By Elizabeth Esguerra Castillo
It is said that poetry can provide comfort and boost mood during periods of stress, trauma, and grief. Its powerful combination of words, metaphor, and meter helps us better express ourselves and make sense of the world and our place in it. It also allows us to identify our personal struggles, breaks our feelings of isolation, and affirms our sense of belonging.
Poetry is everywhere. Even the mere creation of the Earth is poetic. We can gain a lot of insight into the healing characteristics of verses in this special interview edition.
Our next Author Interview Feature is with Michelle Brown, another multi-talented beautiful soul from the USA who holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology from Rutgers University. She has several brilliant credentials under her name: Anger Management Specialist-I (CAMS-I), Neuro-Linguistic Programming Practitioner, Domestic Violence Specialist-I (CDVS-I), Certified Mental Health Coach, and Poetry Therapy Practitioner (in training). She also trained in several expertise such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Mindfulness Therapy, Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy, Trauma, and Crisis Intervention. She is a member of the National Anger Management Association. Michelle is a member of the National Association for Poetry Therapy. Michelle is an MS Activist for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
It is also interesting to know that she is the Owner of Anger Management Pathways LLC., offering Psychoeducational Anger Management Classes and Workshops for court-mandated as well as non-court-mandated persons. Michelle is also the Creator of “Lyrical Healing” Workshops which utilizes the art of poetry to reach out to individuals who need help in mending and healing.
She is the Vice President of Empowerment Thru Spoken Word Poetry-TAPN2U “A Help to Heal” 501©3 nonprofit organization. Michelle is an author, and her writings and poetry have appeared in several books, such as Rewrites and W.O.W Anthology.
According to Michelle: “When we engage in writing poetry or listening to a poem the right hemisphere of the brain, which is associated with memory and self-reflection, is stimulated. This stimulation boost comfort moods and strengthen overall cognitive health. Poetry is a multi-sensory experience which engages the brain in understanding the sounds, meaning, and emotions of words.”
Truly poetry is not just mere words we write or utter, they make us “live”, they “breathe” in us as words when sent out to the Universe will manifest.
You can get in touch with Michelle Brown via:
Website:
http://www.angermanagementpathways.com
Book:
Love Unleashed https://a.co/d/aXarpF2
Social Media:
@mindset_lyricalhealing
Email:
info@angermanagementpathways.com
lyricalhealingpoetry@gmail.com
Here are two of Michelle’s powerful verses:
“Two Shades”
My life, like leaves in the wind, forcefully blown into a magnificent Fall performance, was whist across center stage and blown into an unparalleled performance, where the merged presence of purpose and pain fought for the leading role. Each presence held their own truth to my identity. Each presence demanded me to play the supporting role. I didn’t get the chance to audition for pain and my part in purpose was written before my birth. No rehearsal, acting school or acting techniques could have prepared me for the presentation in which I had to live with, in which I had to endure; nothing could prepare me for the duality of purpose and pain woven within me. I gravitated towards the pain and could have live with this half presentation of myself if it wasn’t for the designed purpose inside me screaming and fighting for recognition. I often wondered if the curtains would ever fall on this vacillating performance.
“Untwisted Me”
Masquerade pain dress as pleasure
Brilliant disguise oh so clever
Hindered my sight in search of love
Take off the mask
Charmed by pain’s hypnotic gestures
Blindly submit while wounds fester
Ambushed me with false promises
Naïve to lies
Addicted to this sick charade
Sense of what’s real begins to fade
Pain had become the love I seek
I must break free
Sounds inside the depth of my soul
Vibrates to split this awful hold
I see myself in love’s mirror
Where have I been
Freedom smells sweet my first inhale
Allowed love to rip off the scales
Beautiful pleasure in full view
Untwisted me.
Let us get to know more about Michelle in our Interview with her below:
1. Why did you decide to take a course in Psychology?
Answer: When I began my higher education journey, I had my sights set on getting my degree in early childhood education. However, when I took the required course in child psychology I fell in love with the intricate parts of the brain and how we function as individuals. My understanding of human behavior expanded while taking this course and I wanted to learn more about the exciting field of psychology. So, I quickly changed my major and I do not regret doing so. My training in psychology has equipped me with the ability to understand, show compassion and educate individuals who are experiencing mental and emotional challenges.
