Elenore Rose Simotas

ART as Therapy

Art as Therapy

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These are some of the art directives that I use in my wellness groups (as part of my graduate art therapy internship) to help alleviate stress and invite self-awareness. 

To sit with ourselves is a challenging task. You can use these exercises in whatever way you would like. They are meant for you and your own curiosity. 

I like to have a notebook so I can write down any thoughts that come up in the process. You can also do these activities in a group or with your family.  If doing with them with other people, know that the creative process is very intimate and vulnerable. This could be a great opportunity to deepen relationships and invite creativity in isolated time. If you are also tired of other people, this is something great to do on your own. 

I provided videos of my own process to give some guidance but feel free to engage with the materials in whatever ways feel comfortable and natural to you.

  • These are technically art exercises not actual art therapy - in order for this to be considered Art Therapy a credentialed Art Therapist needs to be present to guide the conversation and hold the emotional space for the participant. While they are not technically Art Therapy, doing these exercises can be therapeutic because they provide space for personal insight and healing. If you enjoy this way of processing, you may want to seek out an art therapist to see regularly. 

  

THE COMPASSIONATE SELF

  

These art directives are designed to identify various ways in which self–compassion can be practiced. Through self-care and art activities, participants will become aware of the ways in which they can be kinder to themselves by healing harsh internal voices, reflecting and processing creatively and introducing new ways of being with themselves that are life generating and healing (exercises modified from “Practice You Journal” by Elena Brower).

 

                                 

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Self-Care Mandala                     

Objective: What do you think of when they think of self-care? What areas would you like to improve in? What are some areas of self-care and compassion that are important to you? This exercise is designed to help express and create an image that represents the things that are unique to your own self-care.

Activity : Handout: Self Care Wheel  

https://www.buckner.org/files/uploads/SelfCare-wheel.pdf

Directive: Make your own creative interpretation of the self-care wheel. 

Materials: Draw a circle in the center of the page, use any materials you would like.  You can make your own labels for the different sections or if you like the labels provided feel free to use them as they are.

 

Embodiment 

Objective: This activity is about embodying and understanding yourself and internal identity in the present moment. 

Centering:  Bring attention to your breath. Imagine your breath entering and leaving your body. Listen to the sound of your breath and the sounds around you. Place your hands on your thighs. Bring attention to the feeling in your hands. Listen as your heart beat begins to slow down. Collect your thoughts and bring them into the present moment. Once you feel calm and ready you can begin

(Feel free to skip this part if you do not resonate with mediation or you do not want to do it. The reason I have people do this is because when the nervous system is calm and regulated we are able to experience deeper levels of integration and emotional processing. Our bodies are no longer in fight or flight and are able to integrate our conscious emotional experience with our subconscious).

Directive:  These questions will constantly change and evolve. Take time to reflect, write and creatively process your answers in the present moment. The answers to these questions are not finite. They can and will change over time. Take time to explore and gain insight into your current understanding of yourself and your needs in this moment. Trust the process, You might be surprised with what you find out.

Questions:  

·      How do you define yourself? 

·      Who are you today? Can you note some of the “labels” you’ve placed on yourself, your place in your family, your work, and your world? 

·      What are the words you would use to describe your current attitude towards life right now? 

·      What is the most urgent, visceral need you have right now in order to feel alive, happy and at home in yourself? 

Materials:  Large sheet of drawing paper. Include any 2D materials and writing supplies. Answers to these questions can be written out on the page. Collage can be used with words and colors. Encourage creativity and exploration with new materials. 

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Doubt 

Objective: To acknowledge our true selves. Who are we at the core when there are no obstacles and barriers. 

Directive: Create an image of yourself when all of your fears and doubts fall away. Are you in a specific place? Are there people with you? Are there words or phrases that you say to yourself? 

Materials: Any art materials available.

After creating the image, take a piece of paper and reflect on what you made and why you made it. What did you include and why? What did you learn about yourself in this process? What did you learn from the image you created?

 

Self Love  

Centering:  Bring attention to your breath. Imagine your breath entering and leaving your body. Listen to the sound of your breath and the sounds around you. Place your hands on your thighs. Bring attention to the feeling in your hands. Listen as your heart beat begins to slow down. Collect your thoughts and bring them into the present moment. Once you feel calm and ready you can begin.

(Feel free to skip this part if you do not resonate with mediation or you do not want to do it. The reason I have people do this is because when the nervous system is calm and regulated we are able to experience deeper levels of integration and emotional processing. Our bodies are no longer in fight or flight and are able to integrate our conscious emotional experience with our subconscious).

Objective: Participants can sit with and acknowledge loving feelings towards themselves through creative expression. 

Directive: This is what I admire about myself today. Create an image using text, collage, colors and shapes that represent what you admire the most about yourself today.

If you would like, keep the image somewhere visible in your room. Keep it somewhere as a daily reminder.

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Self-Esteem

Objective: Participants can better know when they stand in their own power with dignity and respect for themselves and others.  

