The Healing Effects of Poetry Reading on Anxiety Disorders: A Study Design Proposal

Poetry therapy is a form of treatment that promotes healing and growth by using poetry and, more specifically, by using language, symbols and metaphors.The positive effects on mental well-being have been widely demonstrated in literature as there are several publications in this field.The present paper is basically a study design which investigates the healing effects of poetry therapy on anxiety symptoms.A small group of people affected by different forms of anxiety disorders are invited to participate in a ten-week poetry reading session with the final aim to assess the decrease frequency and intensity of symptoms with a specific questionnaire, the ASQ, which detects the severity of the illness and the variation of symptoms at two different times.The study has not been yet carried out, but its design might represent a model to use for further investigations in this area.