"There is a road from the eye to the heart that does not go through the intellect."
- G.K. Chesterton
"There is a road from the eye to the heart that does not go through the intellect."
- G.K. Chesterton
In the journey of growth and self-discovery, we may at some point find ourselves limited by the same old habitual ways we speak about ourselves, our challenges, and our life stories. In my own journey, I recognized at a certain point that in order to move beyond my limited way of seeing myself, as well as the repetitive thoughts and behaviors that came along with this limited self-view, I needed to move out of my comfort zone. In a most simple but profound way, the arts helps us do just that: the arts stretch us beyond our habitual ways of knowing ourselves and the world, help us to connect and express our longings, grief, rage and other emotions that may otherwise be held in the body, to celebrate and amplify inner strengths and joys, and to access inner guidance and wisdom in unique ways. For me, dancing became a way for me to connect to and release big energy in my body. Theater became a way for me to access emotions that I was previously too scared to express. Journaling, music, poetry, collage and visual art became ways for me to know, feel and see myself, to cultivate self-compassion, to connect with my soul, and to re-write the story of my life and the traumas I have been through in empowering ways.
Expressive Arts Therapy and Drama Therapy offer potent tools to help us reclaim the innate creative capacity within each of us, and - in doing so - to access and express the fullness of our being in embodied, soulful ways. While each person is different in how and when they may want to incorporate the arts into the therapeutic process, I find that when there is resonance, the arts can deepen and support most people in their growth and evolution.
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is another powerful therapeutic modality developed by Francine Shapiro in 1987 that at its core holds that we each have an inner healer, or an innate drive towards growth and wellbeing, that can get blocked or stuck due to unresolved traumas we collect along our journey. In a similar way that the arts helps us move beyond our limited, fixated ways of being and thinking, so too does EMDR helps us move beyond and alchemize the stuck places in ourselves such that our psyches become fertile soil again in which the inner healer within us can emerge and new blossoms can grow.
Do you want to feel inspired, vibrantly alive and at peace with all parts of yourself? Do you love listening to the wisdom of your soul? In my work with youth and adults, I take an embodied, creative and eclectic approach to supporting each client in their journey of healing and growth. Humanistic, Transpersonal, Expressive Arts, Drama Therapy, Play Therapy and EMDR are some of the approaches I love to use when they resonate.
Are you interested in cultivating your own unique essence and approach to the healing work you do? I love supporting MFT associates and other therapists-in-training to develop inner-trust, presence, and connection to their intuition in their work with clients. I also encourage those individuals I supervise to find and strengthen ways of working with clients that feel resonant and aligned, from expressive arts to transpersonal to play therapy to many eclectic approaches.
Do you long to open to be wildly self-expressed through theater, dance, or through solo performance? Is there a story that wants to be told through you through some ? As a teaching artist, actress, theater director, dancer and solo performance coach, I delight in supporting others in busting through creative blocks and limiting self-beliefs, and jumping into the river of creativity that is their birthright. I support youth and adults with acting coaching, solo performance coaching, and group theater classes.
What is the essence of healing? Where does that place of deep knowing, truth and aliveness live in our beings? As I shared above, I believe we all have access to an "inner healer" - or that place inside of ourselves that knows how to move through life's joys and challenges in such a way that we continue to grow in our capacity to love ourselves and others, to be clear on our no's as well as our yes's, and to move courageously in the direction of whatever nourishes, inspires and has meaning for us. I see my role in the work I do with youth, adults and groups as one of an ally who helps to assist each person in accessing and amplifying their innate healing capacity.
This handy guide describes 25 of Suraya's favorite arts practices from visual art, dance, drama, music and creative writing to use with individuals and groups. Available on www.amazon.com for just $2.99
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