Poetry as a Medium for Presenting Research

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Poetry is becoming an increasingly recognised method for presenting research findings and to stimulate thinking in the academic arena, according to UKZN Behavioural Medicine Clinical Psychologist and Lecturer, Dr Thirusha Naidu.

Naidu was speaking following the recent publication of her case study titled: Poetry and Narrative Therapy for Anxiety About Spinal  Surgery,  in the Journal of Child and Adolescent Mental Health.

The case study used poetry in psychotherapy with Buhle (not her real name), an adolescent girl aged 18, who needs surgery to correct a curvature of her spine due to Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis.

According to Naidu, Buhle experienced anxiety which prevented surgeons from doing the procedure.

Naidu worked on the case study with  intern psychologist Sifiso Shabangu (now a psychologist at the National Psychiatric Referral Hospital in Swaziland) after they discovered that Buhle enjoyed poetry. ‘We encouraged her to document her experiences using poetry,’ said Naidu.

During psychotherapy, Buhle's poems were used to track and narrate her experiences and as an empowering method allowing her to make personal sense of challenging experiences. 

‘Buhle's poems are presented within an account of the psychotherapy leading up to the surgery. Her poetry reveals a juxtaposition of regular adolescent identity issues in the face of coping with a demanding medical condition and the prospect of invasive surgery,’ Naidu explained.

Naidu and Shabangu believe this kind of research is the best way of documenting the teenager’s experience.  The case study was presented as a paper at the  World Congress for Psychotherapy in Durban in 2014.

'Poetry, along with other art forms, represents an accessible way of presenting the burgeoning global interest in medical humanities. Linking health illness and human experience, both on micro and macro levels, is important for the development of relevant medical research in a world where people are more informed and active concerning their health,’ Naidu said.

It was equally important for academics in medical research, she said, to consider humanities at all levels.  Naidu quotes, as an example of the growing interest in medical poetry and humanities, the Hippocrates Initiative Award for Poetry and Medicine - a R100 000 prize which was  recently awarded to teacher and writer Maya Catherine Popa.  ‘Health practitioners should really think about using the arts, whether it is for teaching or research purposes. I believe using the arts "humananises" medical practice and research, creating contexts for people to understand their experiences in medical contexts more easily,’ she added.

Diversity keeps the King DiniZulu Hospital clinical psychologist going. ‘Even in research, I like testing the boundaries. I am motivated by allowing people to have access to what research is all about. Traditional research practices tend to distance medicine from people.  Poetry offers a means for ordinary people to bridge that gap. I want to promote research practices that connect and empower people within health systems and practices.’ said Naidu. 

A recent poem by Naidu published in BMJ Medical Humanities in June 2015 conveys this link.

Naidu will visit Duke University in North Carolina in the United States later this year as an invited speaker of the Duke Global Health Humanities Working Group.  She will serve as the Fall 2015 public speaker on the Global Health Humanities programme.

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