Writing the wound: Poetic spirituality and transformation in two therapeutic case poems

Abstract

This autoethnographic study examines two of my own poems ‘Where Silence Tends the Harvest’ and ‘The Hush of Metaphor’ as qualitative case studies demonstrating how poetic expression can function simultaneously as spiritual practice and psychological healing. Grounded in narrative poetry therapy, Gross’s (2015) emotion regulation theory, narrative identity research, and positive psychology, the analysis examines how metaphor, symbolic action, and spiritual imagery may transform distress into resilience. The first poem reframes inner conflict through a symbolic shift – guns become rice fields – illustrating trauma reappraisal and the re-cultivation of agency. The second poem represents spiritual presence through silence, breath, dust, and twilight, reflecting contemplative experience and the restorative effect of mindful attention. These findings align with positive psychology research showing that meaning, engagement, and transcendence promote flourishing and post-traumatic growth. I argue that poetic language may provide a form of spiritual resilience, allowing individuals to experience healing not by erasing wounds, but by transforming them into symbols of growth.

The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Journal for the Study of Spirituality, 2026 · DOI ↗