AAATA Newsletter 2007 ‘Healing Our Perceiving’ was the title for AAATNA’s first conference held in Ontario, Canada, just north of Toronto in February 2006. Graduates from various training centres attended: Arscura School for Living Art in Canada, Tobias School for Art & Therapy in England and also De Wervel in Holland. Our keynote speaker, Kenneth McAlister MD is an Anthroposophical doctor who operates a family practice in Thornhill, Ontario. On Friday night his excellent introduction to a holistic medicine confirmed the virtues of art as a therapeutic modality. He claimed "Life is a path to awareness of ourselves to our higher selves. Substances become alive when we learn how to care for the other. There are two sides to Healing; diagnosis and therapy. They invite an awakening to a conscious participating becoming transformative. Perceiving is paradoxical, through the senses we explore self." Saturday morning Eurythmy was led by Michael Chapitis who spiraled us in colours from the periphery to center and out to the periphery again. Dr. McAlister's morning lecture described observation of the four levels of perception: physical, life, soul and spirit as the senses, constitution, psychological conditioning and relationship to the Divine. To cognize the four levels of Healing our Perceiving, he took the group on a mysterious journey along a path where four found objects of mineral composition represented four levels of organization. First the rock; second the petrified wood; third the skeletal bone; fourth the sculpture. Holding this four fold level of organization, we were presented with two patients from the medical practice to use as case studies for observation based on the four levels of perception and to come to a diagnosis. On Saturday afternoon several groups formed to create an imaginable therapeutic art process for the patients by reconnecting to them inwardly and together painting a word picture of the patient we had observed in the case study during our morning session. This was not to turn into a discussion as much as a slow building up of an imagination. When we shifted back to our individual perceptions and feelings, we attempted to put ourselves into the patient’s place without identifying too closely and getting lost in that person’s problem (true empathy). Each one then chose an art medium most suitable to represent visually the illness picture as they saw it. After a collective sharing amongst the participants everyone developed a possible artistic-therapeutic path for this condition/person by bringing changes to the initial art piece. This was shared again leading to a final imagination of a future outcome for this patient. At the closing forum with all working groups, we could see similarities in our different approaches that confirmed a general consensus on the direction taken for an artistic-therapeutic path. It would have been interesting to spend more time during this final sharing; perhaps an opportunity to have learned a lot more about our own medium, the artistic process and the substances used in it, as well as the techniques applied in each case. The presence of a physician created the possibility for exchange and also to hear how the doctors’ might choose art therapy, after all it is expected to become “medicine”. Dr. McAlister said, "the activity of human will transformed demonstrates human skill." On Sunday morning some of us met again to reflect in a more personal way, our learning of the previous day. We now worked with individual clay pieces, had hands-on input from our colleagues and finally found that placing all our sculptures in a sequence, they actually made visible an evolution that also reflected a healing path! This clay sequence became a journey in form of a lemniscate and the macro-process became visible in the micro-process, what a surprise! What became visibly revealed was a higher sense of truth in our individual expressions, but also a social sculpture arose. The idea was expressed, that healing in our time may be calling for a closer working together of many different therapists and their various “media”. Time for one-on-one therapy only, seems to have come to an end and healing is becoming more of a co-creative process and a group activity. Everyone enjoyed a stimulating time, full of rich thoughts, conversations and art processes, commenting on the excellence in organization, content as well as meals provided. Mission and Vision: During the past year a group of members brought together their areas of expertise and creativity and participated in the creation of AAATNA's Mission Statement, Vision and Goals. Elyse Pomeranz facilitated an art-centered process and the four levels of perception were used to develop it. At the November 12, 2006 meeting, when they were presented, the group dissolved and Mandate Groups were formed. Art Excursion: A triumphant start for 2007, when eight members attended AAATNA's first Art excursion trip Sunday January 7th, to the Canadian McMichael Art Gallery for Noval Morrisseau art exhibition, one of Canada's best know First Nations artist also called Copper Thunderbird. Norval Morrisseau is referred to as a Shaman Artist who paints earthly animals, plants, spiritual creatures and ancestors that inhabit the heavenly and underworld realm. His passion for art and colour led him to develop a unique style of painting known as the Woodland School, where his knowledge of ancient Anishnabee spirituality is represented in a contemporary style. First the group looked at the whole exhibition and met back at the very beginning. The first exercise was to observe an art work, finding a quiet place to be able to recall the image, let it go, and allow for a counter image to arise, then draw it. The second exercise was to look at another art work, the Water Spirit, and write about the four levels of perception followed by a collective sharing of each of the levels. The third exercise was to look at the Indian Jesus, using the four levels of perception and as therapists describe a health picture. The fourth exercise was to look at the Thunderbird Transformation and observe what has metamorphosed. The process of observation and a morning at the Gallery was full of inspiration and insight. A truly rewarding experience as the intention is to encourage more excursions of this nature. Back to Articles Page

AAATA Newsletter 2007

‘Healing Our Perceiving’ was the title for AAATNA’s first conference held in Ontario, Canada, just north of Toronto in February 2006. Graduates from various training centres attended: Arscura School for Living Art in Canada, Tobias School for Art & Therapy in England and also De Wervel in Holland.

