Work with me:
Are you often overwhelmed and find it difficult to address your needs? Are you exhausted from always keeping it together and struggle to find time for yourself? Do you feel unsupported and resentful that you always have to be strong? Do you feel disconnected from your body and uncomfortable in your own skin ? Are you ready to have more energy, joy and vitality in your life? |
Through engaging with the arts we begin to heal the split between body, mind, emotion, and spirit. Dance, spontaneous movement, art making and creative expression allows us to connect the physical, emotional, psychological/mental and spiritual dimentions of our experience in a harmonious symphony of brain and body activity. Connecting with the body, breath (meditation and mindfulness), movement, dance, creativity and play are all tools that allow us to turn our attention inwards and express outwardly the stories of our inner world.
Creative arts and movement psychotherapy are awareness based approaches that allow us to get below the surface of things by engaging the body, breath and the arts while developing the capacity to be the loving witness to all that arises in our experience by learning self compassion and self-acceptance.
If you are here reading this, perhaps it is time to reclaim who you truly are, connect with the wisdom of your body or learn new ways to express yourself, access your creativity and inherent healing ability, or all of the above!
It is time to live an empowered life!
Creative arts and movement psychotherapy are awareness based approaches that allow us to get below the surface of things by engaging the body, breath and the arts while developing the capacity to be the loving witness to all that arises in our experience by learning self compassion and self-acceptance.
If you are here reading this, perhaps it is time to reclaim who you truly are, connect with the wisdom of your body or learn new ways to express yourself, access your creativity and inherent healing ability, or all of the above!
It is time to live an empowered life!
"The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are."
~ Joseph Campbell
Creative Arts and Dance Movement Therapy
Creative Arts and Dance/Movement Therapy are awareness based approaches that engage the body, breath and our innate creativity to explore the inner world and access our inherent wisdom in a safe and non-judgemental environment. My holistic and creative approach draws on Eastern and Western models of well-being to assist clients to access and connect with inner resources, develop resilience and empower individuals to live a more authentic and enriched life. I facilitate art therapy in a variety of different settings including running groups within a residential aged care setting as well as working one on one with clients.
For centuries, art has been used as a form of communication that allows us to speak that which is beyond words and to know the unknowable. Engaging in art making- whether painting, drawing, music, dance, writing is in itself therapeutic and can contribute immeasurably to psychological well-being. Reconnecting with the artist within and engaging in art making is transformative and healing. Art allows us to create a dialogue between the inner world and outer expression; between the bits that we know and the bits that we don't know about ourselves. Art therapy allows us to explore our personal stories, beliefs and innermost longings that are often hard to articulate. Creative arts based techniques offer an integrated approach to explore and engage the physical, psychological, emotional and spiritual dimensions of human experience. Individual sessions are available in person or via Skype. All sessions are conducted within a person-centered and holistic framework and may include meditation, mindfulness, mindful movement, art making, dance movement depending on the context and aims of the sesion. For more details of holistic packages and price structure please visit the services page. "The body says what words cannot.” |
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Person Centered ApproachJust as a seed has within it all it needs to grow into a plant provided it gets the right conditions to grow i.e. sunlight, water and fertile soil; so too every human being has vast inner resources and potential for growth as long as they are provided an environment that is conducive to growth.
In a Person-Centered approach, the client guides the therapeutic process and is an active participant in their own healing journey. As your psychotherapist, it is my job to provide a compassionate environment that is conducive to change and moving forward. I am here to support you on your journey rather than tell you what is best for you. You are the expert of you- not your counsellor or therapist or any other person for that matter. |
Holistic and TranspersonalThe physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual/ energetic dimensions of experience are interconnected and in a reciprocal relationship rather than separate entities. The body (sensations), emotions (feelings), as well as our intuition and inner sensing all provide valuable knowledge and wisdom and not just our mind and logical thought processes. "Transpersonal" literally means beyond (trans) the personal or beyond the ego directed awareness and is an inclusice approach that acknowledges the spiritual dimensions of human experience including all that we cannot see, hear, touch, smell or taste. The Transpersonal model draws on ancient spiritual wisdom and contemporary theories of consciousness to provide a comprehensive and inclusive perspective on human beings, healing and well being. It provides maps and tools to understand and explore the wide range of states of consciousness that a human being can access in order to connect with inner resources and potentials that would otherwise not be available to the individual. |
What is Dance/ Movement Therapy?Dance is fundamental to human life and culture, extending back in time to our earliest ancestors. Our first experience of the self is through the body and yet somewhere along the way through experiences of trauma or just through our conditioning, we may end up living a very disembodied life. And yet, the body never lies - the way we move and hold our bodies tells a story without omission or artifice.
