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The Arts in Psychotherapy - Vol - 24 - No - 1 - pp - 81-89 - 1997 Copyright 0 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd Printed in the USA - All rights reserved 01974556i97 $17 - 00 + - OO PI1 SO197-4556(96)00055-X A LOOK AT POETRY THERAPY ARTHUR LERNER - PhD - TEP - RPT* Our journey is often filled with unique experi- ences and surprises before we reach our desti- nation - Old Chinese saying The letter inviting me to represent the field of po- etry therapy by submitting an article for a “Special Issue on the State of the Arts” was broad enough to intrigue me and challenging enough to help me decide on a positive reply - And as I began to formulate ideas - discuss points of view with many individuals’ and gather notes - it soon became evident that I had under- taken a gigantic task that no special guidelines could possibly describe or direct - And the more I read and researched - one thing soon became clear - To do jus- tice to the spirit of this assignment - I could best carry out my charge by calling upon my own experiences with literature - poetry and poetry as therapy and ap- propriately weave them into the context of specific issues - questions - trends and other matters pertaining to the field of poetry therapy - Indeed - it is a humbling experience - I will deal primarily with poetry therapy on the American scene - I believe I can best serve the spirit and intent of this special issue by doing so - Although developments in other parts of the world regarding poetry therapy are important to the growth of the field - the basic organizational structure and for- ward movement of poetry therapy began in the United States and is continuing primarily under the sponsor-