I grew-up in generation when children were taught to be seen and not heard. At a very early age I learned to bite my tongue, and not correct, contradict or challenge anyone even if it meant I didn’t get what I needed. As a result I became silent and in the process I lost touch of myself.
On the other hand, I can remember walking home from school when I was in third grade. The distance was about a mile and during the walk I would hum, sing, and drag a stick across the picket fences along the way. When I look back, I can see that my slow repetitive movement helped me cultivate ‘quiet’ within myself.
That was many, many years ago, but as an adult I still turn to walking as a way to restore my inner quiet. The slow repetitive and rhythmic motion of walking silences the chatter in my mind and usually brings about a profound sense of stillness within my whole being. In that stillness my life or my perception of life reorders itself.
How is that possible?
Dr. Bruce Perry, one of the foremost authorities in childhood trauma, has found that the most important step to take after a child has experienced a trauma or significant stress is to restore balance in their brain stem. This is accomplished through repetitive and rhythmic movement. This can be accomplished in many ways, including the ICWIB approach to scribbling and drawing circles and lines.
With this in mind, I invite you to explore some of the ICWIB! art activities and videos for FREE because they are also wonderful way to activate your conscious mind, quiet your inner chatter and help you feel good and happy inside.