I
’m overwhelmed! I need to get grounded!” (but what does that look like?) “I need to calm my mind!” (how do I do that?) “I need to find my truth!” (and where will I find the time?) Let us share some thoughts to update your toolbox. Compassionate inquiry, curiosity, and mindfulness are key tools for effective self-reflection that moves us through various states of fight/flight reactivity and post-traumatic stress because they are comforting attributes, easy to work with, and not overwhelming. Mindfulness is the practice of focusing conscious attention on physical sensations and feelings in the moment without interpretation or judgment. This practice relaxes the body and mind to help reduce stress, anxiety, depression and insomnia, improve attention and engage the world around us. Mindfulness practices create moment-to-moment awareness that encourages attention to the present moment where we have influence and choice, as opposed to reliving the past and/or futurizing where we
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Creatively Writing Our Recovery cannot affect change because our influence is diminished. Mindfulness practices replace problematic responses to triggered states such as dissociation, denial or numbing out with replenishing life affirming coping strategies. Creative art externalizes the experiences of trauma. Art can enable us to safely test a variety of options. Art does not have to be perfect. Art can help us to heal and live meaningful lives with less impact from traumatic stress. Inner responses to trauma can be expressed in
visual metaphors which can then be modified or transformed. Changes in these metaphors can reflect changes in personal beliefs or behaviour. Transforming art images is unquestionably easier than transforming behavioural patterns, attitudes, or actual life situations, but the experience of making changes through art can nonetheless help us to manage traumatic stress and make positive life changes. Writing is a powerful tool of self-discovery, expression and ultimately integration and transformation. Through
the writing process, we begin to claim our story and have agency over our traumatic experiences, instead of living in a state in which our trauma has control over us. Because traumatic experiences are often stored in the body outside of verbal language, concrete tools such as creative art and gentle mindfulness practices work with the body to create new pathways between mind, body and in the brain itself. Mindfulness, creative art and journaling centres us in our own decision-making. Guidance that comes from our intuition builds the resilience needed to overcome adversity. We discover personal strengths and begin to believe in ourselves. The attributes of mindfulness empower lifestyles that liberate our spirit and foster positive relationships with Self and others. For more information on “Creatively Writing Our Recovery”, contact Kendra Thomas of Warmland Women’s Support Services 250-710-8177 kthomas@warmlandwomen.org
