.png){kind=icon}
.png){kind=icon}
Return
The lyric I as a therapeutic third: poetic selfhood, symbolic mediation, and emotional processing in expressive writing
.png){kind=icon}
PRE
AI
K
DOI：10.1080/08893675.2026.2620988.png)
.png){kind=icon}
Original request for help.png){kind=icon}
Share.png){kind=icon}
Save
Abstract
En 中文
This article examines the lyric I as more than a poetic device, arguing that it functions as a psychological space through which writers can explore emotion, memory, and identity with a degree of reflective distance. The lyric I is conceptualised as a mediating presence between internal experience and the external relational or therapeutic environment, enabling individuals to express personal material without direct self-exposure. Drawing on psychoanalytic perspectives and research on metaphor, the study suggests that lyric subjectivity offers emotional containment and supports the reorganisation of personal narratives. Through close readings of poetic examples and insights from poetry therapy, the article identifies three interconnected forms of mediation-symbolic, spatial, and temporal-that contribute to emotional processing. By framing the lyric speaker as a psychological instrument, the study highlights the therapeutic potential of lyric poetry and advocates for its more intentional use within poetry therapy practice.
Keywords:
Poetry therapy
lyric I
expressive writing
metaphor
transitional space
narrative reconstruction
symbolic mediation
bibliotherapy
Journal
J
IF:
0.7
Papers:
36
Citations:
0
Organization
No organization information available
Cited Papers