This week in Art Assessment & Diagnosis, second-year students participated in a guided mandala-making session led by faculty member Stephanie Condra MPS, ATR-BC, LCAT, based on the book Creating Mandalas by Susanne F. Fincher. The word “mandala” stems from the Sanskrit word for “circle” or “center”. Mandala construction originated in India as a part of Buddhist and Hindu practices and continues to hold spiritual importance for many cultures today. A mandala as we know it modernly is a circular artistic form that may consist of different colors, drawings, graphics, and symbols. It is often divided into even segments, but may also be asymmetrical in nature.
The guided process began with a meditation. Art therapists often use meditative activities at the beginning of sessions to help participants with grounding before they dive in. In this instance, the class was encouraged to relax and refrain from overthinking. Fincher writes, “There is no right or wrong mandala. Each is simply a reflection of the person you are at that moment in time.” The students were guided to stretch their bodies and engage in breathing exercises. Reaching a relaxed state, they were then guided to visualize any colors, shapes, or forms that come to mind without thinking much about it. Opening their eyes, the students were encouraged to reach for a color that spoke to them, if any, and began to fill the circle before them. They were offered big or small circle tracers, and an array of drawing materials from rigid colored pencils to soft oil pastels. The results were many different unique mandalas.
Creating Mandalas offers meanings and interpretations for each color utilized within a mandala. The students got to read through them and share with the class what resonated with them. An important idea to remember that ties into assessment through art is that concrete diagnoses cannot be drawn from an art piece without context. The students were reminded to take the book’s interpretations with a grain of salt, allowing them to pick and choose what they found comfort with. For art therapy clients, being given the opportunity to make connections on their terms can help them to make meaning of their inner world.
References:
Fincher, Susanne F. See This Image Follow the Author Susanne F. Fincher Follow Creating Mandalas: For Insight, Healing, and Self-Expression. Shambhala Publications, Inc., 1991.
