About
We're committed to raising awareness about the healing & uplifting power of poetry.
who we are
online resource advocating healing through Poetry
The Healing Power of Poetry Initiative aims to raise awareness about the healing and uplifting power of poetry by shining a light on its unique ability to positively influence and counterbalance negative aspects of the human experience.
We’re an online resource that provides access to a network of existing foundations, organizations, community groups, practitioners, and initiatives, all in support of poetry and poetry therapy. We also supply access to articles, poetry prompts, and a starter guide on ‘how to write poetry for healing,’ ensuring you have the tools necessary to immediately begin using this powerful art form as a method of therapeutic release and healing to improve your quality of life.
Our Mission is to raise awareness about the healing & uplifting power of poetry
our observation
Mental & emotional health crisis in our society
Today’s society is more social than it has ever been. Given this ultra-social climate, individuals have become more sensitive to criticism, negative energy, and the everyday pressures of life. There has been a staggering increase in reports of people suffering from emotional and mental health problems. Depression and anxiety, in particular, have become especially prevalent.
Furthermore, the ongoing pandemic has forced us to stay inside more often, significantly disrupting our way of life and altering our usual busy, hustle-and-bustle lifestyles. As a result, we’ve become more isolated, creating feelings of loneliness, hopelessness, and a sense of disconnection. The need for coping mechanisms to combat these negative feelings and conditions has become imperative.
our solution
4 ways to improve your wellbeing using poetry
Poetry is a powerful tool that can help remedy our society’s growing mental health issues. Its positive effects on emotional and mental health have been studied for decades and are well understood among medical experts — however, they are little known to the general public.
Using poetry as therapy is a great way to alleviate stress and improve mental and emotional wellbeing. In addition, it is easily accessible to anyone, anywhere, at any time, in any situation.
Maintaining balanced emotional and mental health is all about practice and prevention. With simple practices and techniques, poetry and poetry therapy can transform negative experiences into opportunities for growth, self-advocacy, and empowerment.
Here are 4 simple ways to begin practicing poetry for healing to improve your emotional & mental wellbeing today:
1. READ
Reading poetry is highly therapeutic. It allows you to experience a range of emotions and identify with others. Reading words from others, you can relate to can be empowering and soothing. Reading your own verse can be validating and transformative.
2. WRITE
Writing verse is one of the most powerful forms of poetry therapy. It possesses the distinct characteristic of being able to tap into the recesses of the mind and release repressed emotion. Try writing with pencil & paper for maximum benefit.
3. SING
Singing is where poetry and music therapy intersect. It deepens the emotional content of poetry and is proven to reduce stress and increase confidence. By combining music and poetry, singing creates space for greater self-expression.
4. RECITE
Reciting poetry is very effective healing tool. Standing or sitting, reciting a poem you wrote by or someone else on stage or in private is a powerful self-esteem builder. It enables you to access your senses and emotions while fully present in your voice & body.
our story
Poetry helped her heal - now
she wants others to do the same
MEET OUR FOUNDER: KYLI SANTIAGO
Her journey shows us that mental illness does not have to be a life sentence. With focus and effective practices, it can be overcome. And the healing power of poetry can help!
In pursuit of her lifelong dream to become a professional actress, at age nineteen, Kyli Santiago made the bold move from Boston, MA, where she grew up, to Los Angeles, CA, a city she had never visited. Upon her arrival, she wasted no time establishing herself as one of Hollywood’s most promising young leading women. She gained entry into the SAG-AFTRA actor’s union and landed several notable roles in film, television, and commercials.
However, despite her undeniable success, she was abruptly forced to abandon her dreams when the depression she had silently battled since childhood resurfaced with a vengeance and took over her world.
Finding herself in a fight for her life, she became estranged from her entire family, tormented by thoughts of suicide, endured episodes of self-harm, and lived each day in complete despair. With nowhere else to turn and a determination to finally take control of her mental and emotional health, Kyli turned to creative outlets.
No stranger to the benefits of keeping a journal, she began writing to release some of her repressed emotions. However, to break free from the usual writing routine that she felt stimulated a cycle of negative thought patterns, she decided to approach journaling differently this time. She gave herself the challenge to write only using poetry.
What she discovered would forever change her life…
After she wrote out what was ailing her in a poetic way, a sense of relief and peace came over her. So, she continued to write and write. The more poetry she wrote, the more pain she released. And when she felt depressive episodes coming on, she would read, speak aloud, and even sing verses of the poems she had written to herself to ease her symptoms. Then, as a continued part of healing, she began to perform original poetry at open mics and community events.
In this way, Kyli successfully applied the healing power of poetry in all aspects of her life. And eventually, after years of repeating this process, she healed herself and emerged from her life-threatening battle, depression-free, able to live a normal, healthy life.
Having experienced the true healing power of poetry in her own life, she self-published her first poetry collection, Healing Yesterday’s Tears, hoping it could serve as a tool and a resource to help others facing similar challenges overcome depression and other emotional and mental stumbling blocks.
Soon after, while searching online, she came across the term ‘Poetry Therapy’ for the first time. Upon further research, she discovered an entire world of organizations, community groups, medical professionals, and practitioners dedicated to the field. She became very puzzled as to why she had never heard of these resources and why poetry as therapy wasn’t more widely promoted to the general public.
This is when she made it her mission to spread the word about the healing power of poetry. Using her personal story as the inspiration and platform for the advocacy of emotional wellbeing and mental health, she has dedicated herself to helping others discover and experience the positive, uplifting benefits poetry offers those suffering from emotional trauma and mental health problems.
To champion this effort, she started the Healing Power of Poetry Initiative.
