Everyone is talking about it:
Disney's ENCANTO!
I could go on and on about how therapeutic the movie could be and how it addresses intergenerational traumas and issues that haven't been addressed in a secular way before at this level BUT that's not what I am here to do.
I'm here to make a personal connection. As a clinician myself, as a human, I am telling a portion of my story.
I created this photo in grad school when I was in my digital art mode (2020).
I attempted to articulate through art the stress and pressure I was holding: almost crushing me, but still holding. Some have changed since then, adding some and shrinking others, but still holding. This is my feeling of never catching up, always feeling overwhelmed, anxiety. Yes, I said it, this Art Therapist suffers from anxiety. It's hard to admit sometimes being in this profession as well as knowing what the personal and cultural ramifications admitting this on a public platform could entail. I've weighed these and take the risk anyway.
Through my education and personal work, I have found art to be helpful to process this pressure as well as navigate how to keep it in balance. Art has also been an outlet for me to practice being unbalanced and sitting with my feelings stemming from that perceived chaos.
After hearing "Surface Pressure" by Jessica Darrow on ENCANTO for the first time, I was in tears!
Everything that I had used art for was put in this one song meant for children and spread across the nation: connecting my story and emotions to others like never before. I've seen so many personal stories arise from this movie that proves how growing a community of people who relate to these societal pressures, intergenerational trauma, family dynamics, etc., can benefit mental health awareness, treatment and wellness. It's definitely improved my overall well-being, especially in todays world of loving and connecting at a distance. Who knew, Disney?
For myself, listening to this song releases my pressures for just a short moment and makes me feel like part of the bigger picture. It connects my spiritual self that motivates and brings purpose to my empathetic and physical self of love and care for me as a human in order to fuel my passion as a clinician and an overall helper. Viewing this art piece and listening to this song together has brought me richer meaning to my struggles and achievements. It helps me define my essence, my existence. It's just the pick me up I needed after these hard years of grad school, quarantines and personal lives.
What does it bring up for you? I'd love to here your reactions!
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