As you become more comfortable with your visual journaling through regular practice, you’ll find that you are able to use Visual Journaling as not only an expression, but also to reduce stress, release and heal old emotional wounds, overcome fear, and help work through conflicting emotions regarding a situation.
One way to achieve these benefits is though written journaling after drawing your image. (I generally like to write on the left-hand side page of my journal, opposite of my image and under my intention statement.) Ask yourself the following questions (or others, if you’d like): • How does this journal drawing make me feel? • How does my body feel now after drawing this? • How do these colors relate to what I was feeling? • Does anything about my picture bother me? • Does my picture hold any special meaning or message for me? • What can I learn about myself from my drawing? • How do I feel about the situation or emotions that caused me to draw this? • Would I like to change this feeling or situation in my life? • Adapted from Visual Journaling : Going Deeper than Words, by Ganim & Fox --Yolanda www.LifeRenewalCounseling.org
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After you have imagined your image – or the colors and shapes that would best express your physical sensation and what you’re feeling – open your eyes and draw! When you’re done, prop up your journal and take a look at it from a distance, then up close again. Many people are surprised by their ability to express themselves via Visual Journaling.
Be aware of judgmental thoughts as you visualize, draw, and observe your final result. If these thoughts begin to intrude, focus again on your breath and bring your awareness back to the area you were previously focusing. If you’ve done this and judgmental thoughts continue to intrude, switch to drawing with your nondominant hand, which will shift you back into your nonjudgmental right-side brain. • Adapted from Visual Journaling : Going Deeper than Words, by Ganim & Fox --Yolanda www.LifeRenewalCounseling.org The body expresses emotion through physical sensation – how does your body express joy (smiling), anger (tense muscles), and fear (an uneasiness in the stomach)? The way to access these physical sensations is to disconnect with your thoughts, or “quiet the mind.”
Try this exercise in body-centered awareness: • Sit comfortably and take three deep breaths, concentrating on the rise and fall of your chest as you do so. • Take three more breaths and imagine yourself breathing in light and breathing out color – any color. Feel your body relax and continue this pattern until it feels natural and comfortable. • Now allow your focus to move away from your breath and to any part of your body that draws your attention. If you are not drawn to any particular place, focus your awareness on where you would like to be more present. • Focus on that part of the body. What does it feel like to be there? This activity might feel awkward as most of us are not used to stillness. Many of us are not aware of the link between physical sensation and emotions until our body forces us to be (racing heart + sweaty palms + tense muscles + shortness of breath = anxiety = panic attack). Again, practice makes perfect! • Adapted from Visual Journaling : Going Deeper than Words, by Ganim & Fox -- Yolanda www.LifeRenewalCounseling.org Before you begin a visual journaling session, it’s important to set an intention that describes what you want from the experience, a person, reason, or goal for the time.
This intention includes what you want, as well as what you DON’T want – your left-brain’s judgmental interpretation of your image. If you begin to sense these judgmental thoughts, refocus on your original intention. Write this intention in your journal before you begin drawing. I prefer to write my intention on the left-hand-page of my opened journal, leaving the entire right-hand-page for the expression of my intention. Examples of intentions include:
What is your intention for your journal entry today?
--- Yolanda www.LifeRenewalCounseling.org You might be wondering what it takes to “visualize imagery” and worry that you won’t be able to “see” anything to draw. Don’t worry – the process is actually more simple than you might imagine!
It’s important to understand that people experience inner imagery in different ways. Some see a very clear picture, other people merely sense an image with no clear picture, and still others have a shape or color flash through their mind as a thought or impression. Try this activity to get an idea of how you experience your own inner imagery: · Gather your visual journaling materials and, with marker/crayon/pastel in hand, close your eyes and take several deep breaths. Now, imagine a sailboat. Finally, open your eyes and draw that sailboat. Remember that your image is YOUR image, so there’s no “right” or “wrong” way to draw the sailboat. For every thought of “Can I draw it like…”, the answer is “YES!” and for every thought of “Does it have to be…”, the answer is “NO!” When you have finished your sailboat drawing, answer these questions: 1. Did the sailboat present itself to your inner eye as a kind of flash image or picture? 2. Did you only sense what it looked like? 3. Did you just begin to draw, having no idea what the final drawing would look like? The most important part of expressing your inner imagery is to learn to trust your own way of accessing it. If you close your eyes and nothing happens, don’t give up! Just start making marks on the paper and eventually an image will appear. The more you practice this “art”, the stronger your connection to your inner imagery will become! Feel free to post a picture of your first expression of visual imagery! (And remember, judging or comparing yourself to others is not allowed!) · Adapted from Visual Journaling : Going Deeper than Words, by Ganim & Fox Your journaling space does not have to be an area that you use exclusively for journaling, but it does help to keep everything you need to journal in one space. Ideally, you want your journaling space to be one in which you can work undisturbed. This should be a “safe” place for you; one in which you feel free to express yourself without judgment from others (and without judgment from yourself). It helps to personalize your space, filling it with objects that help you tune into your sense of smell, sound, taste, and touch – which also helps you to tap into your emotions (think about the emotions that are evoked through the smell of baking cookies or the sound of rain on a roof).
