My mother passed away very young at 54. A few years later, I was divorced and even though it was what I wanted, I fell apart. I would cry at the drop of a hat ... no matter where I was or what I was doing.
A friend suggested a therapist who teaches Rational Emotive Therapy, and I started sessions with him. He was a big man, 6'3” with snowy, white hair. I would argue with him quite a lot in the beginning and I remember the day when both hands came down on his massive, old roll top desk, and he stated strongly, “If I were twenty years younger, you would be the challenge of my life!”
Rational Emotive Therapy in a nutshell is this: Everyone talks to themselves constantly. I talked to myself, you talk to yourself, all humans talk to themselves all the time. And ironically, what I say to myself is basically the same thing you are saying to yourself, and the same thing everyone else is saying to themselves.
One day, after arriving at my session we talked for awhile, and then he stopped me. “Do you realize we have been talking for fifteen minutes and you have not cried one time?” “Yes,” I replied, “I figured it out.” “Just what did you figure out,” he asked, one eyebrow slightly raised. “Well, whenever I find myself getting upset, I stop and ask myself what I just told myself.” The eyebrow raised a little more. “Once I think about it, and I realize what I just told myself, I can make it go away.” Both eyebrows raised, eyes wide open. “And, I added, "if I want to, I can just sit there and waller in my pity party for as long as I want and then make it go away.”
My therapist jumped up, grabbed my hand and drug me out of the office. “Where are we going?” I asked, to which he replied, “We are going to go sin!”
Now, in today’s world, I would have been terrified, but I was young and I trusted this man, especially after telling him all my deepest secrets! He opened the door to his mile long old Cadillac and shoved me in, and drove off. The next thing I knew, we pulled up in front of Zestos! The sin turned out to be a delicious milk shake!
Sometimes we just need to work through what is troubling us just to figure out what it is. We are put on this earth to grow spiritually but there is no way we will ever accomplish growth without going through trials. But what if the reward for challenging the bumps in the road was a beautiful work of art that you created yourself ... instead of a milk shake?
I have taken many art classes with Patricia DiBona over the years and one thing I know for sure, is that when you start creating art, no matter whether you have talent or not, the emotional clutter you are carrying inside just flows out. That is where Creative Art Coaching comes in. And it is a wonderful way to work through whatever really is or whatever you have told yourself is not quite right in your life.
Patricia and her guy, Phil, also an incredible artist, recently bought a new three story townhouse in downtown, historic Norcross, right on the park. The bottom floor is her studio which is filled with art and all the supplies to work in any media you choose. Patricia is a very spiritual person, always positive, and her classes have always made me come out refreshed and feeling good about myself. There is a connection with the mind that benefits the soul. Your mind quiets down, and allows the soul to speak.
Patricia is redirecting her artistic focus and by the end of the year, she will be a certified Ontological Life Coach, assisting in transforming ones life through Art. The training is substantial and is quite an undertaking for her, but its something she loves to do. She has several clients who have already begun their journeys. "As you create, your piece of art will reveal steps and clarity to you in the most magical way, as your subconscious mind reveals your deepest knowing. You will find an opening, a healing and a comfortable safe place to allow yourself to flourish."
My reward was a juicy milkshake. Your reward can be a work of art to hang on your wall, one that you can forever more look at and know how magnificent the human soul is ... your soul.
For more information, contact Patricia DiBona at www.dibonadesignsart.com
Enjoy,
jan
Please share your ideas and photos with us by commenting below, by using the form on the Contact Us page, or on Facebook at Facebook.com/designsforgracefulliving
See even more on Pinterest at Pinterest.com/designsforgracefulliving
Share with your friends to help us grow!