Welcome to our website! We invite you to stay a while …
our story
Poetry helped her heal - now she wants others to do the same
MEET OUR FOUNDER: KYLI SANTIAGO
Her journey shows us that mental illness does not have to be a life sentence. With focus and effective practices, it can be overcome. And the healing power of poetry can help!
In pursuit of her lifelong dream to become a professional actress, at age nineteen, Kyli Santiago made the bold move from Boston, MA, where she grew up, to Los Angeles, CA, a city she had never visited. Upon her arrival, she wasted no time establishing herself as one of Hollywood’s most promising young leading women. She gained entry into the SAG-AFTRA actor’s union and landed several notable roles in film, television, and commercials.
However, despite her undeniable success, she was abruptly forced to abandon her dreams when the depression she had silently battled since childhood resurfaced with a vengeance and took over her world.
Finding herself in a fight for her life, she became estranged from her entire family, tormented by thoughts of suicide, endured episodes of self-harm, and lived each day in complete despair. With nowhere else to turn and a determination to finally take control of her mental and emotional health, Kyli turned to creative outlets.
No stranger to the benefits of keeping a journal, she began writing to release some of her repressed emotions. However, to break free from the usual writing routine that she felt stimulated a cycle of negative thought patterns, she decided to approach journaling differently this time. She gave herself the challenge to write only using poetry.
What she discovered would forever change her life…
After she wrote out what was ailing her in a poetic way, a sense of relief and peace came over her. So, she continued to write and write. The more poetry she wrote, the more pain she released. And when she felt depressive episodes coming on, she would read, speak aloud, and even sing verses of the poems she had written to herself to ease her symptoms. Then, as a continued part of healing, she began to perform original poetry at open mics and community events.
In this way, Kyli successfully applied the healing power of poetry in all aspects of her life. And eventually, after years of repeating this process, she healed herself and emerged from her life-threatening battle, depression-free, able to live a normal, healthy life.
Having experienced the true healing power of poetry in her own life, she self-published her first poetry collection, Healing Yesterday’s Tears, hoping it could serve as a tool and a resource to help others facing similar challenges overcome depression and other emotional and mental stumbling blocks.
Soon after, while searching online, she came across the term ‘Poetry Therapy’ for the first time. Upon further research, she discovered an entire world of organizations, community groups, medical professionals, and practitioners dedicated to the field. She became very puzzled as to why she had never heard of these resources and why poetry as therapy wasn’t more widely promoted to the general public.
This is when she made it her mission to spread the word about the healing power of poetry. Using her personal story as the inspiration and platform for the advocacy of emotional wellbeing and mental health, she has dedicated herself to helping others discover and experience the positive, uplifting benefits poetry offers those suffering from emotional trauma and mental health problems.
To champion this effort, she started the Healing Power of Poetry Initiative.
Welcome to our website! We invite you to stay a while …
our story
She healed herself - now she wants
to help others do the same
MEET OUR FOUNDER: KYLI SANTIAGO
The Healing Power of Poetry Initiative emerged out of one woman’s desire to raise awareness about the healing power of poetry. Her journey shows us that mental illness does not have to be a life sentence. With focus and effective practices, it can be overcome. And the healing power of poetry can help!
Unknown to those around her, Kyli Santiago suffered silently from bouts of chronic depression as a child into adulthood. At a certain point, the condition completely took over her world. Finding herself in a fight for her life, she became estranged from her entire family, tormented by thoughts of suicide, endured episodes of self-harm, and lived each day in complete sadness and despair.
With nowhere to turn and a deep desire to finally be free of this debilitating condition, Santiago became determined to beat her depression without the aid of addictive medication. Instead, she turned to creative outlets.
No stranger to the benefits of journaling, she began to write in an effort to release some of her repressed emotions. But, to move past her usual routine of journaling that she felt stimulated a cycle of negative thought patterns, Kyli decided to approach her journal writing differently this time.
She decided to write only poetry. And what she stumbled upon was astounding …
After she wrote out what was ailing her in a poetic way, she realized that a sense of relief and peace overcame her. She continued to write and write. The more poetry she wrote, the more pain she released.
She began reading the poems she had written to herself when she felt a depressive episode coming on and reciting lines she had memorized aloud. She would also sing verses she had written to herself repeatedly, realizing all these practices allowed her to purge her negative emotions, giving her a sense of release and a way to separate herself from the trauma. Then, as a continued part of her healing process, she began to perform her original poetry at open mics and community events. Doing this took her feeling of emotional release to yet another level.
Unknowingly, Kyli was using the power of poetry in all aspects of her life. After years of repeating this process, she eventually healed herself and emerged from her life-threatening battle, depression-free, able to live a normal life.
Having experienced the true healing power of poetry in her own life, Ms. Santiago made it her mission to spread the word and help others experience the healing effects poetry could offer. With this goal in mind, she self-published her first poetry collection, Healing Yesterday’s Tears, hoping it could serve as a tool and a resource to help others facing similar challenges overcome depression and other emotional and mental stumbling blocks.
It wasn’t until after this while searching online, that she discovered the term ‘Poetry Therapy.’ She was shocked and amazed when, through her research, she found there existed an entire world dedicated to the field. There were organizations, community groups, medical professionals, and practitioners — all dedicated to the study and application of poetry as therapy.
Kyli found it baffling and hard to comprehend why she had never been exposed to these resources until now and why poetry as therapy was not promoted to the general public.
At this moment, she decided to dedicate her life and use her personal story as a platform for the advocacy of emotional and mental health. To champion this effort, she started the Healing Power of Poetry Initiative.
Welcome to our website! We invite you to stay a while …