Your space can be a cozy chair in the corner of a room, a closet, or an entire room that you dedicate to self-expression. It can be filled with soft blankets, a scented candle, an MP3 player loaded with calming music (no lyrics! They get in the way of connecting to your own expression.), your favorite tea, and special mementos from loved ones. Or, your space could be on the beach, under a tree, or an out-of-the-way break room at work. If you travel a great deal, you can take along a 5x7 journal to use on a plane, car, or hotel room. The sky’s the limit! Where will you create a space for self-expression? · Adapted from Visual Journaling : Going Deeper than Words, by Ganim & Fox Whether your kids are counting down the days, or they're groaning at the thought of studying the 3 Rs again -- summer is quickly slipping away, and now is the perfect time to begin to plan for the upcoming school year. Here are 3 tips to ease into the back-to-school routine:
-- Yolanda Harper, MSW, ISW 6261 Parenting Support, Counselor Life Renewal Counseling 813.434.3639 ** Important dates to remember: 8/3/2012 – 8/5/2012 : Sales Tax Holiday 8/20/2012 : Pasco School Begins 8/21/2012 : Hillsborough School Begins to Go Back to School You Don’t Have to Be an Artist:
One of the best things about Visual Journaling is that you don’t have to be an artist or have any “artistic talent” in order to benefit from it. If you can draw a stick figure, scribble, and draw circles, squares, and triangles, you can express yourself via Visual Journaling more effectively than a skilled artist can! It helps to remember that the process is not about creating art, but rather about expressing emotions through images. Because this imaging is unique to you, there is no “right” or “wrong” way to journal visually. There are art materials that you will need in order to start journaling, however. The basic list includes: · An 11x14 drawing pad (this size intimidated me at first, but at the recommendation of my husband – a one time art major -- I went ahead and got it, and I’m glad I did. I was afraid that I’d feel a need to fill the space, but I discovered that my drawings naturally filled the page. This larger size can be pricy, however, and I have found an inexpensive smaller version at Target.) · Multicolored pastels – the more colors, the better! · Crayons (larger ones work better) · Colored markers with a variety of tips · Adapted from Visual Journaling : Going Deeper than Words, by Ganim & Fox * Surrounding yourself with people who are only interested in a two-way relationship.
* Eliminating clutter from your life. * Creating and maintaining a soul-nourishing work and home environment. * Not making any commitments whatsoever out of guilt or obligation. * Making pleasure a regular priority (ie, taking an afternoon break from work to take a short walk, enjoying a massage, listening to music, drinking your favorite tea, ordering fresh flowers for your office). Your assignment for today is to take an action step in any of the above areas. You can do it! -- Adapted from The Art of Extreme Self-Care by Cheryl Richardson To conclude this month's focus on Hal Runkel's new book, Scream-Free Marriage: Calming Down, Growing Up, and Getting Closer, we look at a third truth: If You're Not Part of the Solution, Then You're Still Part of the Problem.
This truth reminds me of the mantra a friend has with the children she works with at church: If You're Not Helping, You're Hurting. However you word it, the idea is that of self-responsibility. Runkel labels this self-responsibility in the context of marriage relationship "Authentic Self-Representation", achieved by Calming Down, Growing Up, Getting Closer, and Repeating. 1. Calm Down- First, create a pause for yourself so you don't "lose it". Look back at past situations where you didn't "lose it" and try to determine what helped you keep your calm in that circumstance. Then, "Go to the Balcony", as Runkel says. After you've pressed the pause button, try to seek clarity about the situation by "taking it upstairs", away from emotions to a more analytic and cognitive perspective. This can be challenging during the heat of an argument; however, the more you practice, the easier it gets. Throughout this process, try to remember that when you are focused on your own behavior - and not your spouse's - your spouse is forced to look at his/her behavior himself/herself. 2. Grow Up- with this new perspective, you can challenge yourself to "Spot Your Pattern" and realize how you contribute to the situation. Remember that marital problems usually have patterns, and these patterns always have partners. This is a dance that both you and your partner participate in, often stepping on each other's toes. After you have realized your contribution to the problem pattern, you can "Step on the Scales" and really examine yourself in a discerning and accurate way. This allows you to understand why your part in the pattern means so much to you and prioritize what is most important to you in your relationship. These steps can be some of the most challenging when working on your relationship, and you might benefit from seeing a therapist to help you see things objectively. 3. Get Closer- this is where the rubber meets the road -- where you move from theory to reality in your interactions with your spouse. The first step is to "Show Your Cards" and risk revealing your true self and needs to your spouse, in spite of the fear that this revelation might not be well-recieved. Be aware that this is not an attempt to manipulate your spouse into the same action. This is simply a step to make yourself known to your spouse. In the process of "Showing Your Cards", however, you can "Champion Your Spouse" by welcoming and encouraging your spouse to do the same. In essence, the idea is that your spouse will be so drawn by your Authentic Self-Representation that he/she will want to do the same WITHOUT pressure from you to do so. 4. Repeat- because life is life, naturally full of stress and conflict, you'll have ample opportunity to continue this pattern of Authentic Self-Representation. Obviously, these posts merely touch the surface of Runkel's book. Runkel continues to address several aspects of marriage that can lead to conflict (Time Accountability, Extended Families, Household Management, and Sexuality). Like its predecessor, Scream-Free Parenting, Scream-Free Marriage is on my list of recommended reads. If you're ready to become "scream-free" in your marriage and/or parenting and would like some help, give Life Renewal a call today. |
AuthorsThe author of Life Renewal Counseling's Blog is Jennifer Street, LCSW. Earlier posts are credited to our former counselor, Yolanda Harper, LCSW. For more information on Jennifer please visit the "About Us" section of our website. Archives
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