Spirit Gym with Paul Chek 369— 5-7-5: The Simple Poetry Formula That Heals With Anne Helfer
16 snips
Oct 28, 2025 
Anne Helfer, a psychotherapist and author, shares insights on using haiku as a tool for emotional healing. She explains how the 5-7-5 structure helps facilitate mindfulness and self-expression. Anne discusses her 'Silver Rule' of self-care and the importance of balancing left and right brain functions through writing. Listeners learn practical tips for crafting haiku and how this practice can surface deep emotions. She also explores the connection between haiku, impermanence, and finding presence in a fast-paced world.
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Maternal Abandonment Shaped Her Path
- Anne Helfer describes being maternally abandoned at age eight and coping with emotional neglect through lifelong healing work.
- That wound motivated her path into education, yoga, and later psychotherapy to help others.
Haiku As Mindful Distillation
- Haiku forces you to see the big picture then condense it into a precise snapshot, making it an exercise in mindfulness.
- That distillation both clarifies feeling and trains focused attention in short bursts.
Use Short Prompts For Writing To Heal
- Try using haiku in low-barrier writing groups: teach short weekly prompts everyone can complete.
- Use simple exercises (letters, crosswords, haiku) to help people externalize inner material.
