Our emotions and feelings are like wildfires; they ignite at even the slightest provocation and haze our capacity of thinking straight. When we are standing on the edge of an abyss, vacillating from one sentiment to another, all questions bombarded towards us, which seek to know our wellbeing, sound like gibberish or further incitation to take the wrong step.
But if we try, just try, and take a moment to disconnect with the outer world and dive into our inner senses, we find that things are pretty sorted out and clear in our psyche. But, for us to find this sense of clarity and clearness, the analogy above sounds too unrealistic.
But no worries! With the aid of art therapy, all of this can be accomplished. Art therapy has some indescribable effects on our body, mind and soul. Some of the benefits are:
❖It helps us to articulate our deeply suppressed emotions, onto a blank canvas without any sort of judgement or prejudices incurred.
❖It is just counselling, consulting, coaching and therapy bundled in one fun package of painting our hearts out, which livens our emotional senses to all sorts of positive feelings.
❖People struggling with severe anxiety, depression and panic attacks sometimes are unable to talk about things verbally. Art therapy is like a completely new language for them to express themselves without uttering a word.
❖In kids, art therapy is linked with quicker neurological and psychological decipherments, which boost a child’s thinking and understanding capabilities.
❖Art therapy helps us in accepting our flaws, insecurities and jealousies, by proving that nothing and no one is perfect. And so isn’t our painting.
❖Even the most hidden and unknown emotions we have been struggling with in the past, but are not aware of them at the moment, come across fluently with a single stroke of a paintbrush.
Art therapy has several such ineffable benefits, which can heal our minds in the gentlest and tenderest of ways. Here’s how to get started with your art therapy session:
Step 1. Get hold of a paintbrush, palette, blank canvas, and all or any of the paint colours you fancy!
Step 2: Close your eyes for a moment or two and gather all your emotions in a messy clump.
Step 3: Take a deep breath and begin with slow yet affirming strokes.
Step 4: Now DON’T FOLLOW ANY STEPS and just go wild! Unleash your inner artist!
After having done with the painting, look at it, take a thoughtful glance, and soak your awesome painting skills in all their glory. Whatever your mind and soul might have imprinted on the canvas is just its safe passage to attaining peace and stability. So DO NOT JUDGE! And DO NOT HATE what you made!
Our emotional cycle is like a chariot. We are the ones who have the reins to it. But at times we are just not strong enough to get hold of the rein and control the chariot. Sometimes, the rein simply slips out of our hands and we lose control of what’s perspiring.
To get hold of the chariot we need to think differently, somewhat creatively. And art therapy offers exactly just that.