but it also provides us with a comfort blanket and a bit of TLC.
A book takes time to read. Perhaps days or weeks. Sure, some poems are lengthy, but, equally, others can be happily consumed during a break between clients.
A wonderful five-minute rest period where you can transport yourself into another world. Think new things. Experience new perspectives. And provide nourishment for your soul.
The quill of yesteryear’s poets has now replaced by the gentle tap, tap, tap of their modern-day equivalents gently hitting buttons on a keyboard. The means may have changed; but the power of a poem’s wording hasn’t altered one single jot.
And it’s those language patterns which can make all the difference. Not just for others but also in the way we talk to ourselves, the way we perceive things and the way we look at the world around us. It allows us to consider words which can generate whole feelings of love, warmth and success.
‘When the green woods laugh with the voice of joy
And the dimpling stream runs laughing by,
When the air does laugh with our merry wit,
And the green hill laughs with the noise of it.’
Laughing Song, Songs of Innocence and Experience (William Blake).