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Adolescence is a challenging stage due to the multiple and rapid changes that occur. In this paper, we present a clinical case of a teen with anxiety and hypochondriac symptoms. The therapeutic treatment, ongoing, was provided in 16 sessions. The intervention was based on the assumption that health anxiety results from processes that maintain catastrophic interpretations that for itself increases anxiety. The principles of cognitive–behavioral and narrative therapy were applied in the intervention. The therapy involved providing psychoeducation, reducing the excessive focus given to the body, learning and training strategies to cope with anxiety, and constructing a life project. The case study shows the value of using metaphors as tools in the therapeutic process, and when facing life's challenges. Also, it shows the importance of using reading and writing exercises to promote change and adjustment. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The purpose of this paper is to deal with the subject of failure from various angles. The first angle relates to the lyrical failure, which takes place at any moment in which the mind chooses to envelop something with a familiar context instead of revealing what is new in it, or chooses to know “about” something rather than knowing the thing itself. The second angle considers the link between experiences of failure and the human ability to imagine and to live “parallel universes.” The third angle considers the experience of failure as being connected with the work of mourning. The fourth angle relates to the experience of failure as creating a dialogue with our interior sense of measure. The fifth angle considers the internal dialogue of failure as comprising within itself the unconscious fantasy of a “higher authority,” which sees beyond us and guards our steps. The sixth angle considers the experience of failure as a lyrical gesture, one which exists not in the territory of authentic truth, but in the breathing space which can be created only as the result of moving between choices. Finally, through the integration of the various angles a therapeutic case will be presented to demonstrate a situation of obsessive libidinal investment in the experience of failure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through diaries, depressed women are able to chart their passage through depression side-by-side with their involvement in the therapeutic process. Writing in diaries provides meaning for their own experience of depression and enhances the therapeutic process. As diarists, by retelling and reclaiming the events in one's life, they are able to become aware of their own "true" selves and become experts in depression. It is possible that, through depression narratives, voices that are used to expressing sadness become more visible to oneself through the healing pen. The primary objective of this paper is to describe how intensive diary writing can be used as a psychotherapeutic tool for depressed women involved in time limited professionally guided self-help groups in Finland. There were two main ways in which members used their diaries: as a tool for self-reflection and as a support in dealing with psychological and physical pain. The conclusions drawn were that diary work was all about the self in dialogue and this implied a movement away from, if not out of, depression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper will explore the use of poetry in therapy, particularly with trauma survivors, and clients in recovery from addiction to alcohol and other drugs. Practice examples from sessions with individuals and groups illustrate some of the methods and benefits of writing poetry. Mazza's (2003) model is introduced, together with a discussion of the theoretical base and research supporting poetry writing as a therapeutic collaboration. In addition, the author demonstrates how therapists can use poetry writing themselves as a way to make sense of their work, and relieve the stress of absorbing the hurt and pain of their clients. Samples of poetry from her work and that of other therapists are included. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The contribution of stories in biblio-poetry therapy practice and in enhancing personal development is the focus of this paper. Writing, telling and listening to stories open up possibilities for change and new learning windows. Through expressive and communicative stories, therapeutic and developmental dia- and polylogism can expand one's imaginative space and perspectives of action in a “holding framework” and even in virtual communities. Rewriting previous “truth stories” moves and modifies one's conceptions of self, others and life relations. The inhibitions, failures and dislocations inherent in storytelling also provide valuable experiential and experimental touching/moving knowledge. The presence of the “imagined reader” and the “internal supervisor” in the writing process can help in reflecting, evaluating and steering, through meta-emotional and metacognitive processes, one's own and others’ needs, aspirations and goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poetry writing was found to be therapeutic during my doctoral study by relieving stress, promoting self-understanding and filling my emptiness. Twelve poems are selected and categorized into six thematic areas: the sense of loss and social isolation; the persistent studying; the fantasy world; the mother-son relationship; the bodily symptoms; and the omnipresent gaze. The background of the prewriting experience and the functions of each poem are presented. The paper ends by offering some implications for education and calls for the use of poetry writing as a therapeutic aid for graduate students in the process of their study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]