When words are not enough to describe our experience, movement can often convey deep feelings and rich layers of meaning. When we move we get the mind out of the way and reconnect with the wisdom of the body. Movement is emotion in motion. Sometimes it is useful to go into the body and allow yourself to move through the experience rather than to try and find words to describe it. Your posture and way of carrying your body may provide a wealth of information that is just beyond your level of awareness. The basic premise of movement therapy is that the mind and body are two sides of the same coin. Our posture and the way we move reflects the way we approach life - it is like the blueprint of how we relate to others and ourselves. When words are not enough to describe our experience, movement can often convey deep feelings and rich layers of information and meaning. When we move we get the mind out of the way and reconnect with the wisdom of the body. Movement is emotion in motion. Sometimes it is useful to go into the body and allow yourself to move through the experience rather than to try and find words to describe it. |
Definitions of Dance/ Movement Therapy:
"Dance therapy draws upon the power of movement and dance to promote awareness, growth and well-being."
~Dance Therapy Association of Australia (DTAA) "Dance/ Movement Therapy is the psychotherapeutic use of movement as a process that furthers the emotional, cognitive, social and physical integration of the individual" ~American Dance Therapy Association (ADTA) |
Benefits include:
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Some art therapy techniques I use include:
1. Mandala art work
Mandala is the sanskrit word for circle and represents wholeness. Carl Jung, a Mandala is an expression of wholeness the self and at the same time the path to the center.
2.Personal Mythology- What is your inner story?
What is your personal mythology?
Are you the lone ranger?
The person who always helps everyone else but never finds it when you need it?
The one who can never express their true feelings?
Do you always find yourself fighting the same battles over and over again?
We all believe certain things about ourselves- we have an inner story that guides us in how we interact with the world around us. We know some of these stories well- the victim, the hero, the temptress, the jester. These are the stories of mythology and they are maps that can assist in your journey to self discovery. Your own story may emerge and resonate with some of these universal characters or we may work with other aspects of your inner story through drawing, painting, collage and other media.
3. Felt sense based art work
Felt sense is a feeling or sensation that arises in the body. By giving form to a bodily felt sensation or feeling using crayons or other art media, we can tap into the wisdom of the body and often reveal something that was just beyond your level of awareness.
4. Ritual and Ceremony
Ritual is used in a therapeutic context to assist in life transitions and major life changes. Often these times of transition bring massive changes and are difficult to navigate. Ritual and ceremony allow us to be clear in our intentions moving forward, the things we are leaving behind, and the eventual positive outcome of this journey from point A to point B.
Mandala is the sanskrit word for circle and represents wholeness. Carl Jung, a Mandala is an expression of wholeness the self and at the same time the path to the center.
2.Personal Mythology- What is your inner story?
What is your personal mythology?
Are you the lone ranger?
The person who always helps everyone else but never finds it when you need it?
The one who can never express their true feelings?
Do you always find yourself fighting the same battles over and over again?
We all believe certain things about ourselves- we have an inner story that guides us in how we interact with the world around us. We know some of these stories well- the victim, the hero, the temptress, the jester. These are the stories of mythology and they are maps that can assist in your journey to self discovery. Your own story may emerge and resonate with some of these universal characters or we may work with other aspects of your inner story through drawing, painting, collage and other media.
3. Felt sense based art work
Felt sense is a feeling or sensation that arises in the body. By giving form to a bodily felt sensation or feeling using crayons or other art media, we can tap into the wisdom of the body and often reveal something that was just beyond your level of awareness.
4. Ritual and Ceremony
Ritual is used in a therapeutic context to assist in life transitions and major life changes. Often these times of transition bring massive changes and are difficult to navigate. Ritual and ceremony allow us to be clear in our intentions moving forward, the things we are leaving behind, and the eventual positive outcome of this journey from point A to point B.
" Absolutely life changing experience, growth and soul searching. Most importantly, it gives connection to the body and emotions like nothing else. Very blessed and still continue to experience the growth and peace at life goes on. Thank you Anjali."
~ Client testimonial "I personally highly recommend Anjali as a practitioner, person and soul saver if anyone needs to retrieve parts of themselves lost or unexpressed because of trauma. This is the lady after years and years of searching, investigating and not being able to trust healers, therapists and such, I finally found a place to actually be seen as I am in truth not just what a therapist/ healer wants me to be. Thank you very much dear lady, you are an utter professional, you are real and true." ~ Client testimonial |