Art: a double edged sword that lifts us and tears us down
Artists have a unique culture and specific challenges which other social groups do not face. I should know, aside from being a therapist to the artists, I am a photographer. Artists are wired differently than the rest of people so feeling alone in the world, despite being surrounded by people, is an emotion they are all too familiar with. The saying “artists suffer for their work” applies both literally and metaphorically. Sure everybody invests time, money and effort in their chosen career but few have to use and expose their deepest, most personal emotions to the world. This is the artist’s main tool, a double edged sword that both lifts…
How does anxiety feel like for you?
This video by Jeffrey Lewis sings about how anxiety feels like for him http://youtu.be/lKYDcAsahXYVideo can’t be loaded because JavaScript is disabled: anxiety attack – jeffrey lewis (http://youtu.be/lKYDcAsahXY)
The inner critic: “you can’t”, “you’re not good enough”, you’re it.
I’ve been reading a string of articles lately on the PsychCentral’s website (here and here) about the inner critic and some ways in which to deal with it. The notion of an inner critic is not new; I remember (in my first week as a student interning at an art therapy non-profit in Texas), hearing my supervisor telling the children of a therapy group to listen to that voice inside that tells them they can’t draw nicely or that they’re not talented. She said “that’s your inner critic! And what do we do with it? We kick it out of the…
Intentionality in self-awareness
When properly focused, awareness has the ability to carry out quite specific commands. An intention doesn’t have to be a verbally expressed thought; in fact, our deepest intentions are body-centered. Our most fundamental needs – for love, understanding, encouragement, support – permeate every cell. The desires that arise in our mind are not true needs; people get caught up in the pursuit of money, career goals, and political ambitions in ways that are disconnected from the fundamental need for comfort and well-being that every healthy organism must fulfill. Many of us are so alienated from our basic needs, that we have to relearn the basic mechanics…
