Have you ever had the experience of talking about one life event, only to have it trigger all sorts of thoughts, feelings and memories that initially would have seem unrelated? I see this happen all of the time in my own life and in the conversations that I have with clients. When it happens, people often express surprise at how the conversation can wander in such unexpected ways.
To which, I always smile and reply:
Talking about our personal lives often feels like a series of interconnected tentacles, layers or root systems, and that our bodies and minds store them together- even when we might not have considered throwing them into the same box. It is the quality of the emotions that are present which set off a wild and spontaneous ride through our psyche
As a therapist, I am always thrilled to see this happen in session, because it is evidence that the individual feels relaxed enough to just follow the path that is being laid out by our psyche. It can almost feel like a state of being awake and dreaming, because we are unpacking the box as it is, rather than predetermining what was in there in the first place.
To stimulate this processing, we often look for a jump off point in a person’s story, or use a prompt to get the juices going. This is the intention behind the individual art therapy sessions that have been designed to help heal emotionally from cancer and other life threatening experiences. To fully heal from cancer, it is going to take time, and I wanted to design a tool that people can use as they move forward with their lives.
As Shai Tubali writes:
Emotions cannot evolve though intellectual comprehension; there must be direct access to them, access that allows them to go through a transformation from the plane in which they actually exist
When we find our leap off point, and then explore through art, writing and ultimately sharing through talking, we find ourselves leaning into what has happened and experiencing the emotions through an observational place- as we are trying to represent them in some way. This allows us greater ability to move in and out of a painful experience, rather then going around and around in an unending thought loop inside of our minds. The result allows us to begin the process of transformation.
Sometimes we need to move in and out of something rather quickly, in order to get used to the process. Kind of like moving your body in and out of the ocean in order to acclimate it to the temperature, before leaping in completely. If we respect our pacing while challenging ourselves to continue to move towards fully jumping in, we will find a greater trust in our own ability to do so.
So tell me, where do you wish to begin?
– Stephanie McLeod-Estevez, LCPC, is an art therapist and breast cancer survivor, who works as an oncology counselor at the Dempsey Center. She began Creative Transformations to help others who are healing from a life threatening illness or injury. Through Creative Transformations, Stephanie works with people in person and online to offer cancer coaching, a DIY Individual Art Therapy program to enhance any healing work you are undertaking; workshops; and this weekly blog. Sign up today so you never miss one by visiting our website, Creative Transformations, where you will also find the links to our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages.