The Health Series – #10 Creative Journal Expressive Arts
August 17, 2017
It gives me great pleasure to introduce Jan McGinn, Early Childhood Educator, Haven Intern, and Creative Journal Expressive Arts Practitioner and Instructor.
Where does Creative Journal Expressive Arts originate from?
Creative Journal Expressive Arts (CJEA) sessions are based on techniques developed by Lucia Capacchione, PH.D, A.T.R., R.E.A.T. – a world- renowned art therapist, best-selling author of 15
books and trainer in Expressive Arts Therapy and Visioning.
Dr. Capacchione’s methods spark creativity in all areas of life. She originated:
o The Creative Journal Method of self-therapy, blending writing and drawing
o Healing through writing and drawing with the non-dominant hand
o The Visioning process of life design through collage and journaling
o Inner Child/Inner Family healing through the expressive arts
After successful careers in both art and education, she discovered the healing power of art and journaling with her non-dominant hand while struggling with a mysterious life-threatening illness. Her full recovery without medication led to a new career as an art therapist. Her methods are used worldwide. For more information about Lucia or CJEA workshops and training you can visit her website at: luciac.com
A little background on my journey with Creative Journal Expressive Arts:
I found out about CJEA through a workshop at The Haven a centre for transformative learning on Gabriola Island. The workshop is called “Befriending your Inner Critic” given by a fellow CJEA
Instructor Marlin Farrell. Little did I know that this would take me on a yearlong study with Dr. Capacchione to Texas. I have found out a lot more about myself through this training and I continue to discover more insights that I don’t know how I would have found out otherwise.
The most important discovery was acceptance of myself. This I learned through the power of my non-dominant hand, and journaling with my Inner Child.
- Creative Journaling uses both your dominant and non-dominant hands during CJEA exercises.
- By using your non-dominant hand in an expressive art experience you can access the right side of your brain, this is where your creativity lives, as well as your intuition, inner wisdom, and your inner child.Creative Journaling offers you a way of expressing emotions and a way of connecting with your spiritual selves, or higher self.
- Your left side of the brain is: rational, logical, linear, goal orientated and time based.Don’t get me wrong we need both sides of the brain in order to function. We are just tapping into our unconscious to reveal to us more things about ourselves that we may not be paying attention to.
- Children primarily experience their world through the functioning of the right brain. When we start school however, we learn to rely more on our left-brain.
- Since our right brain is not verbal we must interact verbally with the world through the functioning of the left-brain. You might say our conscious thoughts come through the left-verbal brain while the right brain holds the key to our unconscious world.
- By tapping into the wisdom of both the right and left side of the brain we can access our emotions, body wisdom, inner healer, inner child, personality traits, the list goes on.
In a Creative Journal Expressive Arts Experience all you need is a quiet space with a blank journal or piece of paper, and some crayons, felts or paints. No previous art experience is necessary!Be prepared – scribbling, particularly with your non-dominant hand, is a requirement for this experience!
You can go ahead and try this if you like; asking a question that you are puzzling over right now. Answer this question with your non-dominant hand. I prefer doing this with my eyes closed which really helps me to get out of my left-brain and into my heart. Try not to edit your response just draw what you are feeling and if there are any words write those down to with your non-dominant hand. This takes practice and like anything becomes more comfortable over time.
Notice if there is a part of you that says, “Oh, you can’t do that”. That could be your inner critic or judge trying to shut you down before you even get started. You can send them out to get coffee at Starbucks in the next country while you do this exercise!
This experience could include: an expression of feelings to the sound of music or a guided meditation to help you get “into” your body, and out of your “head” this is often followed with a creative arts experience using a variety of art materials and then journaling.
CJEA methods can help you with: life transitions, making decisions, dealing with grief, depression and loss, Illness and recovery. The list goes on. Reconnecting with your passion in life and your direction is what this method has helped me with on a daily basis.
For any questions on Creative Journal Expressive Arts, please feel free to contact me.
Discover The Child Within Individual or Group Sessions Available
Contact: Jan McGinn Certified Creative Journal Expressive Arts Facilitator
triadjanmcginn@gmail.com
1-(250) 919-7377Jan McGinn
August, 2017
