Unlock Creativity with Mind Mapping

By Arielle Giordano

Add some creativity to your coaching practice with art therapy.

Early in the 20th century, psychiatrists became interested in the artwork created by their patients with mental illness. Around that same time, educators were discovering that children’s art expressions reflected developmental, emotional, and cognitive growth. In the middle of the century, hospitals and clinics began to include art therapy programs alongside “talk therapies.”

Today, the mental health fields recognize the widespread benefits of the creative process in the enhancement of recovery, health, and wellness. And, in response, practitioners are integrating the visual arts—such as drawing, painting, sculpture, as well as dance and reflective writing—into their mainstream therapy practices.

As a therapist and artist, I integrate the healing, soothing, and relaxing combination of the arts and counseling for individuals and families. The blend of art-making and self-expression within a professional relationship enhances healing for people experiencing illness, trauma, life changes and relationship challenges, and it also assists those seeking personal development.

Creative coaching and art is perfect match! A fun creative activity for individuals in a coaching environment is mind mapping, which uses hierarchical diagrams to visually organize information and show relationships to “a whole.” Mind maps are usually “created around a single concept, drawn as an image in the center of a blank page, to which associated representations of ideas such as images, words and parts of words are added,” explains Wikipedia. “Major ideas are connected directly to the central concept, and other ideas branch out from those major ideas. Although the term ‘mind map’ was first popularized by British popular psychology author and television personality Tony Buzan, the use of diagrams that visually ‘map’ information using branching and radial maps traces back centuries.”

Here is a simple way to get started: Draw a circle in the middle on a piece of paper. Write the main topic/central thought in the circle. Then draw straight lines from the inner circle outward to the edge of the paper. The last step is writing or drawing images and labeling each line with the significant focal areas. The client can share and discuss his/her mind map for more depth and clarity in whatever area is being addressed.

Research confirms that the creative process involved in artistic self-expression helps people to become physically, mentally, and emotionally healthy. It may assist in conflict resolution, developing interpersonal skills, stress reduction, life adjustments, post-traumatic stress alleviation, and acquisition of insights.

The sky is the limit!

Arielle Giordano’s new book, Dancing with Your Story from the Inside Out, was released in March 2017. With a Masters of Arts and Masters of Education, Arielle is an author, professional dancer, inspirational speaker, certified Essentrics/Aging Backwards instructor, and workshop facilitator. She enjoys sharing her gifts and talents with an
authentic style rich in the grace of dance, psychology, philosophy and the expressive arts. Her career includes: provisional psychologist, guidance counselor and substance-abuse therapist. As a Lead Faculty Area Chairperson and Faculty Member for College of Humanities at the University of Phoenix, she inspired students with her creative gifts. She also writes for Tampa Bay Wellness, We Woman and Transformation Magazine.

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