Day 59 of 100 intentional reflective steps.
I think I have spent my whole life in art therapy. When I am angsty or crabby my husband will often say “You need to make something”, knowing that creating helps me get to a better emotional space. Art therapy at the hospital was an interesting diversion from the regular group talk therapy but was severely lacking in art supplies from say the 2000’s? However it was decent entertainment and the art room was my favorite place to be on campus.
One day the instruction in therapy was to create your internal monster out of modeling clay. Basically we were to put shape and form the internal battle within us. One very crabby and highly entertaining older lady rolled her clay into a long snake and coiled it up neatly. When it came time for everybody to take turns describing their art, the very sweet, well meaning, intuitive art therapist asked the lady. “Does that represent your father coiled and ready to strike out in anger at you?” “NO!”, she snapped. “It represents the easiest thing to make with clay!”
Patient 1
Therapist 0