Posted by daisym on September 19, 2004, at 20:53:37
In reply to Re: I had my first Art Therapy Class » daisym, posted by Klokka on September 19, 2004, at 19:41:03
Today we started with personal mandalas, in 3D form. You had to choose something to put in the middle of your circle to represent yourself and then put a border on it to "contain" your life. Then you added all kinds of things to represent parts of your life. The finished product represents wholeness. The teacher had all kinds of materials -- jewelry, feathers, wire, sticks, leaves, and tons of other stuff...lots of "junk." I chose a mirror to represent myself because right now I'm a reflection of who ever is looking at me...Some people painted theirs.
After that we did a problem solving project. You had to write down a problem as clearly as you can, with as much detail as you could. Then your had to rip paper -- all kinds of paper and use it to make a sculpture of your problem. Then you had to fold a piece of paper and on it paste magazine pictures about what would happen if you solved your problem. One side was best case and other side was worst case. This one was hard for me because I don't conceptualize my problems that way. But I know some people like to make projects that can give them a frame work for their problems.
This afternoon we worked with clay. First we just did free form stuff and then we "made" something with our eyes closed. (No, I didn't have the guts to make that male organ.) But I made a swaddled baby inside a hug. It was neat to watch it turn out. And then we were supposed to do something that represented the weekend to us. I molded the little girl in the inter-tube. I wrote a story about her yesterday.
So, not a bad way to spend a weekend. I would still rather write. But you should try some of this if you haven't before.
Here is an interesting thing though. Yesterday when we did a scribble exercise, I left anxious and sort of vaguely upset at lunchtime. Last night I had a dream I was talking to my therapist about the scribble drawings and the anxiety. My youngerself walks into the room and says, "Well, she (the teacher) had us scribble really hard, like we were mad, with our eyes closed. So I could feel anger all around me." And then she said, "Trace the corners, keeping your eyes closed." So I did that but it was hard to see it in my mind. I had to really think about the lines, the rectangle, like when I trace the ceiling." And then she walked out.
And in the dream, my therapist looked at me and said, "Well, we should have asked her first, huh?" So I guess I know now where the anxiety came from.
poster:daisym
thread:392471
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20040918/msgs/392758.html