Poetry and the Body
Did you know that Poetry can have a physiological effect on the body?
For me, the best poetry is primarily a somatic experience. Poetry engages the body and brain similarly to music.
While many of us are more familiar with music’s effect—how it can shift and alter our moods and energies almost as soon as that first vibratory note of information quivers through the air and dances down our ear canals, many of us are less familiar with poetry’s bodily effects.
Neuroscientists have conducted research on what poetry does to the body and brain.
After selecting poems from the likes of William Shakespeare, Edgar Allen Poe, Rilke, Paul Celan, Friedrich Hölderlin, Friedrich Schiller, Theodor Fontane, and Otto Ernst, researchers Wassiliwizky et al. measured the study participant’s physiological reactions when they heard poetry out loud.
Amazingly, 100% of participants in the study claimed to have felt chills at some point while hearing the poetry, with about 40% experiencing measurable goosebumps.
So, let’s do our own poetry experiment.
Click above to watch my video as I take you through some poems, studies, and a breathing exercise that will help you “feel” just how strongly poetry affects your body.
How Poetry Can Change Your Brain
If you've ever felt the power of a poem jolt your perspective, flood your system with goosebumps, or deliver a moment of pure, insightful pleasure—you've experienced a tangible neurological surge.
In our online course, How Poetry Changes Your Brain, you’ll discover how and why this transformation occurs. Co-created with National Bestselling author, therapist, and neuroscience researcher, Mark Waldman, our groundbreaking online course blends practical poetry writing, cutting-edge neuroscience, and profound self-discovery.
This program is tailored for those who want to develop their poetic skills and to deepen their writing practice. The field of neurocognitive poetics is clear: If you want to experience greater meaning and happiness in life, it is essential to bring a poetic framework into every aspect of your personal life, the workplace, and especially with those you deeply care for and love.
By the end of our course, you’ll:
✅ Master emotional resilience: Use poetic tools to process and move through difficult emotions, including grief and sadness.
✅ Achieve peak communication: Sharpen your language skills to become a more articulate, empathetic, and persuasive communicator in every aspect of life.
✅ Access creative flow: Learn techniques to effortlessly enter the coveted "flow state" where writing feels instinctual and powerful.
✅ Uncover your authentic self: Engage in deep self-discovery that reveals the architecture of your own mind and clarifies who you truly are.