Centering:  Bring attention to your breath. Imagine your breath entering and leaving your body. Listen to the sound of your breath and the sounds around you. Place your hands on your thighs. Bring attention to the feeling in your hands. Listen as your heart beat begins to slow down. Collect your thoughts and bring them into the present moment. Once you feel calm and ready you can begin.

Directive:  These questions will constantly change and evolve. Take time to reflect, write and creatively process your answers in the present moment. The answers to these questions are not finite. They can and will change over time. Take time to explore and gain insight into your current understanding of yourself and your needs in this moment.

Questions: 

·      How do you define self-esteem? And how do you bring it to all that you do? 

·      How does outer self-esteem differ from inner self-esteem? 

·      How do you bestow self-esteem upon yourself?

·       How do you bestow self-esteem on those closest to you?

Materials: Large sheet of drawing paper. Include any 2D materials and writing supplies. Answers to these questions can be written out on the page. Collage can be used with words and colors. Encourage creativity and exploration with new materials.

 

Holding on and Letting Go 

Objective: An important part of growth is being able to define what we need and want to have in our lives and what we need to let go of or keep out. We cannot move toward a different life until we start to define how things need to be different. This is a creative exercise to explore what needs to change, what needs to stay the same and what we need to guard against.

Directive: Think about what you need to keep or hold onto in your life, what you need to let go of or keep out of your life. Find a way to represent this on the page with words and images. 

Materials: Any Art Materials – you can use collage, drawing, painting materials. For people who like more direction maybe think about dividing the page into sections – one for holding on and one for letting go.

I want to acknowledge that this is a time of uncertainty for everyone. People everywhere are being forced to let go of a lot of things they once found comfort in. When doing this, take sometime to acknowledge and sit with the feelings that come up as part of the letting go process. This can be painful but important to really feel so we can move forward in a healthy way. 

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Personal Power 

Objective: Participants will creatively express what it feels like to sit in their personal power. 

Directive: Make an image of who you are when you are in your power. When my spirit and soul are alive.

Materials: Any materials you would like! You can use collage, cut out words and images that you relate to and inspire you. Use your favorite colors, shapes and designs. Be creative.

 

Offerings  

Objective: To sit with the idea of giving. What wisdom do we hold inside of ourselves that can be shared with the collective? What do we wish to share with others? What love and advice do we have to share? What does the world we want to live in look like? 

Directive: Make a creative list based on the phrase, “These are the blessings I offer to the collective…”

Materials: Writing and Drawing materials.  Make a list and decorate it! 

Creative Mornings

Objective: To reflect and bring awareness to what is occupying your emotional and mental being as you start the day. 

Directive: Think of a question, write it down or keep in your mind. Start to make an image on the piece of paper. If it is words that come to you first, start by writing. Add colors and shapes. Start to paint with your intuition. Allow the process to guide you. When you feel like you are done making the image, take some time to journal about what you made and the process. What questions came up for you? How are you feeling about starting the day? Are there any intentions you would like to set? 

Materials: Paper, paints (watercolor, acrylic), journal and pens.

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 Dreams 

Objective:  The objective of this exercise is to bring awareness to the symbolism in our dreams and how they may inform our lives in the present. 

Directive:  Take a minute to get centered. Take a few deep breaths. Close your eyes. Begin to feel into the space around you. Listen to the sounds around you. Listen to your breath. Feel your heartbeat. While your eyes are closed think of a dream that you have had recently. Imagine yourself in the dream. Take a moment to be in your imagination.

Questions: How do you feel in this place? Where are you? What imagery is appearing?

Start with a blank sheet of paper, art supplies and a journal. Begin by documenting what you saw in your dream with colors or words. You can draw exactly what you saw or use colors and shapes. You can write words directly on the artwork or in a separate journal.  

When you are done with the image, take your journal and write about the process. What did you learn about your dream? What could the images represent in your current life? 

Materials: Multi-media or watercolor paper, watercolors, pens, oil and chalk pastels. 

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Dream II

Objective: To invite awareness into dream states and internal symbolism.

Directive: Try the same exercise for the next dream you have and compare the two. See how they may work together or clarify different aspects of each other.

Questions: What is similar about the two images? What is different? Do they tell a narrative? Are there common symbols? What do these images tell you about your present life?

Materials: Multi-media or watercolor paper, watercolors, pens, oil and chalk pastels.

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Feeling Mandala

Objective: Often we can feel distant or separate from our feeling selves. This mandala exercise is designed to help people express and be with their feelings in the present moment. 

Directive: Take a few moments to get grounded in the space. Take a few deep breaths. Bring your focus inward. Listen to the sounds in the room. Bring attention to your breath. Listen as you breathe in and out. Feel the ground below you. Continue to slowly inhale and exhale. When you feel ready bring your attention to the room. 

Draw a circle in the middle of the page. On the inside of the circle use shapes and colors to represent how you are feeling in the present moment. 

Materials: Watercolor and paper (you can also use drawing materials and other paints If you have them available) 

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