Sophrology and art
Sophrology aims for a better understanding of oneself. It is a pursuit of well-being that fosters the conditions for mental balance, supporting a process of awakening and personal development.
It shares with art therapy the emergence of a new consciousness.
Sophrology emerged in the 1960s and has continued to grow in popularity ever since.
Its primary principle is self-compassion.
Its goal is to help people live.
It can relieve stress and many other inconveniences of our current societies.
Sophrology is practiced in sessions prepared with the patient.
Positive visualization is at the heart of the treatment process.
From sos (harmonious), phrenos (consciousness) and logos (organizing reason), sophrology could be translated as: "the experience of harmonious consciousness".
This discipline lies at the crossroads of two conceptions, one Western, with hypnosis and relaxation techniques, and the other Eastern, with meditation and yoga.
The origin of sophrology
In the 1960s, Alfonso Caycedo was a Colombian psychiatrist living and working in Madrid. During a trip to India, he trained in Eastern relaxation techniques. He met the Dalai Lama, and it was upon his return from this journey that he conceived the idea for a new, Westernized therapeutic approach.
Sophrology was born, and its objective would be mindfulness independent of religious considerations and other beliefs. In 1988, Alfonso Caycedo extended his technique with a more spiritual focus, creating Caycedian sophrology .
Soon, other methods will be added, such as:
The Coué method (positive thinking), which can be associated with positive visualization. ( Émile Coué , 1857–1926)
Progressive relaxation (invented by Dr. Edmund Jacobson in the early 1920s) (a method for releasing muscle tension)
"Schultz autogenic training " (self-relaxation through suggestion) (Dr. Schultz was a psychiatrist in the years 1910-1932). He developed a technique for physical and mental relaxation, which is still used today in sports medicine and stress management.
Phenomenology (learning non-judgment),
Yoga (stimulating breathing and muscle relaxation)
Zen (the practice of meditation).
Philosophical aspects
The need for self-knowledge is at the heart of the thought of Socrates and Plato. For Aristotle, self-awareness means knowing one's own state of consciousness. The awareness of feeling, thinking, and living is inextricably linked to the very act of feeling, thinking, and living.
The Stoics focused on self-awareness as a rational or moral being (consientia in Seneca).
For Plotinus, the content of consciousness and self-knowledge coincide in the coherent image of the mind or reason. In his analysis of human self-reflection, Augustine asserts that all knowledge of objects external to oneself is uncertain. However, what one experiences, perceives, and wills is indeed real. Augustine's “cogito” is self-knowledge as it is active.
Thomas Aquinas believed that man can only be conscious of his existence indirectly, through the work of the intellect. Although self-consciousness was an important internal phenomenon in ancient and medieval times, in modern philosophy it has come to be considered a necessary principle, even a prerequisite for human freedom.
For René Descartes, one of the essential characteristics of consciousness lies in the fact that if you are conscious of a fact, then you are also conscious of what you are thinking. From this stems the thesis of the transparency of consciousness, that is to say, that consciousness is fully and perfectly aware of its content.
In Kant's transcendental philosophy, self-consciousness over time was a necessary condition for all knowledge. Indeed, consciousness of an object (as well as of oneself) appears as a synthesis of sensory impressions that always exist in a temporal order. Hegel rejects the idea of a pure and immediately given self-consciousness. He believes that self-consciousness is the result of reflection. This so-called "reflective" model of consciousness played an important role in the 1800s and 1900s. Husserl also rejected the Kantian pure self in his early writings. But in his later works, he moved closer to Descartes.
In Heidegger and Wittgenstein, the relationship between the self and the outside is a practical, moral relationship, as in Kierkegaard.
Principle of sophrology
To see one's life as it is, with kindness and clarity; this is the ambition one can aim for with sophrology. It offers us the opportunity to grasp an objective reality of ourselves in our relationships with the world around us.
Consciousness allows for self-knowledge
Consciousness is the human capacity to reflect on one's experiences, and therefore to reflect on oneself. Thus, being self-aware can be considered equivalent to self-knowledge. However, while consciousness undoubtedly allows us to know that we exist, it does not necessarily allow us to know what we are.
Everyone wants to know who they are. If you lack self-awareness, you risk losing yourself and getting involved in projects that don't reflect who you truly are. You might also say things you'll later regret. Not knowing yourself and deluding yourself about your abilities and nature inevitably leads to failure.
The social conditioning of consciousness
There is a link between one's self-awareness and one's living conditions.
- The first value that enables introspection is education. A child left to their own devices without educational support is incapable of taking care of themselves later in life. We are social beings, and our identity stems from this.
- The second value concerns our material conditions of existence. If we are caught up from morning till night in a machine of subsistence that leaves no possibility of reflecting on ourselves, it is very difficult to think about ourselves properly.
- The third essential quality for better self-knowledge is, of course, the ability to think properly. Mental illness remains an incompatibility.
As we all know, our perception of the outside world fluctuates depending on our mental state. This isn't a problem if this perception has little negative impact on our health and mood. However, losing sleep or being in a bad mood can be a daily struggle. Sophrology can help.
But how?
Through the discovery and practice of an awareness of our body and mind seen as a single entity. The goal is to rediscover harmony between mind and body in order to potentially develop a positive relationship with the outside world.
Today, there are two main trends in sophrology:
Sophrology faithful to the original principles, which is considered a therapy.
A form of well-being pedagogy called Caycedian Sophrology , named after its inventor (Caycedo). It is defined as an aid to existence.
Three levels of practice:
- Improving concentration and body awareness;
- Strengthening self-image;
- Meditation.
the objectives of sophrology?
