The Creative Side of Healing
One of the areas where I seem to be placing most of my focus these days is the relationship between creative expression and healing. Something that I have always found to be particularly fascinating is the fact that the words heal, whole and holy all come from the same Latin root. (Check it out!) What this says to me is that the idea of disease, is just that--dis-ease, being off center, out of sync. And to heal therefore, means the opposite--to be whole again, to somehow restore or recapture the whole, "holy" aspect of our nature--that part of us that is in touch with and expresses the divine, creative spirit that lives within us all. So, to me creativity and healing are really one and the same. Taking that which is within and expressing it outside of ourselves is one of the most powerful processes available to reduce or even eliminate dis-ease and in so doing, regain our wholeness, health and divinity. Frida Kahlo, the Mexican Painter (1907-1954) is a perfect example. Not only was she stricken with polio at the age of six, but was later seriously injured in a bus accident at age 18. Her body was almost entirely crushed and she spent the rest of her life in and out of hospitals, undergoing 30 operations, bedridden for long periods and in tremendous pain. Only her strength and will to live (and in my opinion, her painting) allowed her not only to survive, but make a remarkable recovery. Frida began to paint shortly after her accident because she was bored being in bed. Painting then became her lifelong passion and profession. She expressed all of her emotions on the canvas. In particular, she painted the anger and hurt she felt over her stormy marriage to the infamous Mexican muralist, Diego Rivera and the suffering she experienced throughout her life because of her accident. "I paint my own reality. The only thing I know is that I paint because I need to, and I paint whatever passes through my head without any other consideration." "My painting carries with it the message of pain.....Painting completed my life.....I believe that work is the best thing." To me one of the greatest expressions of the healing aspect of creativity was Frida's appearance at her one and only exhibition in Mexico in the spring of 1953. Her health was extremely poor at that point and she was advised not to attend. But in her inimitable style, nothing was going to stop Frida, especially from attending a party in her honor. She arrived at the exhibition by ambulance and was then taken by hospital stretcher and placed in her bed in the middle of the gallery. True to form, she told jokes, entertained the crowd and sang and drank the entire evening. At that exhibition, Frida told reporters, "I am not sick. I am broken. But I am happy as long as I can paint." SUSAN SCHANERMAN, M. Ed., is a multi-talented author, artist, speaker, consultant and creativity coach. She is creator of CreativeSuccessWorks, a company that specializes in coaching, training and educational programs and merchandise aimed at uncovering and reclaiming one's creative power. She has authored two books,God is Color http://www.godiscolor.com and Play or Pay: 77 Ways to Have FUN or Suffer the Consequences and End up Paying the Price http://www.playorpayonline.com Sign up for her FREE monthly newsletter heARTmatters at http://www.creativesuccessworks.com
Related News
Eiko & Koma's non-narrative of loss and love - Minneapolis Star Tribune
Eiko & Koma's non-narrative of loss and loveMinneapolis Star Tribune, MN -6 hours agoBut as they paint ravens on a floor drop, they offer a nubile kind of hope in this stage poem to the ravages of grief, confusion and loss. |
Husband's grief over floods tragedy - The Press Association
Husband's grief over floods tragedyThe Press Association -18 minutes agoA British man has spoken of his grief at the loss of his wife and one of his twin daughters who died after being swept away by floods in Spain. ... |
Vet's Views - Latah Eagle
Vet's ViewsLatah Eagle, ID -Oct 9, 2008If you have recently lost a pet, know that you are not alone in your grief. If you know someone who is grieving over the loss of a pet, please realize that ... |
Charlotte's loss is our loss, say colleagues - Independent Online
Charlotte's loss is our loss, say colleaguesIndependent Online, South Africa -Oct 9, 2008"Her loss is our loss. We have given her more than flowers, a person throws flowers away within three or four days, but the moral support we give her will ... |
Chat Leftovers: Food Processor Bread, Grieving Fare - Washington Post
Danville service aims to help those who have lost a child - Urbana/Champaign News-Gazette
Ask Amy - Grief: Let your dad help you get over the loss of your ... - Winston-Salem Journal
X Factor exclusive: Laura White's tears caused by pain of loss - Mirror.co.uk
ELECTION Q&A: Floyd County Coroner - Evening News and Tribune
ELECTION Q&A: Floyd County CoronerEvening News and Tribune, IN -11 hours agoOn average two families a day in our community will be touched by the loss of a loved one. As a funeral director and grief counselor I have had the ... |
Victory tinged with pain of personal loss - MLB.com
|
|
 |
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Suicide in the Church Part 1
Recently, several suicides have occurred right here in my own hometown of about 16,000 people. The latest of these involved a friend of mine who was, among other things, the leader of a Christian Business Fellowship which I attend. He was a lawyer with a terrific wife, two young kids, very prominent in his church, coached little league baseball. As one can imagine, speculations abound - everything from possible chemical imbalances to unfair, unfounded comments which...well, small town gossip can be so mean-spirited.
