Emotional Regulation with Conscious Colouring-In

While reading the latest issue of 'Institute Inbrief' that AIPC (Australian Institute of Professional Counsellors) sent to me, and the discussion about psychotherapy was broached, it had me thinking about emotional regulation and how it ties in during the conscious colouring-in process with art therapy.

By definition, psychotherapy has been described as a process that aims to assist people with or without mental health issues to understand their feelings, thoughts and actions better while discovering their own resilience.

Because 'conscious colouring-in' is a cognitive and holistic method capable of achieving many different things for a person, it is a good tool for emotional regulation; especially for trauma survivors and spectrum people, when dealing with challenged or muted processing and expression.

The benefits of art therapy are definitely widely known and a term that is now used freely in mental health places everywhere. So what is emotional regulation, what does it mean, and how does 'conscious colouring-in' help with that?

Emotional regulation is the ability to control ones emotional state.

Emotional regulation is the ability to control ones emotional state.

"Emotions are conscious mental reactions (such as anger or fear) subjectively experienced as strong feelings usually directed toward a specific object and typically accompanied by physiological and behavioural changes in the body." Adapted from Merriam-Webster.

Conscious colouring-in, by definition, is about being involved in an awareness of one's self in the present moment; sensitive to environmental influences, focussed on mindful and/or emotional presences within the self and outside of the self, and tying it all in with an beneficial expressive action of behaviour.

Art Therapy is a mindful behaviour consequential to nurturing creative expression, however often in a casual atmosphere, mostly an unregulated one, it often demonstrates an outcome where there is natural success in endorphin generation; and so quite useful on demand.

But without aware intricate support being applied in an ongoing disciplined manner, to keep those dopamine's ongoing (which is what is needed to help manage mood with the endorphins), the endorphin crash does occur when the endorphin transmission fluctuates (usually as a start and stop of a trigger activity or behaviour), leading to a perpetuated cycle of dulating moods between highs and lows; some very deep and severe even, if there's not enough dopamine injecting the system.

Some may say that there is nothing wrong with this, it is what keeps us human, in check with our feelings and thoughts. But what about those who become addicted to the need for a dopamine hit that encourages the endorphin rush, to escape their difficult emotions, or avoid the challenges in their thoughts? Instinctively a person's primal desire is just wanting to feel peace and happiness when facing these kind of energies in life. A striving for happiness or even just a sense self control, of autonomy, of being 'cool as a cucumber' when dealing with life's intricacies.

So firstly, what are endorphins and what are dopamine's, and how do they relate to each other in the process of feeling good?

Basically endorphins are chemicals that your body releases when it feels pain or stress and is its natural response system to lower those heightened sensories to a more 'safer' level to keep your optimum practical survival at its best. Basically like a natural pain reliever instead of taking pharmaceutical. Sometimes endorphins are even generated by the body to increase the 'feel good' to last longer, through certain biological functions like exercise, eating, and certain adult pleasure activities.

Dopamine acts on the brain in order to generate feelings of pleasure, satisfaction and motivation. It also is responsible for mood, sleep, learning, concentration, memory and even movement... the role that dopamine plays is that it is like a reward system for the body but can also interplay with endorphins. When endorphins attach to your brain, and trigger the opiate receptors, dopamine is released into the body.

So when endorphin levels are at a certain level, your dopamine levels register that and respond accordingly. The higher the endorphin levels, the more your dopamine levels increase and influence your mood and motivation.

Understanding this synergy in basic terms allows a person to take more self awareness in managing these aspects and CHOOSING to find a tool or method to regulate them, is what we see people experience in life when they are handling their issues and navigating their existence during life (and effectively their impact on the environment and people who surround them).

And this is where we see one of two options undertaken;

The less aware allowing subjectivity decide for them what the primal response to act on in this dopamine urge takes (and examples of this are those who are trapped in a psychosis, or Stockholm Syndrome like typically experienced as a target of Narcissistic Abuse, or unresolved trauma related emotions etc);

or there are those who mindfully understand this effect and decisively use objective informed decision making to act on these dopamine urges for a 'calculated' and responsible approach in managing what is happening to them and thus creating a balancing act with the endorphin overload.

Naturally this is why we see so many lost subjective behavioural people revert to finding solace in illegal drugs, narcotics, alcohol, smoking and vaping, caught up in sex addictions, crime addiction, gambolling addictions, eating disorders even... but how many think about less toxic self abusing methods to manage this need to soften the impact that inevitable comes from the dopamine/endorphin rush? Something a little more self-loving?

Personally, I think not enough is said, but I'm also sure its because its not understood enough in general society human relationships yet. Though many of us I'm sure have witnessed the heartache of a loved one becoming trapped in their own subjective mood cycles.

There are many positive ways in the world to manage this, and so for me, as an artist by lifeblood, but by the lived experience I've had to date, infusing cognitivity into positive creativity (conscious colouring-in) was a natural step for me, and a concept I have shared openly with people for decades because it does achieve the latter; offers objective choice in responsible self management of the endorphin and dopamine cycles that do occur, thus being a safer and more empowered way to live.

So with all of this in mind, emotional regulation is something that can benefit from consistent conscious colouring-in, as a reliable method to stabilise the roundabout of endorphin and dopamine cycles that can sometimes spin out of control anytime a spanner is thrown in the works (such as a traumatic life event, or break down in stress resilience).

Traditional 'Art Therapy' is definitely a a step in the right direction, but for the holistic long term benefit, 'Conscious Colouring-In' is like taking a creative supplement in the overall health and wellness management of a cognitive and cognizant existence as it interplays with the anatomical physiology that is often disregarded when a person is in search of answers or options.

And through conscious colouring-in is where art therapy is now evolving from its traditional roots, to the more creative cognitive and cognizant existences of human life, it is growing in accordance to service applications with mental health professionals, celebrated by health and wellness outreach centres, and embraced in all demographics because it is such a natural human trait we all possess and can utilise - if we wanted to.

Now given that I have said all this, and it is a valid lived and working experience opinion that references some science, if you or anyone you know, is experiencing struggles in their moods, their emotional self, whilst conscious colouring-in helps over the long term to improve the living experience, please do not use it to replace any medical, psychological, psychiatric assistance needed to address mental health issues.

Conscious colouring-in is a holistic creative methodology, a supplementary aid that offers autonomy in health and wellness entertainment, NOT a cure or replacement for any and all authoritative medical care and health assistance one may need for underlying causes of moods and emotions.

Please seek assistance of a professional if you are struggling, it is always the first great step towards achieving beneficial results towards a meaningful life.

Take care friends, much love.