Studies have shown that some of the benefits of meditation are reduced inflammation, lowered blood pressure, slower breathing rate, more relaxed muscles, greater immune system response and increased emotional balance (Corliss 2014). These findings have a wide application to physical and mental health. Calming the body, breath and mind, as we do in meditation, activates the parasympathetic nervous system, the part of the autonomic nervous system that maintains normal body/mind functions, slows heart rate and allows clear thinking (Cherry 2014). As in art making and yoga practices, the relaxation response occurs. This is the opposite of the fight or flight response called the sympathetic nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system tends to be stimulated by triggers in our daily lives that remind our body/mind of the real but no longer imminent dangers. When people were living with the ever-present danger of being eaten by a tiger, the body/mind had to be able to respond quickly. At the first sign of mental or physical danger a cascade of biological reactions occur in order to mobilize the resources needed to deal with the threat. Now, we generally must avoid fighting and fleeing, even as the physiological conditions for this pattern are repeated over and over. The repetition of this body/mind scenario may lead to serious physical and mental health conditions. Meditation is a tool with documented success in calming the patterns of arousal that interfere with the ability to act as opposed to react (McDonald 2010; Stephens 2009).
Chapter 2
MIND, BODY, SPIRIT
Mind-body-spirit, holistic, New Age, yoga, spirituality – these notions are trending in the popular media. Therapy clients may be seeking holistic health solutions because of the increased cultural interest and media attention to such topics (Plante 2007). But some therapists may be wary. Therapy is not a place for trendiness. Additionally, art therapists sometimes struggle to build clear professional identities, in part, because clinical peers can sometimes be confused by art therapy as it combines art with therapy (Feen-Calligan 2012). Should another element be added? Why offer the holistic approach of Intention Centered Yoga and Art Therapy?
Art therapy – a holistic therapy
An art therapist inspires respect and develops a positive professional identity when that person has clarity about what they offer and confidence in its efficacy (Feen-Calligan 2005). Although art therapy has broad application and can be practiced with many different theoretical approaches, one might argue that art therapy is already a holistic practice; therefore, the desire to support and expand its effectiveness with complementary practices is natural and appropriate. For this book’s purposes the terms “holistic” and “mind-body-spirit” are interchangeable. Mind-body-spirit, whatever your definition of each part might be, cannot actually be separated. The definition of holistic, according to Merriam-Webster’s (2014) dictionary is: “relating to or concerned with wholes or with complete systems rather than with the analysis of, treatment of, or dissection into parts.” Perhaps the deeper desire beneath the hype of the healing trends is to move away from dissection, toward recognition of our wholeness. Art therapy does this very well (Malchiodi 1998).
Art therapy treatment begins with clinical skill, used to address the mental workings of the client, generally addressing concerns from a theoretical perspective. Art making is another indispensable tool for an art therapist. The body is used in the creation of art. With this activity, sensory integration occurs and the brain is activated in ways not possible with purely verbal therapy because of the complex interactive systems of the body. Finally, the therapist may enter the realm of the spirit in order to intuitively manage the synergistic process that occurs in any creative arts therapy (Lusebrink 2004; Ramm 2005).
In a holistic practice, intuition is considered the spirit’s voice. Spirit might be referred to as the animating force, or life force, which exists in every living person, distinct from mind and body. Intuition is different from thought, which is generally accepted as a product of the mind. There may be intuitive clues noticed through felt sensations in the body, but it is not strictly a physical phenomenon either. Art therapists must use intuitive skills in their work because the creation of art itself depends on it; “a work of art begins with an intuition of the total form and the feelings embodied by it” (Julliard and Van Den Heuvel 1999, p.114). The intuition or spirit required to create a work of art was called “livingness” by Susanne Langer, an early seminal figure in art therapy, reflecting the fact that another component is needed in the creation of art, aside from the body and the mind. Langer even went on to challenge the idea that body and mind are separate: “Creating art demonstrates the unbroken continuum between what most people dichotomize as body and mind. Therein lies its potential for healing” (Julliard and Van Den Heuvel 1999, p.118).
In contrast, the field of psychology historically encouraged such a dichotomy in the interest of evidence-based science, denying the obvious: that a whole person is necessarily in possession of mind, body and spirit (Plante 2007). Although interest in partnering with alternative therapies has grown in recent years, there may be a lingering mistrust of holistic practices among those who have prioritized evidence-based practices. Evidence is important, and holistic practices are increasingly subjects of research, however, ideally research should be inspired by efficacy (O’Conner 2001).
While art therapists might alter their emphases to suit individual needs, they would not consider eliminating part of the process in order to become more oriented to a single aspect of a person. Because the practice of art therapy is a wonderful tool to address the whole person, it links well with other holistic methods. In the chapter on spirituality and art therapy in her book, Ethics in Art Therapy, Furman (2013) notes that many art therapists are drawn to alternative practices. She wisely points out that one should not confuse interest in complementary practices with training, and should take care to avoid dual relationships with clients. Art therapy treats the whole person with its “blend of intuitive and clinical skill, combined with a deep connection to the artistic and healing process” (Furman 2013, p.98). Implemented judiciously, the addition of other holistically oriented therapies to an art therapy practice can offer great potential for more complete healing (Plante 2007).
Who is yoga meant for?
There seems to be a yoga studio on every corner these days and it seems like they are full of young, flexible, fit people. What exactly is yoga and who is yoga for anyway?
Yoga in the West has grown exponentially in recent years and come to be associated mainly with the physical aspect of the practice. If you have spent time with the serious study of yoga then you know that the heart of the discipline has nothing to do with beautiful bodies. B. K. S. Iyengar (1995), in his influential book, Light on Yoga says, “Yoga is a timeless pragmatic science evolved over thousands of years dealing with the physical, moral, mental and spiritual well-being of man as a whole” (p.14). Iyengar goes on to translate the word yoga to mean union or yoke. In his view, the union referred to is describing the yoking of body, mind and soul. The yoga postures, known in Sanskrit as asana, are a small part of the self-discipline that will bring a person to the “real meaning of Yoga – a deliverance from contact with pain and sorrow” (Iyengar 1995, p.19).
Pain, whether physical or emotional, can be seen as misalignment. Iyengar’s renowned teaching focused on alignment because physical alignment allows the life force to flow more freely through the body, which may in turn allow the mind to find optimal alignment. Donna Farhi (2005) calls the practice of yoga a “life practice. By life practice I mean an ongoing inquiry into how to be completely engaged and intimate with the wild force that runs through everything and is running through us, if we would but pause long enough to notice” (p.39). The knowledge that yoga is meant to enliven the whole person is helpful in understanding the use of yoga in the practices suggested in this book. The art and yoga techniques recommended in the coming pages are carefully aligned to have an engaging and enlivening effect on a person’s life. The sequences are designed to be accessible enough for anyone to be able to pause and learn more about themselves.
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