Using Expressionism for Emotional Healing

Published on: February 13, 2023

by Art Florentyna

Personal Development Coach

Expressionism is an art form that emphasizes personal emotions, experiences, and inner feelings. In the context of healing, expressionism can provide a powerful tool for individuals to explore and process their emotions, and to communicate their experiences in a meaningful way.

By using expressionism, individuals can tap into their own creativity and use various forms of artistic expression, such as painting, drawing, writing, or performance. This can help individuals to gain a deeper understanding of their own emotions and to find new perspectives on their experiences.

Moreover, creating expressionist art can serve as a form of catharsis, helping to release pent-up emotions and feelings. This release can bring a sense of relief and help individuals to feel more relaxed and at peace.

A little history

Expressionism is an art movement that emerged in Germany at the beginning of the 20th century. It was a response to the rapidly changing social, political, and cultural landscape of the time, characterized by intense feelings of anxiety and disillusionment. Expressionist artists sought to convey these emotions through highly stylized, emotional, and often abstract forms of artistic expression.

Expressionism can be traced back to the Die Brücke (The Bridge) group of artists, who formed in 1905.

This group of young artists, including Emil Nolde, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, and Wassily Kandinsky, sought to break away from the traditional academic style of art and instead create something new and modern. They sought to express their subjective experiences and emotions through their art, which was characterized by bold lines, vivid colors, and distorted forms.

Expressionism quickly gained popularity and spread to other countries, including Austria, Russia, and the United States. In its early stages, expressionism was often associated with the avant-garde, but it later evolved into a more populist movement that sought to engage a wider audience. Expressionism played a major role in the development of modern art, and its influence can be seen in many other art movements, such as Surrealism, Abstract Expressionism, and Neo-Expressionism.

Using Expressionism for Emotional Healing

Creating expressionist art can be a powerful tool for survivors of narcissistic abuse to process and heal from their experiences. Expressionist art focuses on expressing emotions through bold and unconventional use of color, form, and line, making it an ideal outlet for survivors to explore and release their feelings.

Here are a few ways that expressionist art can help survivors of narcissistic abuse:

Validation: Narcissistic abuse can leave survivors feeling invalidated and unsupported. Creating art that expresses their emotions can help survivors validate and acknowledge their experiences, which is an important step towards healing.

Empowerment: Narcissistic abuse can leave survivors feeling powerless and helpless. Creating art can help survivors reclaim their power by providing a safe space to express themselves and assert their own creativity.

Processing emotions: Expressionist art is all about expressing emotions through color and form, which can be a powerful way for survivors to process and release their feelings. This can be especially helpful for survivors who struggle to express their emotions through words.

Building resilience: Creating art can help survivors build resilience by providing a healthy coping mechanism and a way to regulate their emotions. It can also be a source of pride and self-esteem, which can be especially important for survivors who have been made to feel small and insignificant. b

Examples of how expressionist art can be used to help survivors of narcissistic abuse might include creating a series of abstract paintings that represent different emotions, making a collage that visually depicts the survivor’s journey from victim to survivor, or using mixed media to create a piece that captures the survivor’s personal narrative.

Choose a medium

When choosing a medium for expressionist art, it’s important to select one that feels most comfortable and meaningful to you. This can vary from person to person, and may include traditional forms of art such as painting, drawing, or sculpture, or more unconventional forms like writing, performance, or even dance. The key is to choose a medium that you feel connected to and that allows you to express yourself fully.

Set aside time

Dedicating time to your expressionist practice is important for its effectiveness. You can choose to set aside a few minutes each day or longer periods on weekends, depending on your schedule and needs. It’s important to find a quiet and private space where you can focus on your emotions and experiences without any distractions. This can help you to fully immerse yourself in the process and allow your emotions to surface more easily.

Allow yourself to feel

When creating expressionist art, it’s important to let go of any inhibitions or self-judgment and simply focus on exploring your emotions and experiences. Don’t worry about the quality of your art or the outcome; the process is more important than the product. By allowing yourself to fully experience your emotions, you can create a powerful form of self-expression that can serve as a cathartic release.

Get in touch with your emotions

The goal of expressionist art is to access your emotions through your artistic expression. To do this, it’s important to focus on your emotions and let the art emerge from within without overthinking it. This can involve tapping into feelings that are difficult or painful, but through the process of artistic expression, these feelings can be transformed into a more manageable form.

Continue to explore

By continuing to work on your expressionist art, you can allow yourself to delve deeper into your emotions and experiences. Remember that the process is not about achieving a specific outcome, but about exploring and processing your feelings. As you continue to work on your expressionist art, you may discover new insights about yourself and your experiences that can help you to grow and heal.

Reflect on your art

After you have completed your expressionist art, take a moment to reflect on what you have created. Try to understand what your art says about your emotions and experiences. This reflection can help you to gain a deeper understanding of your feelings and can serve as a powerful tool for healing and growth.

A transformative experience

Expressionism in art can serve as a powerful tool for emotional healing. The focus of this form of expression is not on perfection, but on providing a safe and therapeutic outlet to explore and process inner emotions. Through dedicated time and an openness to release inhibitions and self-judgment, individuals can engage in expressionist art to delve deeper into their feelings and experiences. This process can help bring a sense of catharsis, leading to a greater understanding of one’s self and a feeling of peace and relief. Overall, using expressionism to heal can be a valuable and transformative experience for those looking to work through their emotions.

Published on: February 13, 2023

by Art Florentyna

Personal Development Coach