Death Poem
During the two years of my husband's terminal illness, death was never far from my mind. We had been told he was dying and even a time in which it was supposed to happen. We had no idea of how it would happen. I was loathe to let him out of my sight incase he should suddenly die and not return to me and woke each day fearing that he may have died during the night. Towards the end of his illness I sensed that death was near, waiting in the shadows to steal my love from me and wrote the following poem.
How to Cope with Anticipatory Grief
Anticipatory grief is the name given to the mix of emotions experienced when we are living in expectation of loss and grieving because of it. Anticipatory Grief is particularly relevant to those who have received a terminal diagnosis and for those who love and care for them.
Graceful Grief: Angelic Help is on the Way!
I believe that major change and loss in our lives is a door to grow ourselves, to become more loving, compassionate and accepting towards others and ourselves. We have choices that determine what the journey will look like.
Why Dont We Talk About Anticipatory Grief?
I know anticipatory grief - a feeling of loss before a death or dreaded event occurs - far too well. My mother suffered from probable Alzheimer's disease and I was her caregiver for nine years. As time passed she lost the ability to reason, track numbers, read a book, understand TV, create sentences, and finally, the ability to speak.
How to Deal With A Death in the Family and Still Run Your Small Business
As a small business owner we have to deal with tax law changes, local ordinances, environmental laws, Worker's Compensation, etc. Just when we thought we had everything under control, something terrible happenes. A death in the family. Oh my God you say? What do I do now? Well since I have been there, let me tell you what you need to know.
One Womans Way of Dealing With Grief
All of us at one time or another have felt grief: perhaps over a lost job, lost love, or the most heartbreaking, the death of someone we loved dearly. Each of us goes about the task of grieving in our own distinct way.
How to Deal with Suffering
Reflect upon the following questions, and answer those you feel might be most important for those
who are most concerned about this topic.
How to Deal with Suicide and Euthenasia
The following is a report that indicates how you might recognize suicidals, and how you might deal with them. But a warning: Suicide can be a very complex issue, and it might be better to have a professional deal with this issue if it comes up, but if this is very difficult to attain, this guide is a very good alternative to follow if you have no other solution to the problem.
Pope John Paul II
WHAT I LEARNED FROM POPE JOHN PAUL II
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Moving Beyond Grief and Loss
In my work as a coach and therapist, I have seen many clients dealing with losses of all kinds-loss of loved ones through death and divorce, for instance. These experiences are difficult for everyone.
One Stray Tear
The delight lit my face as the couple turned the corner into the hallway where we stood in lively conversation. I threw my arms open wide, ignored the cell phones plastered to their ears, greeted each of them, first the husband then the wife who followed slightly behind him.
How My Four Your Old Son Reacted To The Death Of His Great Nanny Biscuits
My nan was called Margaret and lived until the age of eighty eight. Unfortunately she died in hospital and this article describes how my son reacted to the news of her death. His reaction basically put a smile back onto my face again.
Then and Now
Over one hundred years ago, during the Victorian era, death and grief were popular subjects for poems, songs and stories. Grieving was considered a natural and acceptable part of the culture. People in mourning wore black clothing and/or black arm bands, women wore black veils, and it was common to see a black wreath on the door of the home of a bereaved family, announcing publicly that this was a home of sorrow. Bereavement was conspicuous and there were very specific societal customs designed to support people during the mourning process.
What is an Appropriate Sympathy Gift?
When a friend or loved one is grieving, it is hard to know what to say or how to show your support. When you want to provide comfort and support and show your concern for a family member, a friend, or an associate, a personalized gift is always an ideal choice. The best gifts are those given and chosen from the heart. It says that you really care and have taken the time to think about the time after the initial grief of losing a loved one ... during the alone and lonely times.
Grief
I didn't know a heart could die
before it stopped beating.
I didn't know a life could cease
before it stopped breathing.
Coping With A Funeral
When the death of a loved one occurs, regardless or whether it was expected or not, you will find yourself having to deal with a great number of people. Some you will know closely, others may be complete strangers; all will be claiming some kind of relationship to the deceased.
Grief
If you have ever lost someone dear to you it is likely that you can still summon up the grief that you may still be carrying deep inside yourself as a result of the loss. If this grief, which is usually felt as a deep saddness, is something that you would like to clear in yourself then you may find some hope here.
We are the Reflection of our Lives: How to Survive Loss & Humility
Everyday, I look in the mirror to see the face staring back at me. Sometimes it is lined with stress, sorrow and grief. Other times, it simply smiles in humbled reservation. But the reflection of our lives... that, is who we are -- who we represent ourselves to be. For some, it is wearing hearts upon their sleeves; for others, their thoughts and words go unspoken forever.
Understanding Grief and Loss in Times of War and Disaster
There are many different kinds of losses we can experience in our lives. Indeed, loss in human beings has its beginnings in the birth process that separates the infant from the comfort and security of the mother's womb into a world where survival is conditional and predicated on individual responsibility. The presumable final loss is the end of the human life cycle caused by death. There are many losses in between those polarities that relate to the developmental and aging process in each life. All of these losses are expectable losses and our bereavement and mourning of these losses are colored by their expectability
|
