The Seven Senses Poem
This week, my therapist recommended an activity for me to try. It’s called “The Seven Senses Poem.”
During our session, we talked about the resurfacing of old memories — what they mean, how they make me feel, and why they come at random times. Often the memories that resurface for me are painful ones. They drudge up from the underground of my mind, sometimes for clear reasons and other times for no reason at all. Instead of reverting to my favorite type of coping method, pity parties, my therapist suggested trying “The Seven Senses Poem.”
This is not a way to paint a technicolor brush over past traumas. It still honors the pain. But it may also allow you an opportunity to recognize a tough moment you overcame. At the very least, you survived that moment. That type of self-recognition can feel empowering. I loved how this activity helped me reframe my present mindset around past pains and I thought, maybe it could help someone else too.
Here’s how it works:
Pick a moment in your past, maybe one you want to heal from.
Get a pen and a piece of paper.
Answer each of these seven questions in present tense. They are meant to evoke your senses.
ONE: Name a body part and what it’s experiencing?
TWO: What are you wearing?
THREE: Which of your five senses is most heightened?
FOUR: What is your mood?
FIVE: What do you anticipate next?
SIX: What do you hope for next?
SEVEN: How will you get where you’re going next?
Here’s my example:
Feet dangle off the bed, loving the weightlessness of air with each kick.
A lavender tulle dress with big-girl-shoes that go click, clock, click.
Eyes water, head down. Little breaths, the only sound.
I’m nostalgic for the past, for what was before it wasn’t.
A quiet version of my mother’s voice I hear, “she doesn’t understand, no she doesn’t.”
Will Peter Pan fly through the window to take me to Neverland?
I’ll never know for sure because it’s time to go; my flying feet finally land.
Remember, this poem doesn’t have to be good. What even is a “good” poem? Just make it honest and appreciate it as it is.