Sophrology can alleviate a large number of problems. Some are functional, and others are psychological in origin.
Let us distinguish between two approaches:
One therapeutic approach improves the management of phobias, such as motion sickness, as well as addictions and pain. Controlling pain intensity is a phenomenon that is both physiological and psychological. One of sophrology's greatest achievements is undoubtedly its particular effectiveness in supporting patients through intensive treatments (cancer, rare diseases, etc.). Its effects also extend to stress-related symptoms, such as insomnia, digestive problems, back pain, and more.
The other aspect is aimed at personal change. Sophrology helps to relax and release accumulated tension. It encourages a greater state of awareness in the face of stress generated by the workplace, the constraints of daily life, or life in general. During a significant change, such as a breakup or the loss of a loved one, sophrology encourages and helps to reconnect with one's own existence. Furthermore, it is also very beneficial for caregivers who often neglect themselves in the turmoil surrounding them. On a lighter note, the discipline helps improve concentration for athletes and students during exam periods. Through its breathing techniques, it can also play an important role during childbirth.
Sophrology and sleep
Sophrology is a gentle and natural method for better managing your sleep. It offers an interesting solution to sleep disorders.
Rediscovering breathing allows for quick and lasting relief. Certain physical exercises promote relaxation of both body and mind. Positive visualization helps the brain sleep better.
Sophrology sessions invite you to become aware of your body and emotions through mental imagery. People who suffer from insomnia should remember that they are focusing too much on their thoughts. And the more they think about them, the harder it is to fall asleep. Stress and rumination are frequently the cause of sleep disorders. It is therefore important to relieve this stress. Sophrology can help you learn to manage the stress of the day that causes insomnia.
Sophrology during pregnancy, why not?
Sophrology helps women experience pregnancy more positively on a psychological level, facilitating better acceptance of the physical changes they undergo (weight gain, fatigue, back pain, etc.). Furthermore, positive anticipation of the birth makes parents calmer on the day of delivery by alleviating anxieties and reminding them of the joy of having a child. This leads to a more peaceful birth experience.
A better birth experience
Sophrology teaches you how to relax. This allows you to recover calmly between each contraction .
Through self-awareness at the bodily level, understanding one's capabilities also ensures good oxygenation and promotes natural growth. The labor phases will be easier. When you are more relaxed, the tissues stretch, with less risk of tearing.
The practice of sophrology
The sessions generally proceed as follows.
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- An initial dialogue to clarify the objectives at the end of the session.
- Then come the "dynamic relaxation" exercises, with specific instructions for breathing and positive visualization. The patient must release their tension in order to listen to their sensations and, more precisely, to what their body is telling them. They must approach the situation that is troubling them with a new awareness, in order to defuse it and be able to manage it more effectively.
- Finally, a debriefing session is scheduled at the end of the session. This time facilitates the analysis of feelings and prepares for the next stage of treatment. Future objectives are identified. Sometimes, the therapist gives the person exercises to do at home.
Sophrology and art therapy
Less well-known, art plays an increasingly important role alongside sophrology. The merging of the two disciplines makes sophrology more comprehensive and effective.
Art therapy stimulates creative capacity. The sophrologist, who places great importance on dialogue, finds in this method a new avenue of expression. Stimulating creative potential is one of the foundations of sophrology. Indeed, some people express themselves more easily with a pencil or a paintbrush than with words. Sophrology and art therapy thus combine perfectly, allowing the patient to achieve an expressive substitution beyond words.
These two disciplines, practiced together, can help channel internal tensions. All of this is done with enjoyment, which promotes letting go and provides a feeling of well-being.
Sophrology offers a multitude of techniques that influence our state of mind and our desire for discovery. It provides us with tools to be present with ourselves. This discipline makes us more receptive to the world of art.
What is positive visualization?
Our brain functions in such a way that it doesn't distinguish between what we actually experience and what we imagine. Who among us hasn't woken up with a start, truly believing they were living a dream? Now we know that the same brain regions are active whether we experience a situation or imagine it. In both cases, the motor areas of the cortex are activated. According to the latest neuroscience studies, the brain areas activated during visualization are the same as those activated in response to a real stimulus.
It is possible to condition oneself positively through mental imagery. Visualization is the mental ability to picture an object, a landscape, a sound, a smell, a situation, or even an emotion or sensation. This representation triggers the same physiological effects as during a concretely experienced event.
Visualization stimulates the right hemisphere of the brain and sends nerve signals from the cortex to the autonomic nervous system. The goal of visualization during sophrology sessions is therefore to "trick" the brain. We present it with positive situations that it will believe. Neuroimaging research confirms this: seeing and imagining activate the same areas of the brain.
Imagining pleasant places or events has a positive effect on our mental state. Sophrology has harnessed this powerful psychological tool through the use of positive visualization . It is now part of its therapeutic arsenal, alongside breathing and relaxation techniques.
The sophrologist's therapeutic method includes positive visualization exercises. They guide the patient to experience the emotions of a pre-determined scenario, such as a walk in the countryside or on a beach overlooking the ocean. Recent discoveries in brain imaging have shown that, for the brain, there is no difference between what is actually experienced and what is imagined.
Sophrology is a very widespread practice in the world. It has acquired a prominent place as a wellness discipline, like yoga.
Although it is difficult to confirm or deny its effectiveness scientifically, sophrology has been part of the daily lives of many people around the world for sixty years.
It is now part of alternative healthcare practices in many countries.
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- Art and medicine : an astonishing synergy
- Sculpture therapy
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