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PD Workshop: Arts in SD


Sat 19 Jun 2021, 9am - 12pm, Zoom (completed). Facilitator: Grace B. Yap-Kirk Organiser: WellSpring Contemplative Centre, Melbourne.

$40 (full), $33.25 (member/concession)


A new year review. I started facilitation of the session with curiosity: why do participants come and what do they want out of the 3-hour session? Responses varied. No problem; I knew the modalities would work out based on participants' intentions. Stepping into the unknown in a (virtual) holding space, one could never expect to know what will happen next, but to trust the unfolding process.


The theme "Therapeutic Arts Exploration in Spiritual Direction on Zoom: (Dance) Movement with Music & Art" has many discussable elements but experience was more important. My opening quick number brought vitality. That was a form of firsthand answer to a question on how to extend aged clientele. My experience with low/high dementia and bedridden residents shows me dance movement enhances wellbeing greatly. Even music-&-movement like singing together with simple hand movements is beneficial when an aged directee engages merrily with the spaceholder. If dance/movement becomes an experience of divine intimacy, I consider it a form of dance or body prayer. 'Dancing with the Divine' experiences happened to participants at times in my workshops. They usually come as a deep-felt consolation of gratitude, love, etc with tears.


I gave a short intro presentation before and after the workshop, to give some background understanding of this kind of work and to wrap up with some case studies. Participants explored about an hour of guided personal retreat with one's own free-flowing spontaneous movement to music, jotting down their findings and insights. Intuitive art journaling gave a second layer of non-verbal processing. Holding a mock-pilgrim in dyad pairs prove insightful, as they experienced 'listening' to pilgrim's movement narrative in the virtual Zoom square and comparing 'interpretations' afterwards.


I hope the experience of using arts in spiritual direction can serve as alternative choices for willing pilgrims who are talk-exhausted or has inexpressible content. Directors need not be artistic 'experts' but be confident in holding different kind of 'languages,' through their own experience of having used arts in the holding space.


On the whole, the professional development session was enjoyable. However, there were some glitches experienced by a participant, where instructions were temporarily lost in signal frozenness. Techno imperfection was something I have learnt to compromise, in favour of using whatever I have, to do whatever best I can.


By blogging briefly about this event, I hope readers can still glimpse something helpful, even without experiencing the work.

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