What If Art Can Help? Using Symbolic Perspectives to Relate to, and Heal, Human Suffering
Information
Date & Time
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Location
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Walt Disney World Dolphin Resort
1500 Epcot Resorts Boulevard
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830
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Learning Objectives
Participants will be able to:
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Exploring the therapeutic value of metaphoric perspectives.
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Discovering ways to develop symbolic perception.
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Gathering ideas of using art therapeutically.
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Identifying situations where symbolic perspectives would be beneficial.
Description
In today’s world, where reason, rationality, and linear thinking are idealized, the value of symbolic languages in understanding human dilemmas has largely been forgotten. Kikan’s presentation, “What If Art Can Help? Using Symbolic Perspectives to Relate to, and Heal, Human Suffering,” seeks to remind us of these time-honored ways of knowing.
Throughout history, human beings have used stories, myths, art, dreams, visions, rites and rituals to connect, face challenges, and find answers. While these are metaphoric languages, they have helped humanity navigate innumerable peaks and valleys of life. The modern era’s focus on efficiency, productivity, and continuing growth, however, has abandoned such intuitive approaches and we are collectively faced with a pandemic of emotional, mental, and physical suffering. The helping professions have been tasked with addressing this widespread pain and trauma, and sometimes find that talking and understanding alone are not enough.
Kikan has found that cultivating symbolic perception is astonishingly meaningful and transformative for clients. It is already an innate faculty of the human psyche and not difficult to bring back to function. Symbols are masters at building connections in myriad ways and simplifying complex issues. Putting on symbolic glasses facilitates access to the collective unconscious as well as the imaginal realm. This is where our human nature coexists creatively with our spiritual nature.
Art is a particularly powerful conduit for reviving symbolic perception. It can open new worlds, both inside and out, much like a symbol can serve as a key to unlock the inner world and trigger constructive ideas for the outer one. Human beings are wired for images; they process, order, and deliver staggering amounts of data to the brain in ways that literal language cannot.
During this presentation at the Global Exchange Conference, Kikan will introduce her book, “The 12 Steps, Symbols, Myths and Archetypes of Recovery,” and share practical ways of using art and symbols. Attendees will leave with a deeper understanding of how symbolic perspectives can complement literal facts and rational understanding, ultimately aiding in the healing of human suffering.
Presenters
Kikan Massara is a psychotherapist, author and creative. A dedicated researcher of consciousness studies, meditation, and emotional health, she has long used art, myths, and symbols in her practice to facilitate access to the empowering resources of the inner world.
It was under the vast skies of northern Sweden that Kikan was born and raised. Just before starting school she awakened to the existence of an inner world. Her philosophical father showed her a photo of Mahatma Gandhi and spoke in great detail about the non-violent approach that had ended the British rule of India. In that moment her goal in life was unknowingly settled: she wanted to experience such inner peace.
The discovery of the works of C.G.Jung and other esoteric literature led her down many different paths of exploration in adulthood. These quests eventually formalised in becoming an accredited psychotherapist in the UK by the mid-1990’s, and also accredited, according to EU guidelines, by the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare. She holds an MA in Psychotherapy and Counselling and has worked as a therapist in London, Stockholm and Paris. She also credits her own experiences of healing trauma, inter-generational legacies and harsh challenges of being a woman, mother, partner, and friend as invaluable practice grounds for learning and evolving as a helping professional. The author of The Twelve Steps—Symbols, Myths and Archetypes of Recovery, Kikan is currently working on a book focused on human emotions.