In his symbolic poem, “Under the Sea”, poet Dan Hoeweler draws parallels between his experience with schizo-affective disorder and psychosis with feelings of being “under the sea” in order to help sympathize and relate with others who are also suffering from similar conditions.

Hoeweler expresses in an artistic manner, how dark and unreasonable thoughts attack his thinking patterns. Similar to how a virus would attack a computer system, leaving him feeling detached from reality. The poem highlights how easy it is to become quickly overwhelmed with irrational thoughts that make the affected individual feel heavy and sunken in, much like being stuck at the bottom of the sea. Howler also alludes to how isolating this feeling might be, expressing how undergoing such experience makes affected individuals feel as though they have been forgotten about, ultimately adding to an already difficult process. 

“A lack of reason has overtaken me
And I am swept away by waves
Of irrationality
To the bottom of the sea
Darkness has enveloped me
And I find myself lost
Under a sea
That has long forgotten me”

Image Credits:
Feature Image: Matt Paul Catalano, On Unsplash, Creative Commons