In my last post, I shared a simple process for incorporating mindfulness into your daily life. This exercise is the perfect follow up for people who want another powerful skill in their emotional toolkit.
Today, I run regular colour therapy workshops for a local support group for people living with cancer and their carers. It is a nurturing environment enabling a broad range of people to express themselves whilst releasing limiting beliefs and emotions. I find this technique extremely effective and it always has a long lasting, positive impact on the participants.
12 Steps To Release Emotions With Colour
- Set an intention for the emotion, belief, behaviour or situation you are hoping to transform.
- Use masking tape to secure some A3 water colour paper to a board. Prepare your water, brushes, water colour paints and get your art palette out.
- Wet the paper with water until it if fully coated.
- Intuitively select the colours you are drawn to for your first piece based on how you feel.
- Remember it is the process that is important and not the end product!
- Using your paint brush cover the paper with the colours you have selected in whatever way you feel is applicable. Be random. Use sweeping strokes or little dabs. Try different sized brushes, use a sponge or even your fingers.
- Write your thoughts and feelings down in a journal and prepare your next paper on the board ready for the next painting
- Select a person, animal or place that possesses the qualities that you desire which will transform your current feelings into something more uplifting in relation to your original intension. This can be anyone or anything from the past, present or future. It can be someone your know, a fictitious character, a film star, an animal, a flower, a place, a planet…anything that feels right to you.
- Breathe in the qualities of your selected archetype deep into your being.
- Return to your board and paper and intuitively select the colours you are drawn to now. You may find that you are attracted to different colours this time. Go with whatever feels right to you. Apply the colours to the paper in any manner you choose. It can be in spatters, stripes, bubbles, crosses, a face, a flower, a fish, a sky, just express whatever you are feeling with a spectrum of colour.
- Write down how you feel now in your journal in as much detail as possible.
Try this experiment at home and remember to set aside a few hours of your time to get the most out of it.
For the best results continue this process for the full thirty day period as it takes this long to make a habit or break a habit. Let me know how you get on it comments below…
Enjoy!
