World-famous Psychiatrist Prescribes Poetry as Therapy
“Poems, I now realize, thanks to Dr. Rosenthal, can be a literary panacea for the pandemic.”—Jane Brody, NY Times
Washington, DC (April 13, 2021)—Imagine your therapist writing a prescription for “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night” by Dylan Thomas or “Hope is the thing with feathers” by Emily Dickinson or a Shakespeare sonnet—as well as prescribing an anxiety medication.
Norman E. Rosenthal, MD, is that therapist! World-renowned for his research on seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and pioneering the light therapy to treat it, his new book, Poetry Rx: How 50 Inspiring Poems Can Heal and Bring Joy to Your Life (G&D Media, May 4, 2021), provides potent medicine.
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Jane Brody, Personal Health columnist at the New York Times writes:
“Poems, I now realize, thanks to Dr. Rosenthal, can be a literary panacea for the pandemic. They let us know that we are not alone, that others before us have survived devastating loss and desolation and that we can be uplifted by the imagery and cadence of the written and spoken word.”
According to Dr. Rosenthal, “As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the world has closed down in many ways, depriving us of joy, companionship, love and adventure. Against this backdrop of loss and hardship, we are seeking novel remedies, and poetry is a surprisingly powerful remedy, not just for the moment but for our entire life. Poetry can serve both as a balm and a vaccine for the soul.”
Poetry Rx publishes on May 4 during Mental Health Awareness Month, and on the cusp of National Poetry Month, which marks its 25th annual celebration in April. A percentage of book sale proceeds will go to the David Lynch Foundation’s Resilient Warrior Program to help stem the epidemic of suicides among U.S. military veterans.
ADVANCE PRAISE
Poetry Rx is a great read, entertaining as it teaches. These are, after all, poems the doctor ordered. But what a doctor! And what poems!
—Peter Sacks, Professor of English, Harvard
I have in my hands my prescription pad and am poised to write my first Poetry Rx. My patient is consumed with anxiety about an uncertain world. Instead of pills, potions, or patches, I suggested a poem about hope from Dr. Norman Rosenthal’s Poetry Rx. Transfixed, she listened as I read Emily Dickinson’s powerful and comforting words. Whether you are a professional in the healing arts, or someone seeking the profound wisdom of the great poets, this book is nothing less than transformative.
—Pamela M. Peeke MD, MPH, FACP, FACSM, Assistant Professor of Medicine, U of MD, New York Times bestselling author of Fit to Live, Host of the award- winning HER women’s health podcast
Dr. Rosenthal, a renowned psychiatric researcher and clinician, has given us a gift with Poetry Rx. He takes us on a journey through the varieties of human experience and shows us specifically how poetry has the power to help us understand ourselves and to heal. The wonderful effect of Rosenthal’s humanity and lucid analysis is to make us feel that our own experiences are universal and that we are not alone.
—Richard A. Friedman, M.D., Professor of Clinical Psychiatry, Director of Psychopharmacology Clinic, Weill Cornell Medical College
Image removed by sender. Image NORMAN E. ROSENTHAL, M.D. is a clinical professor of psychiatry at Georgetown Medical School and was the psychiatrist who first described seasonal affective disorder and pioneered the use of light in its treatment during his twenty years at the National Institute of Mental Health. He has researched other innovative psychiatric treatments and is the author of several books including the New York Times bestseller Transcendence: Healing and Transformation through Transcendental Meditation and the national bestseller Super Mind. He currently maintains a private clinical and coaching practice in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, DC. His work has earned him national and international attention in the world of psychiatry and psychology, as well as in the media.
For more background, please visit www.normanrosenthal.com.
