Into the Grey

As a culture, we don't like talking about fear, loss and death. We like to talk about sex instead. But the very things we don't like to talk about or think about threaten all of us, by virtue of being alive. The things we avoid may be the very thing we need to be friendly towards for inner freedom.  References:Cameron, J. (1992). The Artist’s Way. Tarcher. Mendoza, M. (2018, December 8). Death and Mourning Practices in the Victorian Age. Psychology Today.  Rappaport, L. (2008). Focusing-oriented art therapy : accessing the body’s wisdom and creative intelligence. Jessica Kingsley Publishers.Unmentionable review – the Victorian sex manual revisited. (2016, November 1). The Guardian. 

We live in a time in which we are technologically connected to the world like never before, yet feeling disconnected from others, alienated from shared meaning and believing we are not good enough for the world are common experiences. What do our ideas about God and the appeal of the Kardashians have to do with our deepest desires for interconnection and satisfying our drive for meaning?References:Armstrong, K. (2018). Short History Of Myth. Canongate.Branden, N. (1994). The six pillars of self-esteem. Bantam.Meritocracy. (2015, August 24). 

This week's episode turns to the literary art form of poetry which prizes emotional and reflective recounting of the inner experience. This poem was written several years ago in response to a formative relationship- an attempt to hold and be with the feelings brought on by knowing and being known.

This episode draws on art therapist Shaun McNiff's  encouragement to not use art for interpretation or diagnosis of the art maker. Instead of looking at the art as something to be read in black and white terms, Anna encourages the listener to relax and learn to listen as we use the arts to help us come more fully alive. References Jung, C. (1959). The archetypes and the collective unconscious. Princeton University Press. Mcgilchrist, I. (2019). MASTER AND HIS EMISSARY : the divided brain and the making of the western world. Yale University Press. McNiff, S. (2004). Art heals: How creativity cures the soul. Shambhala. Seen & Unseen. (2024, July 9). Iain McGilchrist: How faith can re-enchant a left-brained world.

Today's episode explores how the art form of collage can be a useful tool in developing self insight about inner feelings and personal pain. The dualistic concept of order and chaos is introduced and how their apparent interconnection in an art work can give rise to self knowledge, which becomes a path to liberation. Resources: • Frankl, V. (1946). Man’s search for meaning. Beacon Press.• Schopenhauer, A. (n.d.). World as will and representation, 2 vols. Peter Smith.• TEDx Talks. (2010). What makes things funny | Peter McGraw | TEDxBoulder.

This week’s episode draws on personal reflections of being a student and encountering description rather than interpretation as a way to understanding art. This approach to understanding things in the world belongs to a philosophical movement called phenomenology which focuses on perceiving things as they appear to our senses before we add interpretation and story.

When we engage in art making, we start to make contact with our sensing feeling and emotional parts of self. This can help us explore and understand who we are and our inherit belonging in the world. For more on Natalie Rogers https://www.psychotherapy.net/article/expressive-art-therapy