2024 Author: Harry Day | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 15:43
A secret passage for the unconscious
The unclear contents of the unconscious must be given a way out: after all, they themselves sometimes find loopholes through dreams, reservations, spontaneous actions - which means that they can be released through more obvious channels. Nowadays, all means are good for this, because people are different, and for someone the classic couch of a psychoanalyst will not be enough. Therefore, now psychotherapy invites the unconscious to break through in all possible ways: through dance, writing fairy tales, acting out situations on the stage, directed visualization, playing with sand - and, of course, through drawing too.
Drawing for a psychologist - a tool for all occasions. In psychodiagnostics, by the nature of shading and composition, the personality type or, say, the presence of mental disorders is revealed. In psychosomatics and body-oriented psychotherapy, the drawing of a symptom can become an impetus for rethinking the disease. In any long-term work with a psychotherapist, a drawing can help move a stalled process or summarize the results of the path traveled. But even if you are not visiting a specialist, drawing can help you on the path of exploring yourself and realizing complex feelings that cannot be put into words.
For independent work
The practice described below is perfect both for immersion in an urgent problematic situation, if any, and for everyday meditation - even if the soul is light and clear.
To complete the exercise you will need:
- A sheet of paper as large as possible (not less than A3 format, or more) - so as not to limit the scope of imagination
- Drawing supplies: wax crayons or pastels are great for this - they give a wonderful feeling of direct hand contact with the paper, but you can use watercolors, gouache, and colored pencils. Each tool has its own charm, so give yourself a wide choice and feel free to combine them in the process
- Comfortable clothes in which it will be easy for you to relax and take a comfortable position
- Quiet room where no one will disturb you
- Half an hour of free time
Spread the tools out in front of you so that everything is within reach. Sit nearby, preferably on the floor, on soft pillows, on your favorite fluffy blanket - take care of your comfort and warmth and start with a little meditation.
Attention inside
Listen to the breath without trying to deepen or force it. Walk your mind's eye through your body from the tips of your toes to the top of your head, saying to yourself that every part of your body is getting warm and heavy. Try to trace the smallest nuances of tension in individual parts of the body, note for yourself the most vivid sensations, pleasant and unpleasant. Observe what feelings arise, what words you can call them, how they manifest themselves for you: how, for example, you inside yourself distinguish sadness from anger, or joy from contentment. Take a step back from the endless stream of thoughts inside yourself and look, as if from the side, at what speed reasoning, memories, associations, fantasies rush along this mental highway. This may be difficult at first, but try to see the whole background, consisting of body sensations, emotions and thoughts, and on this motley field find that spot, that figure that is now most vividly declaring itself. The most urgent feeling, the most interesting thought, the most acute tension in the body - it can be anything. Stay with it for a while, look from all sides, give a name to this phenomenon within you, and when you are ready, open your eyes and choose one color to work with first.
When starting a drawing, do not think about image quality and technique. This drawing is just for you, and no one will judge it according to the canons of fine art. Moreover, if you have an art education behind your back, try to take a crayon or brush in your non-working hand (for example, in the left for right-handers) - this way you will give free rein to the right hemisphere of the brain, which is responsible for imaginative perception. Having depicted in one color the basis of your state, your bright inner theme, take another color and add details, accents, contours. Try not to lose contact within yourself with the feeling that you have chosen. It is quite possible that 2-3 colors will be enough to convey the mood, but you have complete freedom to complement your drawing as you think is right. When the creation is ready, be sure to sign it on the back with the name that you gave to your sensation during meditation.
What happened?
Move away from the picture and look at it from the side. What is the feeling now that you see it? What comes to mind, how does it respond? Try to abstract from what is drawn and capture the general mood of the drawing and your own reaction to it. You can put it off for a while and come back in a few minutes, in a month, in a couple of years. Typically, when such an exercise is conducted in a group or in pairs, the client shows his drawing to other participants in the process so that they can share their feedback and give feedback. If you are alone with yourself, talk to yourself or even out loud what is happening inside you when you look at the drawing. It is important here not to interpret, not to try to decipher the meaning of the symbols and depicted objects, but to try to grasp the feeling that was put into this creation. If you regularly create drawings of new states, you can even track the dynamics: how the colors change, the nature of the lines, what new plots and characters appear.
Experience "in the flesh"
What is the purpose of this creative experiment? It is important to understand that these drawings are not just an abstract expression of a particular thought or feeling. Any manifestation of the inner world to the outer is always a reflection of the entire personality of a person, the main thing is to be sensitive to these manifestations and be able to look at them from the position of integrity. If, when examining the finished drawing, you manage to catch what kind of feeling it expresses, or if you discuss this drawing with someone to whom you can entrust the subtle processes of your soul, then a copy of what previously existed within you formlessly, vaguely, will be recorded on paper., unknowingly. This image will serve as a "container" for those experiences that could not be expressed otherwise, and from this their influence on your behavior will not be so powerful. Looking at the finished product, you can see yourself in it, such as you are here and now. You may or may not like it, but some new part of your own personality will be more accessible for realization. And whether to change or accept everything as it is is up to you.
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