Words That Heal

We all feel lost sometimes. Overwhelmed. Exhausted by the world. The more you live, the more it happens—but poetry is the cure.

Not just any poetry—expressive poetry. It's new, modern, hip, and like nothing you're imaging. Shakespeare might have been good and all, but this is an all-new kind that's been modified to serve in an all-new way.

I'm Jenny, and I put out a premium newsletter called Words That Heal, all about writing poetry to help you survive and grow through difficult times. Here is how (and why) it works….

You may have heard the idea that the only constant in life is change. Even after you've succeeded, and established your place in the world (whatever it is, work, family, relationship)…

… the world changes.

The universe likes to shake things up, treating our plans and lives like a multidimensional game of Tetris. The occasional collapse is inevitable.

So it's not necessarily a bad thing to wake up one day and feel like you’ve lost direction again. It happens.

The only constant in your life will be you…

… smack dab in the middle of all the drama, tragedy, and chaos of a normal life. (2020 has ramped up the intensity of everything, too, so be prepared for a more jolting ride ahead.)

Lost, found.

Lost, found.

Lost. 

Found.

For me, a nice Zen approach to the ebbs and flows of life helps me ride the waves as they come.

It's only when you freak out and panic that you REALLY get lost. And are in danger of drowning. 

Remember who you are, and what you've survived…

… and why you're here in the first place.

You have a purpose. Sometimes it shimmers just out of easy reach…

… and sometimes it’s right in your face, like a flash of light.

When you're lost, it's barely a dot on the horizon, and you're not sure you even know what it is anymore.

Stay cool. Keep calm. No one gets out of here alive…

… but during the ride (however long or short it is), you've got more control of your script than you realize.

Introducing Expressive Poetry: New, Modern, Not What You Think, Everything You Need

The healing effect of words has long been recognized. As far back as 4000 BCE, early Egyptians wrote words on papyrus, dissolve them in liquid, and gave them to those who were ill as a form of medicine.

In more recent history, reading and expressive writing were employed as supplementary treatments for those experiencing mental or emotional distress.

In 1928, poet and pharmacist Eli Griefer began offering poems to people filling prescriptions and eventually started "poemtherapy" groups at two different hospitals with the support of psychiatrists Dr. Jack L. Leedy and Dr. Sam Spector.

After Griefer's death, Leedy and others continued to incorporate poetry into the therapeutic group process, eventually coming together to form the Association for Poetry Therapy (APT) in 1969.

It is important to note that even though expressive poetry can be used as a therapeutic tool, this workshop is not a substitute for consultation with a licensed healthcare and mental health practitioner.

This workshop details my personal experiences and opinions about expressive poetry, healing and well-being as a poet and artist who has practiced this method for over a decade.

The poetry prescription: this is what expressive poetry is all about.

When you're feeling lost, write yourself through it. Don't curl up and hide your face under a pillow.

You're normal. These downturns happen to everyone.

There is a way out — there's ALWAYS a way out of a bad spot…

… even if it's not the solution you've hoped for.

If you have to take medicine, take it.

If your ship sinks and you have to swim back to shore and start over, keep swimming. The universe, as temperamental as it can be at times, respects movement.

It is the power of poetry to help you move through your life, your inner worlds and external circumstances, and find your way again.

Expressive poetry consists of constellations of meaning, thought, feeling…

… of awe and inspiration.

All strung together like stars in the sky, words that can brighten even your darkest nights. 

Your words.

Your internal navigation system is intact, and writing poetry will help you see where you are and how to get to where you want to be. The way forward or the way back. 

Drawing on imagery and symbolism, the way dreams do, poetry helps synchronize Heart and Mind – revealing the messages of your own inner voice, where your soul whispers and cries out for you to listen. 

Expressive writing is a transformative act

Writing poetry can help you explore feelings and memories buried in the subconscious and identify how they may relate to current life circumstances. It helps you to uncover inspiration, fuel the healing power of your natural creativity, engage your emotions, and mold meaning…

… out of both the difficult and the wonderful times in your life.

When you sign up for Words That Heal, you will learn to intentionally use poetry to help you see what is brewing deep inside, and begin to verbalize what is trying to become conscious for self-healing and intuitive guidance.

In this practice, writing poetry enables and empowers you to:

• Find new ways to articulate and express yourself

• Process uncomfortable emotions and heartache

• Know yourself in a new, deep, and meaningful way

• Express love, awe, and affection

• Enhance self-awareness and critical thinking skills

• Develop empathy, compassion, and insight

• Celebrate life’s moments and milestones

It’s a deceptively simple process—but the results are powerful.

We will guide you to select imagery that feels emotionally strong for you and write about it with a spontaneous, stream of conscious style. Elements of craft will be introduced, purely as tools for self-expression.

