Kankinya Aged Care Facility
Art Therapy at Kankinya Aged Care Facility
 
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Mandalas-

 

Creating a mandala begins with drawing a circle.

 The word mandala translates from Sanskrit as “sacred circle”. These circular motives have long been used by Tibetan monks for meditation .

 

Any circle would give a blank page a meaning, it encloses in harmony even the most chaotic scribble. It organises empty space, and sets clear bounds for ‘in’ and ‘out’.

 

In addition, a circle suggests a centre point, and draws ones attention to it. Therefore, the creation of mandalas may help focusing ones concentration and produce a general relaxation of the body. The ability to concentrate or meditate bears in it some important healing properties (deeper breath, slower heartbeat, relaxed muscles etc.)

 

Eternal natural forces such as the sun and the moon are represented by circles. They are related to cycles of time, and convey the notion of universal order.

 

The renowned psychoanalyst Carl G. Jung believed that mandalas communicated inner experiences and were reflections of the self. He used mandalas as an expressive tool for self-healing and self-exploration.

 

At Kankinya nursing home, I try to incorporate mandalas in the art therapy sessions as an artistic tool for self-expression and an aid for concentration. Residents suffering from dementia may have a very short attention span. However painting mandalas has been keeping our art therapy group busy for 1-1.5 hrs. Mandalas can be drawn or painted in different levels of complexity. They can be very simple clear shapes providing frail residents with a sense of accomplishment, but they could also be painted in a more complex in-depth fashion and then invite the more capable resident to embark on self-exploration.

 

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