EXPRESSIVE ARTS THERAPY: HEALING THROUGH THE CREATIVE FEMININE

How does creativity differ from artistic talent?  What does it mean to be creative? How can I tap my creativity to transform my life, my family, and my community?

Such questions informed the January 15 LIFE Spa event “Expressive Arts Therapy: Healing Through the creative Feminine.”  Stephanie Feys, an Expressive Arts Therapy intern studying at California Institute of Integral Studies, discussed the history of and theory behind Expressive Arts Therapy, a multimodal psychotherapy approach utilizing art practices such as music, dance, poetry, and drawing to help individuals develop, heal, and gain greater self-insight. 

After a short presentation, Stephanie enabled participants to experience Expressive Arts Therapy by leading a session incorporating self-expression through dance and one focusing on drawing.  As rhythmic music played, participants danced singly, in pairs, and in small groups, channeling their emotions and sensations into movement.  Afterward, they had the opportunity to draw their current state, however they chose to express it on paper, and Stephanie invited participants to share their experiences in small groups.

The women in attendance reported their dancing as simultaneously “grounding and freeing,” an exercise that physically and mentally engaged them and inspired a “sense of connection to themselves and others.”  Many participants resonated with the concept that all people are creative in their own way, even if they are not necessarily artistic.  The idea that one could express oneself without regard to how graceful one’s dance or how accomplished one’s drawing was also refreshing, as participants felt confident in their ability to engage themselves and their creativity without having to judge their own performance or have their performance judged by others.

SAVE THE DATE: On February 19 LIFE Spa will hold a discussion on women’s roles in the family.  Titled “Femininities in Conflict,” the event will explore differing and divergent roles open to women, with the aim of bringing conscious reflection on the roles women are choosing for themselves.  It is our hope that this self-knowledge will empower women to make changes necessary for achieving more fulfilling relationships.