It is the experience of self-expression through poetry that we are focusing on.

When you write, your soul speaks

I’ve been practicing this method for over 10 years, and have since become an instructor and facilitator, leading workshops online and off. I cannot wait for you to experience it!

INVESTMENT IN YOURSELF:
$27 monthly subscription

You should join us if you…

• Want to develop a deeper level of empathy, compassion, and insight 

• Need a way to move through emotional pain, anxiety, and heartache

• Desire to know yourself in a new, deep, and meaningful way

• Desire an exciting way to express love, awe, and affection

• Are craving an outlet, a place to express yourself

You don’t need…

• Any special qualifications, skills, or background

• To be in any specific line of work

• To have written anything, ever

• To know what you want to do, write about, or focus on

• To be an uppity poetry snob (good vibes only!)
  

  
  POETRY ISN’T JUST AN ART FORM,
  IT’S A WAY OF UNDERSTANDING OUR WORLD

INVESTMENT IN YOURSELF:
$27 monthly subscription

Join award-winning writer, filmmaker,
and expressive poetry facilitator 

Jenny Sjolund

for a very different
kind of creative experience.

Hi, I’m Jenny…

Living my life to the fullest in Portland, Oregon with my pug puppy named Papi.

I’m an advocate of using poetry as a practice for nurturing our intuition, self-care and healing on every level. Like most of us at some point in our lives, I found myself far from where I wanted to be... 

Far from the life I knew I was meant to be living. I felt so lost. 

After surviving complications from open heart surgery to correct a congenital heart defect (the same one as Amy Grant, actually!), writing poetry was once again my road home, and continues to be a healing journey as I nurture the soulful connection that the simple act of writing poetry provides.

I hope you'll join me in making creative self-expression a habit…

...and find your way back to living your most authentic, inspired life today. I design my expressive poetry newsletter for people like me and you.

With an MFA in Creative Writing For Entertainment Media, I am passionate about the stories we live, and live to tell.

My children’s book to help kids with congenital heart defects prepare for open heart surgery is currently in development, for release in late 2020.

INVESTMENT IN YOURSELF:
$27 monthly subscription

This is a monthly newsletter about writing poetry to help you survive and grow through difficult times. 

Example monthly newsletter themes:

• Emotional Freedom Through Creativity (July 2020)

• The Emotional Language Of Imagery (August 2020)

• Shadow Work and Navigating Our Darkness (September 2020)

• Guiding Light and Understanding Your Anxiety (October 2020)

WHAT’S INCLUDED IN EACH ISSUE:  

• Expressive poetry lessons + example poems

• The craft of poetry as a tool for self-expression

• 20 poetry prompts for your journal and your life

• Private MarcoPolo group to share readings

• Exclusive members-only email access to me personally

Poetry isn’t just an art form, it’s an experience of awareness

Poetry is an invitation to blend beauty into your deepest emotions. 

To use the power of your voice as you explore what it means to be alive. A private practice to examine and release life’s heaviness with pen and paper.

Remember, we are stardust ✨

As above, so below, as within, so without. 

When you find love, cherish it. When you stumble into chaos, move through it.

Above all, keep writing…

Xxxx

Jenny

P.S. That advice ("there is always a way through a bad spot") has been the guiding principle of my life, my work…

… and every poem I've ever written.

Never let the bastards get you down.

There is a way through the trouble. It may not be what you hope for, it may involve sacrifice, it may scare the crap out of you.

But aligning yourself with authenticity is the first — and very critical — step to fixing what's wrong. 

P.P.S. Your self-care toolbox should include trusted resources crammed with good advice and proven practices to help you love yourself through the tough times…

… while living a good life. And fixing what's holding you back.

That's been the specialty of my expressive poetry practice for over a decade.

Timeless stuff, aimed at the heart and soul of those of us that desire a return to an authentic, meaningful life.  

Are you feeling called to express yourself, perhaps in ways you never have before? 

INVESTMENT IN YOURSELF:
$27 monthly subscription

What people are saying:

“Poetry is simply speaking the truth. Each of us has a truth as unique as our own fingerprints. Without knowing that truth, without speaking it aloud, we cannot know who we are and that we are already whole. In the most profound way, speaking our truth allows us to know that our life matters.”

— Rachel Naomi Remen, M.D.

“The present findings, along with those from conceptually similar experiments, suggest that the disclosure of trauma is simultaneously associated with improvement in certain aspects of immune function and physical health.”

— Dr. James Pennebaker

“Poetry gives you permission to feel.”

— James Autry

“By making us stop for a moment, poetry gives us an opportunity to think about ourselves as human beings on this planet and what we mean to each other.”

— Rita Dove