FAQ
Is SoulCollage® for Me?
The Happy Child, the Artist, the Organizer, the Writer, the Spiritual Warrior, the Intuitive, the Crone, the Inner Critic, the Procrastinator. . . Do any of these Inner Parts belong to you?
These and many other aspects of the Self thrive in the SoulCollage® process where they are given space to breathe and evolve. If they are troubling parts, when we recognize them, they lose their power to control us. Perhaps you already have a collection of images that are waiting to find their place of honor on a SoulCollage® card.
No previous training is necessary to enjoy this easy creative process. All you need to be able to do is cut and paste and are curious to look within. You only need scissors, glue, mat board, pen and paper and old magazines. And I will provide all the materials. There is no way to do it wrong, even if you really try! What could be easier?
What can I expect if I try SoulCollage®?
SoulCollage®’s unique process helps you lighten up, open up, deepen your relationship with Self and self. It can make you smile and fall in love again with the precious and sometimes precocious parts of your personality. Most people find it a thought-provoking, and a playful journey inside yourself and back out again, nourished and refreshed.
This journey bridges many aspects of your self and of your relationships with the world. The images you select and carefully paste on your cards speak for you, and hold the power of a thousand words. SoulCollage® offers you a path but lets you choose the direction. It invites you to bask in the richness and complexity of who you are, leaving you free to express and expand yourself in your own unique way. You are the expert.
If you already have a creative outlet, you will find that SoulCollage® organizes your visual language in a new symbolic way that speaks to the Soul and enriches your creativity. If you have been craving a creative outlet, you will find SoulCollage® an easy and satisfying activity you can do alone or with friends. SoulCollage® speaks to your need for self-expression and to your desire to know yourself more intimately simultaneously. It strengthens your roots and at the same time gives you wings to fly.
How does SoulCollage® Work?
You will weave together the wisdom of your eyes, your hands, your heart, your emotions, your intellect and your intuition in making and using your cards. This holistic process embraces all aspects of human nature. By its very design, it integrates both brain hemispheres while soothing the stresses of everyday life. Without knowing it, you are stimulating a very rich neurological dialog between the complex functions in your brain.
This ‘both/and’ approach honors the bright and shiny parts of our lives as well as the as the dark and the difficult, which explains the profound insights often gained while consulting the cards. You will find a deep satisfaction felt while using your cards and the healing experiences mentioned by nearly eveyone.
How could SoulCollage® benefit me?
Among the healing properties participants have mentioned are a greater sense of acceptance, integration, wholeness, balance, clarity of purpose and easier access to inner resources. These sensations translate into a renewed sense of hope and vitality. With its nurturing and growth promoting qualities, SoulCollage® brings a sense of fulfillment to one’s life and the distinctive sensation of being closer to one’s intimate truth. And it’s fun!
You may find a smile comes to your face and your body relaxes as you gaze into the images you have created.
Your collages become powerful seeds of meaning that take root in the fertile soil of your being . . . which some would refer to as the Soul. Because your SoulCollage® reflects the Soul, the messages from the cards continue to evolve. The more you use them, the more they have to say. You will look at a card once and you may see and hear one thing. Then you look again and you will see and hear something new. SoulCollage® cards evolve and become links between many aspects of our story, internal, external, large and small.
How can I use SoulCollage?
Every time you sit down to make cards, whether alone or in good company, it will feel like having a small personal retreat. You will easily slip out of chronological time and experience the timeless joy of creativity. You will discover the deep satisfaction of speaking your truth. Once you have a small deck you can read your collages as if they were wise advisers sitting on your board of directors. You will be surprised by how practical and helpful they will be.
SoulCollage® is a powerful tool in your spiritual practice. It will deepen your healing journey if you are engaged in psychotherapy. You will name your strengths and your challenges, engage in dialog with difficult parts of yourself, like the Inner Critic, and bring balance to each one of these Inner Parts.
SoulCollage® can also inspire your creative process, whether it is painting, sculpting or writing. You can use your cards as creative inspirations that will take your work in directions that might otherwise take years to discover. A great support in dream work, SoulCollage® deepens any group activity, from family reunions, to support groups, to Board meetings. You can consult your cards if you are feeling stuck or confused, to gain insight or to seek support, or for the sheer pleasure of consciously connecting with yourself before starting your day.
How do professionals use SoulCollage®?
Many psychotherapists, counselors, homeopaths, acupuncturists, nurses, massage therapists and life coaches use SoulCollage® to support their clients’ healing process.
In a therapeutic setting this method encourages the recognition and the transformation of fears, inner splits, blocks and the consequences of painful experiences. It reconnects clients with their strengths, zest for life and self-confidence. SoulCollage® can be used to process grief, find forgiveness and rise above conflicts.
It helps clients identify and understand the motivations of various inner personality parts and calm inner turmoil as they learn to witness themselves all with curiosity and later compassion. Clients quickly access and process thoughts and feelings that unconsciously pave the way for relapse or other unwanted consequences.
SoulCollage® is effective with depression, anxiety, eating disorders, grief, relationship conflict and issues related to aging. Organizational psychologists and corporate managers find SoulCollage® useful in brain storming and vision making, as well as in conflict resolution and team building. For more information on SoulCollage® for the helping professions, click here.
Who can benefit from SoulCollage®?
SoulCollage® appeals to diverse age groups and organizations because it does not rely on fluency in English, insight or specific skills. Every one doing SoulCollage® is an expert in their own inner world and stories.
Although spiritually oriented, it is not affiliated with any one religion. Although it involves the creative process, it does not require artistic or any other kind of training. Thousands already use SoulCollage® in their personal and professional lives. In just six years since SoulCollage® made its debut, 750 individuals the US, Australia, Europe and Asia have been trained as Facilitators and are spreading SoulCollage® to every corner of the world.
SoulCollage® is used in Hospice work, prisons, addiction recovery centers, hospitals and classrooms and at board meetings and in mediation. SoulCollage® is taught in private and academic institutions and has been adopted by study groups of different religious orientations as a practice for deepening one’s spirituality.
What Can I Expect from a Workshop?
You will find yourself surrounded by like-minded participants equally eager to create and explore. You will work and share at your own pace in a non-competitive atmosphere with the guidance of a seasoned professional. You will feel supported in the rich community that develops quickly.
You will be delighted by the diversity with which every one expresses her/himself. You will leave feeling inspired and more centered for having spent time in closer touch with your own inner self and having shared from a deep place of reverence and attention. Time will probably pass quickly because you are living fully in the Present.
Come and let the images inspire you and lead you home to your own wisdom. Once you are ready to go deeper, you can join me for the in-depth workshops, or even become a SoulCollage® Facilitator yourself.
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SoulCollage® is a Registered Trademark. SoulCollage® cards are not sold, traded, or bartered to respect the artists whose images are collaged in the cards. To facilitate groups called “SoulCollage® Group” or to call oneself a “SoulCollage® Facilitator”, one must attend a SoulCollage® Facilitator Training. For more information, read “The Principles of SoulCollage” at their website.