Poetic Medicine and Poem-Making: The Art of Deep Listening, Attention, Slowing Down, and Silence

Revolutionizing Trauma and Addiction Treatment with the Felt Sense Polyvagal Model™

John Fox, author of Poetic Medicine: The Healing Art of Poem-Making and other writings, is a pioneer in the Poetry Therapy and Expressive Arts fields, and founder of the Institute for Poetic Medicine. In this presentation, John will share how he found the healing power of words and poem-making early in the 1980's, and developed it into an approach that is now practiced all over the world.

Poetry and the elements of poetry are ways to fine-tune the quality of our listening. The art of listening includes being open to what is happening, paying close attention to our experience, and showing respect for a person. The art of listening is connected to slowing down. Silence and quietness help to make listening a generative activity– where deep listening becomes a creative agent that helps ignite ideas in those who are listened to. Participants will have an opportunity to write and share poems, exploring the many dimensions of listening. Applications to working with others will be included.

The Felt Sense Polyvagal Model™ (FSPM) shifts the current pathologizing paradigm of trauma and addiction to a strengths-based approach– providing a foundational framework that offers a clear and powerful way to integrate embodiment into practice. This model integrates Eugene Gendlin’s Felt Sense with Stephen Porges’ Polyvagal Theory, offering an appreciation of trauma and addictive behaviors as adaptive responses to maladaptive environments.

This workshop provides an overview of Jan’s book, Treating Trauma and Addiction with the Felt Sense Polyvagal Model (Routledge, 2021). Jan will discuss the creation of the Felt Sense Polyvagal Model™ (FSPM), developed from over 40 years of clinical practice. The presentation includes: a description of the FSPM theoretical framework, an introduction to The Embodied Assessment and Treatment Tool™, and Carnes Three Circle Harm Reduction Practice. Participants will also learn about Gendlin’s Focusing/Felt Sense somatic practice.

Didactic information, experiential exercises, and case examples are included. This workshop will be informative for those new to the field of trauma/addiction as well as seasoned practitioners.