Living Well Through Art

Healing is rarely a straight line, especially if you are diagnosed with a disorder that impacts your life on a daily basis. It’s more like an ever expanding circle. The ability to share the impacts of such a diagnosis can be a tremendous service to the individual suffering. When I was recovering from psychosis and severe depression, I needed a safe group of people to talk to about my disorder. I needed listening ears more than I needed ideas. I needed a safe space more than I needed “help”. Most people don’t realize how severe depression and psychosis can cognitively impair the mind. “Help” was barely something I could even process. I couldn’t even sit still long enough to process what had happened to me in therapy. I didn’t have the literal cognitive capacity to dig that deeply. I needed to speak a few words, without feeling like I had to share reasons and explanations. I didn’t have the capacity to talk about what triggered my depression or why I thought I had it. I certainly didn’t have the capacity to discuss the place of medications with wondering and opinionated minds.

The only thing that truly assisted my cognitive redevelopment was art. I could see and copy what I saw more than I could put things into words. The colors piqued my interest when very little else got through the depression. (Read “Adrift: How I Found Art” to learn more about this!) Art utilized a part of my brain that had not been battered and bruised by the psychosis. My two hands moved and collaborated with my broken mind to create richly beautiful and beautifully imperfect art. There was something about the hand-mind connection that was tremendously healing for me. I believe this could be powerful for you too.

Now that I am living well with depression, I want others to have what I needed when I was diagnosed. You don’t need to have depression to join my art sharing circle; you just need to need others to listen, no questions asked, no opinions offered. If this sounds like a sharing circle for you, then CONTACT me. (No art skills needed!)

Each month on the first Tuesday at 7pm CST, I will host a free Zoom art sharing circle. So, bring your art, even if it’s simply done in pencil on paper and bring your story. We will make space for you! The Artist’s Healing Circle starts in October.