2022-11-25
Wander through the elder Painting, Starting the Process and Transformation of Self-healing
Open the path of self-healing through painting
Mishan Xingdao Art Institute used spiritual painting workshops as art aids for the elder, retirees and the cognitive-challenged elder to achieve companionship and activation. It invited the public to connect and resonate with their inner emotional world through different works. While the emotion was perceived, it was also reflected in the process of graffiti with lines and colors. We would get the feeling of physically and mentally healing from the event, and a journey of self-discovery began.
Chia Mi, the founder of Mishan Xingdao Art Institute, often finds that there are many distressed people in the world from abundant information, whether they are the general public or special groups. At the same time, she also finds there are more companies and teams helping others to overcome difficulties, and they always want to do their part.
Inner traveling, vast life
Chia Mi is fascinated by art painting combined with inner growth to creation, having more than 20 years of art painting experience and more than 10 years of inner exploration and practice. On the way of paint learning, she was deeply inspired by the teachers' professional spirit of "rational study of perceptual things", attitude towards people and dealing with things, and the mental thinking. On the road of self-integration, through painting creation and self-exploration, she successfully turned herself over and became a stronger soul in her life journey.
In 2018, Miss Mi began to sort out spiritual painting techniques from more than ten years of experience, hoping to provide everyone with a mental method and tool for spiritual rest on the road of ups and downs in life. No professional painting skills are required, a simple start is the way to stabilize and accompany one's own mind.
Draw with Eden, grow with Miss Mi
The biggest difference in the presentation of spiritual painting among different groups of Eden and Taipei Medical University Hospital is the painting "tool". This time, the works of service users exhibited by Eden belong to the cognitive challenged elder (commonly known as dementia), while Taipei Medical University Hospital’s ones are the general retirees aged 60 to 100.
Dementia is a slowly progressive and currently incurable disease, but early detection and treatment can effectively delay the disease progression, maintain patient status and quality of life, and reduce stress on caregivers.
Through the spiritual painting course, the patients gradually shifted their attention to the painting process, and the painting creation itself brings the effect of stabilizing the mood and healing. After several courses, it could be found that the patients changed themselves in the process.
What is Dementia? What Are the Disturbing Behavioral Problems?
Eight symptoms of dementia
1. Memory decline
2. Decreased activity
3. Emotional ups and downs
4. Decreased ability to express
5. Delusions
6. Hallucinations
7. Repeat the action
8. Sleeping disorders
Take Mrs.Zheng, living in a long-term care institution in the SanXia National Taipei University Community of the Eden Foundation as an example. Mrs. Zheng’s cognitive function has deteriorated, and she is a moderately cognitive challenged, with disturbing behaviors such as memory loss, emotional changes, and delusions of persecution.
The experience of the elder with cognitive challenge focuses on - stimulation, activation, exercise, stimulating attention to the outside world, activating the path of the mind from input to output, and repeating the exercise with interesting ways of proceeding and different painting themes. The general public’s courses for retirees focus on the relaxation and comfort of the mind through the creative behavior of painting. In this group, the expression of the soul is more often achieved through the creative behavior of painting, cultivated the self-emotional awareness and healing power. In an interesting way, with classmates to accompany each other, they explore the suitable life philosophy at this stage, adding motivation and vitality to life.
Transformation of participating in Mind Painting Course
At the beginning of the course, Mrs. Zheng was not knowing what to do and unable to keep up with the progress of the course. When the teaching assistant came to help, she was less responsive. She hesitated at the beginning of painting and didn’t have a strong desire to paint.
But from the third class, Mrs. Zheng gradually became interested and became familiar with the way of class. She would respond in class, and she was more focused. She would ask the teacher how to draw, asking for opinions and discussing class materials. It was obvious that the progress of interest in painting can be seen from her. The painting course not only provides training in skills, but also provides a place to talk. It is an unexpected gain to share with the teaching assistant that you have never been to school and know how to paint, and to share your childhood-related experience with your peers when you paint a specific theme. In addition, the interest in the painting course also comes from the interaction. They often talk about the content of the class and laugh with each other. The joyful atmosphere affects the whole classroom, and everyone laughs while painting.
An extension of the transformation from the Mind Painting course
Mrs. Zheng gradually concentrates her attention in the process of spiritual painting, stabilizes her emotions and heals her mood while creating paintings accumulating successful experience step by step. In the training of painting skills ‘course, the practice of cognitive understanding and communication expression will help the elder to perform better in the center’s multiple courses. For example, the concentration can keep up with the rhythm of the music-assisted therapy course, and the emotions can be relaxed and properly transferred. In the hand-made and painted Mantoro dot paintings, the willingness to participate is improved, and the hand movements are more flexible. These services are all great help for the elder to slow down the degradation.
Miss Mi said that ‘I see a change touching me very much. Through this kind of course, I see everyone from passive to active. As a teacher, I always hope that the students in my class can live well in all aspects. but there are always one or two classmates often depreciating themselves in words, or shrink from new knowledge or tools. After a few classes, when students realize the point of painting here is themselves not someone else. Gradually, the whole heart opens up.’
Under the professional artistic guidance of Miss Mi, the elder were able to fully develop their potential in the creation. Through the exhibition of works, not only the elder could gain a sense of achievement and esteem, but the public could also enjoy the achievements through the exhibition. Admire the help and effectiveness of art activities for the elder.
