Sunday, January 29, 2012

Retreating with Art and Healing

It has been too long since I last wrote for this blog, but in that time there has been Christmas holidays and I was relieved of my phone. So the pictures I was going to use are gone! It has been hard to get myself to write because I rely so much on photo art!

In November I lead a retreat for Westside Unitarian Universalist Church of Farragut, TN. This church gets together every year at Pickett State Park.

 Pickett State Park



I worked with a group of 13 of the campers, both adults and children. I taught them the stress releasing techniques that I have talked about in other blogs.

They were receptive and worked some beautiful artworks. One remarkable couple that came were both colorblind and legally blind. They had no problem with doing the artwork that released a negative emotion. I worked with the legally blind one by telling him that he doesn't have to know what colors he is using, but to go with what he is attracted to. I spread out his crayons in front of him and helped him find the center of his paper. I didn't know his partner was color blind until later! They were open to working how they could. I talked to them about the scientific evidence of the vibration of colors and that they might need someone to tell them what color they were working with but that they could do the work if they were open. Each color is assoicated with a point on the body which corresponds with the energy points (or chakras).  

The next day we worked on the transformative piece of artwork. I wish I had pictures to show you what they created! I lead my legally blind man to the modelling clay. He was delighted that he could connect with something that he remembered doing when he was younger. He fashioned a small blue travel trailer. I was honored that he would participate! What a wonderful witness! His wife didn't come back to the second part (we did one part in the morning and then the next in the afternoon.) I honor what each person's needs are. There are other ways to healing through voice, music, and movement. Art happens to be my own particular mode of healing!  Part of the weekend was a wonderful time of singing a Taize morning service. We moved and sang songs! It was also a healing time for me! What a wonderful group of people! They asked me if I would come join their church! I think 4 hours is a little difficult to do every week!












Later in November I visited Quest Farm in Georgetown, KY to do Art and Healing with the residents of the Farm! They are developmentally challenged adults who live together and work the farm. They sell ink pens and flowers which they grow themselves. The three pictures above were three that two of the residents did for me after we did our Art and Healing work.

We went through the breathing exercises as I always do when I begin. I asked them to find a place in their bodies that felt bad and to put it down on paper. We gave them each seven crayons: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, and black. They each came up with a picture. I had them fold them up and tear them up (if they wanted to, some didn't). Then they chose their own color squares to do their healing pictures on. We did the breathing exercises again and when I asked them to do a noise this time they were louder! I asked them to go back to the same place inside of their bodies they went before and to ask for a picture or color that would heal this bad feeling. They were receptive and did some beautiful pictures that they were proud of! We hung them up so they would be able to see them every day. I heard that they were talking about what we did later in their houses.

Not every person participated but they all were into the pictures I took. I got many hugs that day too.
The above pictures were done after I showed them how to make turkeys from their hand prints! Ruth also did a picture of Quest Farm for me. It was a great afternoon!

The rest of my time was spent making dresses for my granddaughters. I find sewing soothing and healing for me. This is a smocked dress with frogs on ornaments. Mariel loved it and didn't want to take it off! I also made a red dress with Christmas flamingos for Lyla, but I didn't take a seperate picture of it to show you! If you have an outlet for your healing, I'd love to hear about it!  Blessings on the new year!