Week Four: Review & Integration
Here we are at week four of our Creative Inquiry Journey together. No doubt you have discovered more about your own visual and written vocabulary and ways to explore your inner terrain as well as how to express it in meaningful ways. I love the symbol of the Lotus because it has roots that penetrate deep into the dark and murky mud at the bottom of the pond, while the exquisite flower radiates its beauty upon the surface of the water above, basking in the light of the sun. I have realized that I could never find my own inner light without also having the courage to face the deep dark recessed within me. This Creative Inquiry process has offered me a safe and effective way to do this and I hope it has benefited you as well.
For me the final process is generally a review of my pages and then writing, imaging and working with the patterns and revelations that I see in them. Sometimes I find a theme that I explore more deeply or a question that arises for me to focus on. This is a way to feel like it is an inner journey with a sense of completion. So I invite you to take some quiet time and to read your own story and underline phrases that stand out or add notes and insights that you may have now that you weren't aware of at the time. It is not uncommon for me to review a journal months or years later and be astounded at the messages that were coming through that I really couldn't see when I made them. This is a time for you to digest what you have created and allow it to bring meaning into your life. |
Bilateral Music to assist with Integration
You must use stereo earbuds or headphones in order to benefit from the bilateral quality of the music.
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Here is a Bilateral song that a friend composed and recorded for me to share with people I work with. There is a beat that pans from ear to ear and it can be very useful in helping the two sides of the brain work together and assist in integration and insight. It is used extensively in the Brainspotting Trauma Therapy Training I am certified in and I have used it for years when I am trying to process a trigger or working through some inner conflict. So I invite you to try it and see how it feels. If it is activating in any way then discontinue use.
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Combining Words and Imagery on the Same Page
I have also experimented with various ways to integrate words and image on the same page to further encourage integration of my tendency to be rather divided between my cognitive and intuitive functions. Sometimes I draw right over the words that I have written, completely obscuring the writing or leaving some of it to show through. Other times I have written relevant phrases from my page of writing around an image or in the background, which also helps me to feel a sense of integration. In the little slideshow video below I share a simple process of writing meaningful words with water-soluble crayons called NeoColors (or Portfolio work well too), and then blending them with water and watercolors until they become a unified whole. Experiment and see what works for you.
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