What is heart therapy?
It is a physical adjustment of the heart in the mediastinum as it relates to the great vessels, the lungs, and the thorax.
It is a biodynamic revitalization of the energetic heart space, that portal which is the fulcrum between the physical and energetic realms.
It is the reconnection of the self to the emotional body with all of the sensorial, neurovascular and hormonal implications that are involved.
For myself personally, heart work is an offering made in love out of service to others. It is my purpose, during my time here, to help others plug into themselves so they may live a richer, fuller life.
Contrary to what most of us believe, the heart is more than just a pump. It is an intelligent, discerning sensory organ that adapts to both internal and external stressors. Physiologically speaking, it behaves more so like a vacuum than a pump, sucking fluid rather than propelling it. Rudolph Steiner noted this observation as a necessary truth to accept in order for the human species to evolve.
Sometimes, in order to evolve, we have to flip things upside down and take a fresh perspective. Evolution involves breaking down preconceived notions about ourselves, others, and our narrative. It requires courage and vulnerability. Sometimes, it requires taking ourselves apart so that all we have left are our fundamental building blocks. Our value systems. Our handful of Universal truths. And then the work of putting ourselves back together begins.
Clarissa Pinkola Estés wrote that one could not put themselves back together unless they had all the pieces. She said one had to collect their bones before they could be whole again.
Collecting our bones can be an arduous, lifelong process involving many trials and tribulations. It involves cleaning out the messes we’ve been ignoring in the corners of our minds. It is the work of separating who we are from who we are not. Chipping away at the bits that do not belong. And in doing so, revealing and discovering our True Nature in the process.
Art is often the process through which people find themselves. Creative expression allows subconscious thoughts, feelings and beliefs to surface. The act of any creative expression is a vital force that comes from the soul. It allows us to express the emotion behind subconscious thought, and more importantly, it is a tool we can use to let things go.
Denise Benison, student of Art Therapy with the Vancouver Art Therapy Institute (VATI) specializes in using an arts-based approach to counsel caregivers and children experiencing medical and behavioural challenges.
“Art Therapy is one of our first forms of communication – much in line with play for children. Its beauty is that it provides a non-verbal language to express and explore ourselves. It starts with the senses, the textures the mediums provide – muddy paint, gritty clay, or smooth but structured oil pastels. Moving beyond the sensory aspect, Art Therapy activates both a mind-body response. We connect our making with our physical movement.
The focus in Art Therapy is entirely on the art-making process rather than the product. It can often take clients a little time to let go of the idea that their work in session needs to be aesthetically pleasing. What is important is the journey and the movement that occurs as the client begins to express freely and explore inner emotions.
Now, when it comes to the heart, research shows that allowing ourselves to freely express ourselves through the art-making process reduces cortisol levels and alleviates stress.”
Watching the personal progression of an artist is a beautiful experience. They allow us to witness their own evolution, which takes courage and dedication to their personal growth. In some cases, the art is so powerful it stimulates the evolution of a culture, a nation, an entire generation.
I recently had the honour of treating Bengali artist S. Korey Steckle, a collage artist, painter, and writer who’s work is currently featured at Barber Glass Gallery 1883 as well as the Art Gallery of Guelph.
Korey symbolically posted a photograph taken in Cape Breton on his social media the day of his treatment, subconsciously and notably breaking from routine. After observing the remarkable shift in his work from monochrome to colour after his heart treatment, I reached out to follow up on his experience, which had turned out to be pivotal for him.
“I came to Amanda having finished the writing of my memoir; weak and broken, feeling unworthy and lost. The heart focused care Amanda facilitated was like light pouring through my cracks and over the damage. It gave me the inner strength to push beyond my burdens.
With Amanda’s guidance, I found myself able to feel, address, and tear down the layers that had been built up around my heart from external pressures and an internal survival instinct that kept me afloat at times, but ultimately left me adrift. I unloaded the weight of my trauma, guilt, pain and shame.
I reclaimed my purpose and the beginning sketches of who I am truly becoming on this journey called life. Amanda’s care and precision were felt deeply throughout. In the moments I wanted to retreat and reclaim my former self out of fear is when I felt her closeness to walk with me through the dark chapters and obstructions to a safe place of replenishment and renewal.”
Khalil Gibran wrote that our children are the sons and daughter’s of life’s longing for itself. Many artists create in an effort to know themselves. Heart work, like art work, increases the depth of how we experience ourselves and our world.
When art comes from a place of honesty and openness, the results can be transformative for ourselves and those around us. A therapist, like an artist, has the ability to touch others in a deep way and influence the trajectory of their life. Both professions have the ability to be a spiritual practise, if done consciously.
We collect our bones so that we may pull ourselves back together and become whole, integrated, heart-centred individuals capable of caring for ourselves and for others with empathy and compassion. We collect our bones so that we can accept our trauma as a part of ourselves, rather than living in a dissociated state in order to survive.
Art is everywhere we look. And always, when art is practised honestly, it speaks through the heart from the soul.
Amanda is a Halifax-based Manual Osteopathic practitioner who has trained with the College d’Etudes Osteopathique as well as the British College of Osteopathic Medicine. Amanda practises a heart-centred approach to Osteopathy and enjoys working with humans of all kinds.