Somatic Psychotherapy Today

It should be noted that the
timeline of the story is also
sometimes hard to follow as there
are frequent flashbacks and
intermittent “patient notes”
written by doctors about the
author while she was hospitalized
incorporated. This emphasizes that
the author never fully felt like she
could escape the experiences she
had and the identity she adopted
while on the psych ward. The book
blends the traditional psychologist
memoir with a patient perspective
in a way that stays true and
illustrative of both, to the benefit
of interested professionals.
Annita Perez-Sawyer has worked
as a clinical psychologist for over
thirty years, and has received
numerous awards for her work as
an essayist detailing her life with
mental illness. She continues to
work as a speaker to mental
health clinicians about her
experiences with misdiagnosis and
consequent mistreatment.
Patel, K. (2015). Be The
Space: Reflections on the
Journey
Reviewed by: Michael Fiorini, New
York University
Be The Space: Reflections on the
Journey is Kaveri Patel’s newest
addition to her collection of selfpublished
poetry books including
An Invitation (2011), The Voice
(2014), and Under The Waves,
(2012). Patel, a yoga practitioner
and medical doctor, examines
different aspects of life, emotion,
awareness of the self, and how we
interact with the world and others.
Her poems are usually brief
contemplative pieces that analyze
the relationships between the
world and how we experience it
internally. Metaphor and symbolic
language are frequently used in all
four books. Each book covers
specific themes and discusses
existential topics that contribute to
broadening readers’ perspectives
on internal experience.
Professional readers will find that
Patel’s poetry collections, though
succinct, effectively translate the
process of mindfulness practice
into words. The author
incorporates aspects of eastern
philosophy, mysticism, and other
cultural and religious references to
illustrate her works. Each poem,
however brief, allows readers to
give pause and self-analyze, to
step back and re-imagine how
they think, act, and behave. The
books might be useful for those
trying to expand their use of
mindfulness techniques, expand
self-awareness, or merely to
rethink the underlying meanings of
certain relationships that they
maintain with the surrounding
world.
Patel concentrates on a key range
of topics within each book. The
poems tend to be no longer than
two pages. An Invitation contains
poems related to self-compassion,
the “Sacred Feminine,”
forgiveness, attainment, kindness,
and faith. An underlying theme
throughout is to allow oneself to
not be swayed by immediate gut
reactions or emotions, and to
allow greater consideration before
jumping to conclusions. The
desired goal is expanding self-love
and improving self-image.
The Voice revolves thematically
around the mindfulness process
that arises in yogic and meditative
practice. The voice refers to the
inner voice instilled in these
practices that encourages healing,
trust, love, and true happiness.
The poems seek to accentuate and
illustrate inner thoughts and
feelings that come up in different
situations.
Under The Waves contains poems
written to instill in readers a
compassionate presence,
particularly during circumstances
of adversity and when it is difficult
to balance feelings of suffering
with feelings of joy. These poems
observe the potential for personal
growth in the wake of negative
outcomes.
Be The Space: Reflections on the
Journey is the outlier of the four
books as it is a spiral notebook
with mostly blank pages. Here,
while no overt theme is referred
to, the intermittent poems tend to
discuss getting in touch with inner
thoughts and feelings and bringing
them to the forefront. It appears
as though it is meant to be a
creative outlet for readers to pour
their thoughts into in between the
encouraging poetry.
Professional readers, particularly
those interested in mindfulness,
yoga, meditation, and Eastern
philosophical practices, will find
the poetic works of Kaveri Patel
relevant and engaging. Each of the
poems, though brief, tells volumes
about interpretation, symbology,
thoughtfulness, and the frequently
tumultuous internal experiences of
life. All are quite reader friendly
and do not require thorough
reading or concentration to be
appreciated, making them easy to
pick up and put down at leisure.
For those particularly interested in
the work of Rumi and others
following eastern poetic traditions,
the books follow similar patterns
and are heavily influenced by
them. For those looking for a
workbook for their creative
energies more involved than a
mere blank canvas, Be The Space:
Reflections on the Journey might
offer a unique and useful medium.
For those who appreciate the
poetic musings and observations
of a mindfulness-oriented yoga
practitioner and physician in
particular, all of the books come
highly recommended.
Kaveri Patel, D.O., is a poet,
mother, and healer practicing in
California. She has written four
books of poetry on yoga,
meditation, mindfulness, and love.
Somatic Psychotherapy Today | Fall 2015 | Volume 5 Number 4 | page 117