Regine Kurek and Melanie Nason

take registrations at the conference

Our keynote speaker, Kenneth McAlister MD is an Anthroposophical doctor who operates a family practice in Thornhill, Ontario. On Friday night his excellent introduction to a holistic medicine confirmed the virtues of art as a therapeutic modality. He claimed "Life is a path to awareness of ourselves to our higher selves. Substances become alive when we learn how to care for the other. There are two sides to Healing; diagnosis and therapy. They invite an awakening to a conscious participating becoming transformative. Perceiving is paradoxical, through the senses we explore self."

Saturday morning Eurythmy was led by Michael Chapitis who spiraled us in colours from the periphery to center and out to the periphery again. Dr. McAlister's morning lecture described observation of the four levels of perception: physical, life, soul and spirit as the senses, constitution, psychological conditioning and relationship to the Divine. To cognize the four levels of Healing our Perceiving, he took the group on a mysterious journey along a path where four found objects of mineral composition represented four levels of organization. First the rock; second the petrified wood; third the skeletal bone; fourth the sculpture. Holding this four fold level of organization, we were presented with two patients from the medical practice to use as case studies for observation based on the four levels of perception and to come to a diagnosis.

On Saturday afternoon several groups formed to create an imaginable therapeutic art process for the patients by reconnecting to them inwardly and together painting a word picture of the patient we had observed in the case study during our morning session. This was not to turn into a discussion as much as a slow building up of an imagination. When we shifted back to our individual perceptions and feelings, we attempted to put ourselves into the patient’s place without identifying too closely and getting lost in that person’s problem (true empathy).

Each one then chose an art medium most suitable to represent visually the illness picture as they saw it. After a collective sharing amongst the participants everyone developed a possible artistic-therapeutic path for this condition/person by bringing changes to the initial art piece. This was shared again leading to a final imagination of a future outcome for this patient.

At the closing forum with all working groups, we could see similarities in our different approaches that confirmed a general consensus on the direction taken for an artistic-therapeutic path.

It would have been interesting to spend more time during this final sharing; perhaps an opportunity to have learned a lot more about our own medium, the artistic process and the substances used in it, as well as the techniques applied in each case. The presence of a physician created the possibility for exchange and also to hear how the doctors’ might choose art therapy, after all it is expected to become “medicine”.

Dr. McAlister said, "the activity of human will transformed demonstrates human skill."

On Sunday morning some of us met again to reflect in a more personal way, our learning of the previous day. We now worked with individual clay pieces, had hands-on input from our colleagues and finally found that placing all our sculptures in a sequence, they actually made visible an evolution that also reflected a healing path!

This clay sequence became a journey in form of a lemniscate and the macro-process became visible in the micro-process, what a surprise! What became visibly revealed was a higher sense of truth in our individual expressions, but also a social sculpture arose.

The idea was expressed, that healing in our time may be calling for a closer working together of many different therapists and their various “media”. Time for one-on-one therapy only, seems to have come to an end and healing is becoming more of a co-creative process and a group activity.

Everyone enjoyed a stimulating time, full of rich thoughts, conversations and art processes, commenting on the excellence in organization, content as well as meals provided.

Mission and Vision: During the past year a group of members brought together their areas of expertise and creativity and participated in the creation of AAATNA's Mission Statement, Vision and Goals. Elyse Pomeranz facilitated an art-centered process and the four levels of perception were used to develop it. At the November 12, 2006 meeting, when they were presented, the group dissolved and Mandate Groups were formed.

Art Excursion: A triumphant start for 2007, when eight members attended AAATNA's first Art excursion trip Sunday January 7th, to the Canadian McMichael Art Gallery for Noval Morrisseau art exhibition, one of Canada's best know First Nations artist also called Copper Thunderbird. Norval Morrisseau is referred to as a Shaman Artist who paints earthly animals, plants, spiritual creatures and ancestors that inhabit the heavenly and underworld realm. His passion for art and colour led him to develop a unique style of painting known as the Woodland School, where his knowledge of ancient Anishnabee spirituality is represented in a contemporary style.

First the group looked at the whole exhibition and met back at the very beginning. The first exercise was to observe an art work, finding a quiet place to be able to recall the image, let it go, and allow for a counter image to arise, then draw it. The second exercise was to look at another art work, the Water Spirit, and write about the four levels of perception followed by a collective sharing of each of the levels. The third exercise was to look at the Indian Jesus, using the four levels of perception and as therapists describe a health picture. The fourth exercise was to look at the Thunderbird Transformation and observe what has metamorphosed. The process of observation and a morning at the Gallery was full of inspiration and insight. A truly rewarding experience as the intention is to encourage more excursions of this nature.

Back to Articles Page