In gentle but powerful ways, Expressive Arts serves those facing a challenge in their life as well those who long to discover a way to live a fuller, more resilient life through the creative process.
Example: Private Client Expressive Art Session
A typical Expressive Arts session lasts 1- 1½ hours and includes two or more of the following arts: visual art, movement, sound or writing/poetry. You enter the session ready to explore an issue or concern in your life that is calling for attention.
After identifying the focus, the expressive arts therapist (noticing your movements, phrases or mood) begins to guide you toward a painting process, a movement, writing or sound.
The focus has been discussed, and you are encouraged to let go of the problem-centered focus and move into the arts for the majority of the session. You and your facilitator will be moving in and out of inter modal art forms, such as beginning a painting, giving the image in the painting a voice with music and then moving back into he painting with new direction,
Each art modality allows a different way to “be with” the image that emerges. Shifting from one modality to another allows you to sense the feelings that come up when expressing. For example, you may experience the feeling of a “rich red color” or a ” frightening sound” or the “slow arduous movement, ” accessing the knowledge of your sensing body.
What are the thoughts, feelings, memories or body sensations that show up? What surprised you? What was uncomfortable? Familiar? Looking at what happened, how might this art making experience inform the issue or question you brought to the session? Does this experience give insight to anything that is happening in your current life?
Through art making and sensory awareness, you become able to feel into your issue – or the place you felt stuck – more objectively and with new possibility.
Before closing the session, we notice the resources found in the session, which you can take with you. Perhaps you discover a soothing movement, an awareness, a song, a drawing to be with during the week, a poem to read each day or an action to take.
Session Details
- Typical Session: 1½ hours
- Two-hour sessions available on request
- Email Pamela for current rates
Private Expressive Arts sessions are facilitated by Pamela Underwood, BFA, MA. Pamela is a professional visual artist as well as an Expressive Arts Therapist.