Her Believing Heart
POEMS BY JENNIFER POLHEMUS
Her Believing Heart by Jennifer Polhemus – Poems of Trauma, Healing, Wellness & Radical Self-AcceptanceA Powerful Collection Exploring the Many Facets of Healing
Step into a bold and transformative poetry collection that ventures where few dare to go. Her Believing Heart by Jennifer Polhemus is a deeply personal and unflinching exploration of mental illness, trauma, radical acceptance, and the long journey from darkness to wholeness.
Written in accessible free verse with a dark, ironic, and honest tone, these poems trace the author’s path through decades of mental health struggles and her emergence into a life of integrated wellness—spiritual, physical, emotional, intellectual, creative, and sexual.
This is not mass-produced or lightweight poetry—it is raw, courageous work shaped by lived experience and artistic integrity.
Why This Book Stands Out
Unlike many contemporary poetry collections, Her Believing Heart offers a rare, multifaceted look at healing. Jennifer Polhemus writes with simple, direct language and dark irony, turning personal trauma into universal insight. The poems act like river rocks—grinding and polishing the self through impact and friction until something new and stronger emerges.
Internationally published poet with four previous collections
Pushcart Prize nominee
Work featured in numerous literary magazines and anthologies over 30+ years
Explores wellness through the lens of SPICES: Spiritual, Physical, Intellectual, Creative, Emotional, and Sexual
Certified Peer Specialist and holistic wellness coach drawing from real-life experience
This is a collection for readers who want poetry that is honest, unflinching, and deeply human.
Artist Note
“Like a butterfly emerging from its chrysalis, I used the energy of trauma to transform bugs into beauty. Her Believing Heart ventures into areas of human experience very few explore. It recounts a journey of radical acceptance and reclamation.” —Jennifer Polhemus
Discover Healing Poetry & Trauma-Informed Verse
If you're searching for healing poetry, trauma poetry, mental health poetry, women’s poetry, free verse collections, or powerful personal growth poetry books, Her Believing Heart by Jennifer Polhemus offers a courageous and distinctive voice. Perfect for readers of contemporary literary poetry who value honesty, resilience, and the many dimensions of wellness.
About the Author
Jennifer Polhemus
Jennifer Polhemus wandered in the darkness of mental illness for two decades. Like a butterfly emerging from its chrysalis, she used the energy of trauma to transform bugs into beauty and illness into wellness. Exploring the myriad facets of wellness, Ms. Polhemus has gathered them like SPICES (Spiritual, Physical, Intellectual, Creative, Emotional, Sexual) and prepares signature dishes that sustain and delight.
She has been selected to present workshops on wellness topics such as creative writing and mindfulness at county, state, and national conferences. Jennifer currently works for a human services organization as a Certified Peer Specialist and is the owner of Eclosion Mind, her holistic wellness coaching business serving individuals and organizations. Ms. Polhemus is completing her graduate studies in organizational psychology.
As an internationally published poet, she has published four collections of poetry, was twice nominated for the Pushcart Prize, and her work has appeared in many literary magazines and anthologies over the past 30 years.
Her Believing Heart ventures into areas of human experience very few explore. It recounts a journey of radical acceptance and reclamation. A universe of diverse relationships condenses into “self” as the poet shapes her reclaimed body, mind and spirit. Like river rocks churning in a tumbler, the poet grinds against her boundaries until she becomes smooth, polished and newly formed as she learns that impact and friction are part of all transformations. At times the reader may wonder how deeply the work will plumb an experience. Some will hope no further. Others will revel in complete transparency.
~Marilyn Zecher and B.B. Riefner