The 3rd chapter of the book Art & Healing by Barbara Ganim focuses on "Expressing your emotions through imagery." The  first session's directive begins:  "Think about a painful or stress producing emotion that you have experienced lately-an emotion that you would like to release..." Afterwards you are to write the word boldly in the healing arts journal, study it, and write down what it feels like to experience that feeling. 

 The feeling I chose was FRUSTRATION.

As an artist and soon to be art therapist I think I interpreted this session a little differently. Instead of focusing on the left brain analytical side I was excited by drawing the letters to express or show the feeling. Reading back I realize the goal was to compare the Language with the forthcoming Image... but oh well! I can't help it if I am already rather connected to expressing via imagery... I have spent my whole life practicing that skill. If you are not that way have no fear because Ganim has some built in some great support in this chapter for those who are not "naturally imagistic." Anyway here is a photo of my word:

Notice that I completely left out a section of the word! So interesting! As Ganim says, and many art therapists believe, you are not to be judgmental when making errors in the art therapy process and often times making what our "inner critic" would consider a mistake is a hint that we are truly connecting to our right brained creative unconscious. Soo I am going to set my judgment aside and appreciate that I was deeply in the creative moment...Although it does peak my curiosity and make me go "huh" because it took several hours for me to go back and notice the "mistake".

The  second exercise was to "express an emotion with imagery." The steps were to tape yourself reading a guided visualization aloud and then play it back...following the steps or instructions in your imagination.  (I used a voice recorder on my cell phone which is working well.) After the visualization process you draw a picture of what that emotion feels like in your body- which is what the visualization lead you to. Here is mine on FRUSTRATION:

 So the final exercise in this session was answer some self-interview questions about the image. The foci of the questions in this session seem to be on what the experience of the emotion is and the impressions of the image, as well as what change happened after creating and reviewing the image. 

 My impression of this image is that Frustration is a BIG emotion. I would have equated it at about the same level as annoyance in the past. However, I could feel the emotion when drawing it and found that it was intense! There was a feeling of being stuck (see the legs) and a STRONG desire to MOVE and change the situation causing frustration (see the energy in the chest) and to verbally shout out about the experience of being frustrated. It sounds like this could be an uncomfortable process but I am really happy with what came out of this session and I found it quite enjoyable. I finished feeling energized EVEN after dealing with a negative emotion. I have missed making art like this regularly!  I believe that now is the right time for me to be going on this journey and I feel that at this stage of my life, my education and all I am able to sit with the experience of negative emotions, experience them and let them go...rather than get stuck, like I may have in the past, or avoid them all together- another one of my favorite coping mechanisms.

So needless to say it feels like I am in fact right where I should be, doing exactly what I should be doing...and How much better can it get than that, really??

I don't know. 

 I plan to repeat this particular session with other "painful or stress producing emotions" because I found it so helpful! I highly recommend it. So far TWO THUMBS UP. 

I was very impressed with the way Ganim has set up this book and given so many helpful recommendations. There are many suggestions on creating a healing environment  and from her words of encouragement in the book to set up suggestions she has developed a great healing process (yes, I can tell already). The ability to set up a healing experience is a skill that even the best art therapists work on and I am grateful for the textual example of just how well it can be done....Ok enough of a sales pitch- at least for now. More art to make!! 

 See ya, 

The Madly Creating Blogger

PS. The process for each session in the book is very similar so expect some warm-up type activity followed by a guided visualization , art making and a wrap up with self-interview questions to be standard. :)