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How Therapeutic Art Can Help Manage Anxiety

How Therapeutic Art Can Help Manage Anxiety Anxiety is a common mental health condition that affects millions of people worldwide. It can manifest in various ways, such as excessive worry, restlessness, and difficulty concentrating. While there are many traditional methods of managing anxiety, one often overlooked approach is therapeutic art. Engaging in creative expression through art can be a powerful tool in finding relief and healing from anxiety. Therapeutic art allows individuals to explore their emotions and thoughts in a safe and non-judgmental space. It provides an outlet for self-expression and can help individuals process and release pent-up emotions. The act of creating art can be soothing and calming, allowing the mind to focus on the present moment and divert attention away from anxious thoughts. One of the benefits of therapeutic art is that it doesn't require any artistic talent or skill. It's not about creating a masterpiece; it's about the process of creating and the emotions that arise during that process. Whether it's painting, drawing, collage, or any other form of art, the act of engaging with materials and colors can be therapeutic in itself. Here are a few examples of how therapeutic art can help manage anxiety: 1. Mindful Coloring: Coloring books for adults have gained popularity in recent years, and for good reason. Coloring intricate patterns and designs can be a meditative practice that promotes relaxation and focus. It allows the mind to enter a state of flow, where worries and anxieties fade into the background. 2. Expressive Painting: Abstract painting, like the one depicted in the image, can be a powerful way to release emotions and express oneself. The vibrant colors and brushstrokes can represent the intensity of anxiety, while the act of painting can provide a sense of control and empowerment. 3. Collage Journaling: Creating a collage journal can be a therapeutic way to explore and process emotions. Cut out images and words from magazines or printouts that resonate with your feelings and arrange them in a journal. This visual representation can help you gain insights into your anxiety and provide a sense of release. Tips for Engaging in Therapeutic Art: 1. Create a Safe Space: Find a quiet and comfortable space where you can engage in art without distractions. This could be a dedicated art studio, a corner of your home, or even a park. 2. Set Intentions: Before starting your art session, set intentions for what you hope to achieve or explore. This could be finding calmness, releasing emotions, or gaining insights into your anxiety. 3. Let Go of Expectations: Remember that therapeutic art is not about creating a perfect piece of art. Embrace imperfections and allow yourself to freely express your emotions without judgment. 4. Practice Mindfulness: Engage in the process of creating art mindfully. Focus on the sensations of the materials, the colors, and the movements of your hands. Allow yourself to be fully present in the moment. In conclusion, therapeutic art can be a valuable tool in managing anxiety. It provides a creative outlet for self-expression, promotes relaxation, and helps individuals process and release emotions. Whether it's through mindful coloring, expressive painting, or collage journaling, engaging in therapeutic art can bring relief and healing to those struggling with anxiety. So, pick up a paintbrush, grab some colored pencils, or start cutting and pasting – let the power of therapeutic art guide you on your journey to managing anxiety.

 
 
 

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Therapeutic art is self-directed and forward- motivated. It is not psychoanalysis. It provides a means of self-expression, communication, decision making, creativity, and stress reduction. Art becomes a meditative practice wherein one finds the flow, a state of concentration so focused that it amounts to absolute absorption and inactivity. It's also called being in the zone by focusing on only the task at hand this state may help an individual reduce self-consciousness and anxiety. Achieving flow is often a challenge to the brain and flow states are an area of study in neuroscience. Many people who find traditional meditation difficult are able to achieve this state through the practice of an art-related activity. Art is a learned skill to cope with stress and anxiety.

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1:1 Therapeutic Art Coaching:  For 1 hour each session, coach and client take a journey inward. Meditation, mindfulness, and breathing exercises help clear out negative thoughts, beliefs and perceptions that are not serving us. Through guided art sessions, we tap into more positive thoughts, realistic perspectives on different areas of life, and inner self-knowledge to foster healing, peace and joy. The art done during sessions is process-based and non-judgmental. We make art for the fun and joy of it, and the art teaches us about ourselves. The types of art we do can have therapeutic objectives, be mindful and relaxing, or be intuitive, in other words, self-guided.

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Higher Self Therapeutic Art Group: 

This group meets once a week for 2 hours per session all year round. The objective is to get to the core of our true inner selves to relieve and dissipate anxiety and promote healthier emotion management. In our sessions we discuss topics related to mental wellness as well as make art that soothes and heals. The topics we discuss lead us to spiritual growth and understanding. In the art-making process, we practice breaking through old, preconceived ideas of how we see ourselves and forge new self-concepts rooted in self-discovery and responsible choice.

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Group Events- For companies, healthcare organizations and wellness centers:

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Therapeutic Art Workshop:

 Using breathwork through either meditation or movement, we center ourselves on a self-care theme such as self-worth, forgiveness, self-compassion, and more. We make non-judgmental abstract art for relaxation. Finally, we journal self-support statements and add them to the art. Workshop is 2 hours long.

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Neurographic Art Workshop:

Neurographic art is a mindful art practice used to map new neural connections through drawing. When we associate a positive thought to a new neuropathway, we can reinforce it. Then we can visually connect that to a positive change which we want to reinforce. Through repetition, we can increase the efficiency of the positive feelings and manifest something healthier and with increased well-being as the result. Through the process, we change our beliefs and meaning we associated with events to better-feeling outcomes. Workshop is 2 hours long. 

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Intuitive Painting Workshop:

Get out of your mind’s way and through the process, take the energy from inside of you and express it symbolically in the form of abstract shapes and marks. After a brief warm-up of the body and breath, we use acrylic paints and fun tools to create contrast, interest and movement on canvas as we play fun music. No art experience necessary. Workshop is 2.5-3 hours long

 

Yoga Nidra classes:

 Achieve deep relaxation through meditation equal to 3 hours of sleep. Classes are 1 hour long.

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TaiChi Qi Gong classes:

Qigong uses simple poses and breathing patterns to promote a healthy flow and reduce stagnation of energy. Proper flow of qi can help the body engage its own healing processes, improve bone and cardiovascular health, improve balance, and reduce high blood pressure, depression and anxiety symptoms. Classes are 1 hour long

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Creative Resilient Teens Program: We empower teenagers to reframe negative thoughts through mindfulness, journaling, and art.

We practice, through activities, to identify triggers and negative thought types, reframe through breathing techniques, and release stress through non-verbal artistic expression.  Each art activity is linked to the core concept of the session. The goal of this course is to teach you techniques to build your resilience, your ability to prepare for, recover from and adapt in the face of stress, challenge or adversity. Our goal together is to feel confident “taking charge” of how we respond and how we care for ourselves. We use art as a process to discover truths about ourselves and situations that are stressors and triggers. We build self-awareness, self-acceptance, and community, a safe place where your opinions are valid as well as your feelings. Sessions are 1.5 hours long.

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