2. What challenges do you encounter as a practicing Anger Management Specialist-I (CAMS-I)?
Answer: Two challenges that I face as a practicing anger management specialist consist
of getting individuals to understand that anger is a natural human emotion and
dismantling the irrational belief that people and situations make us angry. With the first challenge, many people believe being angry is a negative character flaw. This belief is untrue. Everyone experiences the feeling of anger because Anger is one of the body’s.
defense mechanisms against the thought of threat, frustration, needs not being met, etc.
You are allowed to feel the emotion of anger, however, you must control the behavioral
response to anger. It is the destructive behavioral responses to anger that can be
problematic not the emotion of anger. With the second challenge, when you believe that people or situations make you angry you give up your emotional control and allow others to pull your proverbial strings. It is not the person or situation that produces the feeling of anger within you, it is your thoughts about what the person did or did not do or what the situation took away or gave to you. Now that’s not to say that your thoughts are not valid in the moment but it’s getting you to understand the important role that your thoughts play in feeling angry. Often times when you adjust your thoughts you will produce healthy behavioral responses to anger.
3. What made you create “The Lyrical Healing” workshops?
Answer: I created Lyrical Healing after I read a book title “The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma.” One of the chapters in the book highlighted the effective approach of Poetry Therapy when assisting individuals with healing from emotional trauma. Once I finished the book, I enrolled to get the necessary certification and I made it my mission to infuse my love for poetry and my background in psychology to assist individuals with finding their voices and tearing down emotional barriers through writing poetry.
4. How can poetry help in healing people emotionally, spiritually, psychologically, and even physically?
Answer: When we engage in writing poetry or listening to a poem the right hemisphere of the brain, which is associated with memory and self-reflection, is stimulated. This
stimulation boost comfort moods and strengthen overall cognitive health. Poetry is a
multi-sensory experience which engages the brain in understanding the sounds, meaning, and emotions of words. The effective combination of metaphors words and rhymes that is presented in poetry assist individuals with better expressing themselves and it helps them make sense of what they are experiencing.
5. How has being the Vice President of Empowerment Thru Spoken Word Poetry-TAPN2U “A Help to Heal” affected your life and relationship with others?
Answer: I have met some amazing people from all over the world, and I am grateful for the opportunity to participate in advocacy and philanthropy that capsulate my core values.
Dr Anita Powell, who is the Founder and Visionary of ESWP, has a compassionate, and
empathetic personality, coupled with her global vision to bring peace to the masses, has taught me the importance of being true to yourself while providing compassion and
empathy to the world.
6. Do you believe that writers, poets, and even artists can be great Psychologists?
Answer: The traditional role of a psychologist is to lead to client transformation. Poetry also can lead to profound transformation. If you couple these two disciplines together, it is my belief that you have a high probability for client transformation. Psychologist and Poets, both utilize words to foster self -revelation. Psychologist utilize spoken words and poets use the written word. If you are a psychologist, who is a poet, it is my belief that you have an advantage of combining two effective approaches to assist your clients with healing.
7. Can you tell our readers what inspired you to compose “Untwisted Me”?
Answer: This poem was birthed from a self reflection exercise that I forced myself to do after my divorce. I needed clarity on how I lost myself in the relationship. I wanted and needed a clear roadmap to begin again. Untwisted Me revealed to me the steps I needed to forgive myself for wearing blinders during my marriage, and the steps I needed to embrace and live my true identity.
8. Where do you draw inspiration for your writings?
Answer: My inspiration comes from past experiences, music, books I have read and also from conversations and interactions with people. I pretty much draw inspiration from anywhere, even nature and movies.
9. Your prose poetry piece “Two Shades” is quite interesting to read. What made you write this beautiful passage?
Answer: Two Shades of Me was created from my experience with Multiple Sclerosis. I was diagnosed in 1996. This piece of poetry conveys my emotional perception of trying to live my purpose, while multiple sclerosis is tagging along. It is definitely a vacillating
performance, but I think I have it mastered now.
10. What is your message to aspiring authors out there?
Answer: My message for inspiring authors is know within yourself that your words will, and have the potential to transform someone’s life. Do not doubt yourself even if it’s just one person who reads your work and is transform, you have made a difference in this world.
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