Tags: colouring books for healing and relaxation

I was invited by Naomi Reschke to present at the Zonta District 23 Combined Advocacy meeting over this long weekend. Zonta is dynamic, international women’s service organisation that was founded in 1919 and according to Wikipedia: The organisation's name derives from the Lakota zónta meaning "honest" or "trustworthy"(source Wikipedia)

It was a great privilege to share some of the stories from behind the doors of domestic violence shelters where women with enormous courage and resilience are supported on their journey of change in what I think of as the Women’s Village.

I began my presentation by sharing a poem I wrote called The Dream She Has and the Nightmare She is Living (see below) followed by some of the creative tools and programs that we offer to women who arrive at the point of crisis and are deeply traumatised and facing an uncertain future.

The following are some of the key points summarised here for the Zonta members who expressed interest in the Big Girls on the Move- 20 boxes of coloring books in 20 shelters campaign.https://www.gofundme.com/big-girls-on-the-move

The Mandala colouring page accompanied my presentation and some of the Zonta women experienced how members of the Colouring and Conversation Circles in domestic violence shelters enjoy the colouring"MedARTation" of colouring as they listen and share in the stories of domestic violence and walking the courageous journey of recovery.

• When women and children arrive at a domestic violence shelter there is an important adjustment period of settling into the safe and secure environment. Although there are issues that will need to be addressed immediately such as income support, medical appointments, police reports and children’s schooling, the immediate concerns are for safety and security. It is a very stressful time and as one woman said: I am finding it really hard to think clearly.
• Simple, stress free activities such as colouring a Mandala are a relaxing way to soothe the mind, relax the breathing and create something colourful and beautiful in the midst of an unpleasant experience.
• The feedback from participants of Colouring and Conversation Circles highlight that when the hands are free to create and colour as information is being delivered or women are sharing their stories, there is a level of engagement that is very different than the sitting still, eyes to the front process of information sharing.
• Colouring and conversation circles create a peaceful, reflective space where new friendships are formed and the MedARTative process enables a deeper connection to the inner self at a time when doubt and uncertainty can have a damaging impact on self esteem and self worth.

The Dream She has and the Nightmare She is Living

Today a woman, somewhere woke up and said I can't do this anymore

She has been living in domestic violence with a controlling partner for too long

and today something was different

She couldn't put a name to it but she saw him through different eyes.

She began to think new thoughts, or listen to some

that have been trying to break through her denial

and her hope that "he will change"

Today she began the first step in leaving.

She won't leave immediately and she has a very long road ahead of her.

She will be both inspired and terrified, resolved and doubtful.

In a few weeks or months time

we will meet her and her children in a domestic violence shelter.

That place of refuge and support won't be the end of her journey of Leaving,

it will continue to be a long and complicated road for quite some time.

There will be housing issues, court cases,

perhaps hospital appointments and school meetings.

She will have to tell her story to strangers who are counsellors,

strangers who work in government departments

and strangers who work at the shelter.

She will be raw and vulnerable, exposed and feeling powerless and uncertain.

She may think of going home,

back to him and the life she wanted to have but will never be because the

dream she has will never be compatible with the nightmare she has been living.

Sometimes imagining an ideal, a better future with an unsuitable man

can be easier than dealing with the process of leaving.

Or so it seems.

It's easy to forget how terrified you were when the unknown future is so terrifying.

She will be anxious for her pets she had to leave behind and all of her personal things

like photos and precious letters might be destroyed because she left.

We don't know who she is - or perhaps we do

and we don't know when she will leave -or perhaps she did, today.

but what we can do is offer her our thoughts of encouragement,

strength, healing and empowerment

and in doing so we make a difference by contributing positive energy

and support

at a time when she feels her world has begun to change like never before...

It takes a Village.

Carol Omer

Dedicated to Janet 16th September 1959 -8th September 2001

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Have you ever wondered why colouring books for women are so popular right across the world and how they are making a difference in domestic violence shelters?

Have you noticed how many articles and news segments, Facebook posts and blogs have appeared in the last couple of year about the phenomenal rise in colouring books for adults? They are even in supermarkets alongside of the magazines and newspapers!

I am thrilled that the best kept secret in women's personal development is now reaching audiences far and wide!

I call it a medARTation because the hands and creative imagination are involved in the relaxing, meditative process.

I have been creating mandala colouring pages for women for over 20 years and have seen the tremendously positive impact of colouring first hand!

In domestic violence shelters and prisons I meet many women who have told me that colouring a mandala is one of the best ways to relax because they experience a sense of being “in the moment” during the colouring process.

This inner connection often opens up old doorways to talents and interests that have long been forgotten.

Tags: colouring, colouring books for healing and relaxation, healing, relaxation