How Poetry Changes Your Brain
An Online Self-Guided Course with 17 Lessons & 11 hours of Video Training
with National Bestselling Author and World-Renowned Neuroscience Researcher, Mark Waldman & Malibu Poet Laureate and Founder of The Poetry Vessel, Nathan Hassall
Hear what Nathan Hassall and Mark Waldman have to say about their exciting new course that will show you how to write and speak in a way that creates genuine empathy and interest in the reader’s and listener’s brain.
Evidence-Based Methods to Enhance Your Everyday Life
The new field of neurocognitive poetics gives us a better way to communicate with others and to turn emotional distress into serenity and joy.
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.
Your brain is built to communicate poetically. If you do not use it, you’ll be profoundly misunderstood by others. If you do…you’ll form profound connections and heal your own inner wounds.
Who is this course for?
This program is ideal for anyone interested in utilizing neuroscience-based strategies to enhance their personal and professional lives. By integrating these evidence-based techniques, you can experience measurable improvements in confidence, emotional well-being, communication skills, and overall life satisfaction.
What benefits will I experience?
✔ Improve the language and communication centers in your brain
✔ Build emotional empathy using poetic speech and metaphor
✔ See your problems with greater clarity
✔ Deepen your self-knowledge
✔ Resolve fear/anxiety/depression faster than traditional therapy
✔ Learn to listen and speak in tune with your brain, through melody and rhythm
✔ Turn off negative ruminating thoughts
✔ Become less judgmental and self-critical
✔ Process grief and trauma faster
✔ Learn how to better express wordless emotions
✔ Tap into your unconscious to gain wisdom
What you’ll get from this course
Gain Lifetime access to in-depth videos covering the following topics:
What People Are Saying
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“…Mindfulness and brain science may be the two most important “ingredients” that can transform any professional coaching or therapy practice, and Mark Waldman’s certification program will show you how to help your clients integrate powerful brain-enhancing strategies that will bring them remarkable satisfaction and success. Mark has the unique ability to translate state-of-the art neuroscience into practical techniques that rapidly promote personal transformation. If you are ready to take the leap to begin or enhance your coaching practice and take it to new heights of excellence and originality, take action now because Mark only has openings for a limited number of committed and motivated students.”
- John Assaraf, CEO of NeuroGym -
![Dr. Neil Schuitevoerder, Phd, MFT, Clinical Psychologist]()
“I’ve been a supervisor of therapists, psychologists, and spiritual counselors for many decades and the research shows that mindfulness-based interventions are some of the most effective ways to enhance both personal and spiritual development. I strongly encourage you to enroll Mark Waldman’s training program. The techniques you’ll learn will greatly help your clients, and they will help you to feel deeper satisfaction in your professional life.”
– Dr. Neil Schuitevoerder, Phd, MFT, Clinical Psychologist -
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“Nathan believes so deeply in poetry and in the power of the spoken word and in community…With these workshops that he’s given, Nathan nourishes that and makes community possible.”
- Dr. Ann Buxie, PhD in Mythological Studies with an emphasis in Depth Psychology, focusing on Hinduism and Buddhism.
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“Nathan is a sublime poetry instructor and we’ve had a terrific time reading and writing and getting to know each other. It’s just been a lovely experience. Nathan’s workshops are a thoroughly fulfilling experience.”
- Julie Daniels, Voice/Speech Instructor at Los Angeles County High School for the Arts -
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“I’ve never taken a [poetry] workshop before, I’m in my 50s, and I came back as soon as I found out there was another one. It was fantastic and Nathan was amazing. Can’t wait for more!”
- Robert Roman, Producer at Sony Entertainment -
![Charlotte Ward, Malibu Poet Laureate]()
“Nathan has shared an inner obligation to express drive musically. A song to sing, a rhythm to thrum, we listen applaud all that stirs us to breathe poetry into the bright community air. Thank you, Nathan!”
- Charlotte Ward, Author, MBTI, Neuro-Linguistic Programing, Photo Reading, and Success Unlimited Network expert.
Meet Your Instructors
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Nathan Hassall is the 5th Poet Laureate of Malibu, California, and the Founder of The Poetry Vessel. As a poet, educator, and editor, he brings a deep commitment to the transformative power of language.
Originally from Horsham, England, Hassall earned his Master’s in Creative Writing – Poetry in 2018. His chapbook of haiku, dregsongs from blab cartilage, was published by Bones: A Journal of Haiku and featured as The Haiku Foundation’s Book of the Week. His poetry has also appeared widely across international literary journals.
Through The Poetry Vessel, Hassall offers global poetry education and hosts a multidisciplinary podcast. The podcast features a diverse range of guests, including neuroscientists, musicians, poets, and therapists, all exploring the poetic in its many forms. As a sought-after freelance editor, he collaborates with poets, writers, and entrepreneurs, helping them articulate their voices with clarity and depth—skills he brings directly to this course.
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Mark Waldman began his coaching career 1987, under the psychoanalytic supervision of Bruno Bettelheim and the Southern California Psychoanalytic Institute. He was actively involved with the Association for Transpersonal Psychology and was the founding editor of the Transpersonal Review. As an Associate Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for Spirituality and the Mind, Mark and Andrew Newberg used their brain-scan research to develop new ways to improve cognitive and emotional performance. Their national bestseller, How God Changes Your Brain, was chosen by Oprah as one of the “Must Read” books for 2012.
The author of 14 books, Mark’s in-depth research has been published in neuroscience and psychology journals throughout the world and his work has been featured in Time Magazine, the Washington Post, the New York Times, Forbes, Entrepreneur, and many others. He has appeared on hundreds of radio and television programs, including PBS and NPR, and his TEDx Talk has been viewed by more than 100,000 people.
He created the world’s first NeuroLeadership course that he taught for the Executive MBA program at Loyola Marymount University, and he has traveled throughout the world introducing new brain-enhancing strategies to schools and professional organizations throughout the world including the Los Angeles County Psychological Association, the UCLA Center for Neurobiology of Stress, the Texas Council of Community Centers, Pepperdine School of Psychology, Southern Louisiana University, University of California Irvine, Centers for Spiritual Living and many religious/spiritual groups.