Today I wanted to talk a little bit about non-verbal processes and how it has worked within my own therapy.
I’m a huge proponent of the arts and therapy. Art therapy, music therapy, play therapy, etc. I tried talk therapy for many years, but I realized that my emotions don’t express themselves as freely in traditional therapy. My body frequently froze and I felt the pressure to explain what was going on solely through talking.
With one of my previous therapists, I started coloring. Even though it wasn’t traditional art therapy, it helped my body relax and find safety in the back and forth movement of my crayons. I didn’t feel like my therapist was staring at me waiting for me to respond to the question, “how are you?”. I felt less pressure and it was such a relief. I could color, and simply talk when I was ready.
The important thing to note is that relieving the pressure naturally brought the emotions to the surface.
If we pressure ourselves to share or talk about something, the less we actually want to talk about it.
If we tell our emotions that they have “show up” when it comes time to our therapy appointment, they might shy away. But if we take the pressure off of talking, emotions will naturally come to the surface and will want to be heard.
Emotions need to be expressed, but the therapeutic process (in my own experience) is more than just talking. It’s about letting ourselves feel safe enough to share our hearts. It’s allowing all emotions to be present, not just the socially acceptable ones. Therapy can be such a beautiful process. (Hard, but beautiful)
This is why I want to be a therapist, specifically an art therapist. I want to provide a safe place for people who have trouble expressing their emotions. I want to incorporate art therapy so that people who feel pressure to talk verbally, can let the art supplies talk for them. I want to give back in an area where I’ve been blessed by so many people.
If talking isn’t working for you, try something else. Try painting. Writing. Exploring nature. There’s SO many avenues to express emotions, and talking is just one. Not every avenue will work for every person. You are not a failure if one method doesn’t work for you, just keep exploring.
Emotions need to be expressed, and we can be creative in finding the best way for them to come forward.
xoxo
Living Humble Bee 