So, you are thinking about changing somethings about your life. What does that have to do with art?
That’s a good question. When you are ready to make a change and move past your present circumstances, you realize that just winging it may not get the results you want. At that point, you start looking for a plan to help you.
There are many methods to choose from. How do you decide? I am going to cover a few common methods plus the art of changing your life.
Methods of change
Here are a few common methods of change or personal growth. All of these can be useful. You need to find the method that is right for you and you can use more than one.
Programs based on science
These take advantage of recent research and information about how your brain works. Positive psychology, counseling, and therapy are examples.
Programs based on Eastern philosophy
Meditation has a long track record of success. It can be a stand-alone method or be used as an adjunct to any program. Other options include tapping and Qigong.
New age programs
This is a broad field and many probably aren’t new. Here are a few: law of attraction, energy healing (such as Reiki), angel therapy, oracles (such as the I Ching), and affirmations.
Business-like programs
These programs are based on setting goals, creating action plans, and being held accountable for your progress. Business and life coaches use these type programs.
Programs based on communication
By understanding the relationship between the brain, language, and the body you can increase choices and expand your perspective. Two examples include Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) and hypnosis.
And finally we get to the art of changing your life.
The art of changing your life
“We were all born wild like a mountain lion, and to live in civilization we become sheep at a very young age. We become tame. But we are not house pets. We are fierce and wild by nature.” Lynn V. Andrews
When you approach change as an art you will be exploring right-brained or non-conscious approaches. Some examples include: art therapy, psycho-drama, and dream work. Any time you use painting, fiction writing, dancing, or singing to gain insight, you are using art to change your life.
I am going to include the poetry of emotion process in this section. I will walk you through a short example using rage. You can substitute an emotion that is holding you back and participate in this example.
The process starts when you identify an emotion that is causing you problems. Instead of working with the rage you felt when your mother slapped you, you work with a metaphor. Your rage feels like a volcano in your chest.
Next you choose a helper. A helper can be anything you can imagine. The helper gives you what you really needed. You didn’t need a slap; you needed nurturing. An angel helper can give you the nurturing you needed.
The angel holds you when you felt unsafe and protects you from an angry parent. Finally, the angel pours water on the raging volcano in your chest. You can finally breathe a sigh of relief. It is calm in your chest. The volcano is no longer threatening to erupt and create chaos in your life.
You just rewrote your emotional history so you will have more options in the future. You used your creative part to make the process as fast and painless as possible.
Do you need to release emotions from your past? Click on “Are you new to the site?” for more information.
Which program is right for you?
(Image: Frank Weigel @ Flickr)
