We change the blank page into something when we make our mark, the paint on the pallet to something fluid and moving when we dip in our brush, the still unconscious body into movement and awareness when we dance, the frantic mind into flow and meditation through engagement, the silence or noise into beauty when we sing a song that resonates. We are lost in a newfound place and there we find ourselves. We are changing from one state of consciousness into another. Transformation happens. Using art in therapy allows us to externalise, our thoughts, feelings and issues. Through art making we are able to not only express ourselves by different means but to also look at the artwork as a visual representation of what is going on within us. It helps us to connect to our true selves and separate ourselves from our story. We are able to connect to wisdom that is nonverbal and non cognitive. Though engaging in any art is therapeutic in itself, in an art therapy session we create art with a question to the self, with a problem in mind, to explore what we are unsure of, so that we can find something we may have missed in dealing with our lives the way we have been. By using symbols and metaphor to tell our stories we can go beyond our normal rational thought patterns. We are able to privilege the unconscious and bring information (that we may be unaware of) to the fore of consciousness. This allows us greater awareness and insight, and offers us a way to guide ourselves toward alternative outcomes, which meet with our true selves. Find out how art therapy can help you get the most of your life. Message me for a session today.
