Sarah Foley Art Therapy

04/04/2023

Kintsugi, rooted in Japanese philosophies and world views, is the process of repairing broken ceramics with gold lacquer. This art embodies "mottainai", regret over waste, and "wabi-sabi", celebrating and finding beauty in imperfections. With the pottery cracks highlighted instead of hidden, this fracture is now a beautiful part of the piece’s history and makes it unique. The original piece is reborn for future use. In this way, the art of kintsugi serves as a powerful metaphor for life.

In just one piece of pottery, kintsugi teaches us about accepting fragility, building strength and resilience and taking pride in the imperfect.

Things can and do fall apart. Of course, we know that uninvited challenges and mistakes are how we grow, learn, and change, but that truth still doesn’t make them any easier.

While we tend to see others’ struggles and vulnerability with compassion, grace, and even admiration, we have a much harder time allowing and accepting our own in the same way. And when our lives are turned upside-down by difficult changes, turmoil, loss, and challenges, it’s often not easy to adjust and accept them.

Life events like the passing of a loved one, a serious health diagnosis, or moving from a family home that no longer fits health needs can all bring up feelings of loss, grief, and fear. But we actually have things that serve as our “lacquer” to hold us together. Our sense of purpose, social connections, support networks and healthy stress management can help us build resilience, that ability to adapt to and recover from adversity.

29/03/2023

Don't forget that the entire possibility of the world can reside inside you, and you are capable of creating from that space.
The world is not only abundant but we are individually abundant. This can be a powerful realisation to realise we are capable of self actualisation.

28/03/2023

Avoidance can be a temporary solution, which can sometimes be really important or even life saving.
However, over time we can also use avoidance in unhealthy ways to escape discomfort or pain. Over time, pain/issues can pop up unexpectedly in our lives through our thoughts, actions or behaviours.
The best solution in the long term is to find a way to allow pain or challenges to resurface in small manageable amounts. Here we can learn to understand it and have compassion for ourselves in the process. Hopefully then it can stop popping up in our lives helping things run a bit more smoothly.
Thanks to for this

26/03/2023

25/03/2023

Earlier in the month, ran an investigation highlighting the dangers of the lack of statutory recognition in Ireland for counsellors, psychotherapists and psychologists.
IACAT (Irish Association for Creative Arts Therapists) requires all members to possess the appropriate qualifications to practice professionally and ethically as Art Therapists.
When selecting an Art Therapist, ensure they are registered on IACAT.
the public

25/03/2023

Achieving goals can be broken into small steps.

○Break goals/tasks down into smaller, doable tasks.

○Acknowledge accomplishments, however small. Feel the pride and joy of completing something.

○Be kind to yourself if you stop, fall or forget to take a step. You can pick up from where you left off. Healing and growing are not linear.

○Don't forget to stop once in a while.
Appreciate how far you have come.

23/03/2023

Thanks for this

22/03/2023

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