Book by Dharlene Marie Fahl
Review by Pennell Paugh
June 5, 2026 (San Diego) – Long-time San Diego author Dharlene Marie Fahl, using free verse poetry, has written three books to introduce readers to Self-Therapy Poetry. Her first book explains Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) k. The second introduces readers to Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT).
Fahl’s most recent book focuses on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). She creates characters that exist in each of us: “Inner Wisdom carries the timeless knowledge that lives beneath words. Brain brings reason and structure, curious and precise. Heart offers warmth, compassion, and the language of feeling. And Me represents the everyday self—the one who wonders, resists, learns, chooses, and sometimes hurts.” She puts these parts into a play format and addresses interactions that go on inside an imaginary individual, then invites the reader to imagine, feel, and explore the dynamic interaction between these characteristics within themselves.
Fahl summarizes using poems that highlight and explain what each Act and Scene is about. It’s the poetry and post-scene set descriptions that hit home for me. For example: she begins saying, ”To live in the present” and her words attempt to describe what that means in abstraction. Then she makes a metaphor that I understand: “It is the taste of tea as it touches the tongue, the warmth of sunlight across the back of your shoulders, the sound of your own breathing reminding you that life unfolds only here—only now.”
“Self-therapy poetry asks the reader to envision wholeness where they once saw lack. The therapeutic process prioritizes presence over perfection, inviting the individual to greet perceived flaws with an open heart. The poetic approach to ACT seeks to transform self-compassion into an unshakable foundation.”
It is through her verses that I learned the value of being in the present, not seeking to perfect myself or my actions to achieve anything. While in action, I can be in the present and content within myself.
Below is a poem from the book:
BEYOND THE NAME
A name begins as a sound;
a small arrangement of letters,
a convenient way to call a body in from the rain.
Over time, it gathers history:
mouths that speak it,
moments that shape it,
memories that cling like dust
to the cover of an unread book.
The self is much more than the sound of its name.
Even when the name is whispered
with love or shouted in anger,
something deeper listens.
That listening presence does not change
when the syllables change,
when titles appear or vanish,
when praise or blame arrives.
Roles may shift:
student, spouse, parent, friend, lover,
builder of plans, bearer of grief. Each one fits for a while,
then loosens like clothing at day’s end.
Through it all, awareness remains;
open, steady, unnamed.
Rest as the composed witness.
Let the letters fall away.
What you are needs no signature.
The truth of you is older than language
and extensive enough to hold every story
without becoming any single one.
Fahl uses the Self Therapy Poetry series, to blend evidence-based practices with the healing power of reflective verse, meditation, guided visualizations, and audio recordings.
She is a Member of the National Association for Poetry Therapy; and a 2024 English summa cum laude graduate of San Diego State University. She also was granted an Honorary Doctorate in Humanitarianism. She has earned the following:
- Lifetime Achievement Award for Volunteer Service from former President Obama
- Author of Influence Award—children’s book series Wings & Whispers, now called Angel Messages for Kids Global Icon
- Author Award for Angel Messages for Kids Sereni-Tea: Seven Sips to Bliss — Amazon #1 Bestseller
- Certified Tea Specialist
Born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, she maintains Canadian citizenship. Nevertheless, she has lived in San Diego for 35 years.