Wellness Calendar: Friday 4 July

Creative expressive therapy

The following thoughts and observations are adapted from the ideas of Natalie Rogers, a psychotherapist who pioneered expressive arts therapy as a way of healing that which is ruptured.

• Being able to express ourselves is a form of self-healing. It helps you to let go of your distress.
• “We express inner feelings by creating outer forms.” By making art forms, you get to construct a channel directly into your internal world of emotions.
• Expression allows us to gain insights into ourselves. What we create gives us all sorts of messages. When we’re able to decode these clues, we’re able to make connections with our subconscious or our unconscious. This is how we get to learn the language of our internal world.
• Expression can help to overcome any hurdles we may face in life. When we are stuck for words or solutions, we can use our imagination to get us moving once more. When our emotions are held captive within our bodies, creativity can dislodge them and bring them to the surface. With expression and creativity there are endless possibilities of what you can do to improve your wellness.
• Working creatively and expressively with emotions is easier than the process of thinking about them and talking about them.
• When we reflect on our experiences – be they emotional, cognitive, spiritual, physical, etc. – we’re helping to integrate all our parts into one harmonious and healthy being.

What do you make of Rogers’ ideas?

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