September 2, 2018 at 7:52 p.m.
Elizabeth Lewis: Nurturing inner and outer peace
School of the Arts instructor describes brain advancement through art
Elizabeth Lewis: Nurturing inner and outer peace
"Resilience can be defined as the 'capacity to prepare for, recover from and adapt in the face of stress and adversity," Lewis said. "Everything that I do can fall under the umbrella of teaching people resilience and resiliency skills."
How Lewis became involved with teaching resilience skills came from her own need to overcome and adapt. After finishing college with a degree in Creative Writing, Lewis was involved in a severe car accident, which left her temporarily paralyzed, with short term memory loss and suffering from other cognitive deficits. This brain trauma forced her to have to learn how to walk, talk, read and write again - a three- year recovery process.
"It took me close to ten years to be able to walk well again and to speak in a way that people could understand me. During that time, one of the modalities I used for healing was not writing, but visual arts," she said. "In 2002, I had my art shown in a museum in Iowa, I was asked to be the keynote speaker at the Healing Power of Arts - and the audience was crying. The curator of the museum started encouraging me to be a motivational speaker after that and began putting my name out there."
This is how Lewis began the career that she is now fully committed to. This led to a certification in stress management, and many others that carry the goal of being able to support people in their ability to cope with loss, major injury or other mentally strenuous occurrences.
As per suggestion of several individuals, Lewis has now been teaching through the School of the Arts program for the last eight years. In addition, Lewis has been conducting regular workshops locally and throughout the state of Wisconsin since 2009, and since 2012, has expanded her instruction across the United States.
"I love the science behind what I do," Lewis said when asked specifically about the relationship between the brain and the arts. "Today, we know that the left side of the brain is more linear, whereas the right side is more creative - but we are now referring to the right side as "imagistic". All it wants to do or know is 'should I go towards that, or away from that?' This side of the brain is non-judgemental and it is incapable of fear. When we are ready to explore something, our imagistic brain allow us to decide if we want to move closer or further away."
When one is engaged in art or in writing, that part of the brain can help an individual release trauma or explore trauma in a safe way. That interaction with the left side, or linear side of the brain allows one to reach the revelations or "ah-ha!" moments, which Lewis hopes to facilitate with her clients or students.
"It's far more than just being creative - there are parts of our brain that lead us towards healing," she said.
Lewis has a rewarding job in which she gets to observe the progress of her clients on a regular basis. It is one of the many gifts that her career has given her.
"In my field, it's so awesome that someone, even if it's five years later, will send me an email and say that they took my workshop and it has made a positive impact on their lives," she said.
The brain now is given more attention than ever - whether it be advancements in Alzheimer's research or through better understanding the way concussions and Traumatic Brain Injuries can affect life in the future. Lewis sees this added attention as a positive for her and field she works in. She hopes the scientific advancement will continue and the momentum will be sustained.
"A lot of what we know about the brain is because it has been fully mapped within the last 10 years, or so. That has had a profound impact on the way we view stress, the way we view resilience or the way we can or cannot recover from trauma," Lewis said. "It's shaping the way we understand the mind, as well as the interplay behind emotions. It's opening doors for how the spirit is connected to the mind. It has had so much to do with the scientific research that has allowed the brain to be mapped."
This has extended to the effectiveness of medications and how they will react to different parts of our brain.
"It's amazing what mapping the brain has opened us up to as a society and as a world," she said.
Although this Lewis is veteran of School of the Arts, this will be her first visit to the area as part of ArtStart. An overwhelmingly positive response to her workshops has encouraged her to return to the Northwoods. The two workshops she will be presenting at this year's upcoming School of the Arts will be There is No Such Thing as Writer's Block and Writing to Heal the Soul.
There is No Such Thing as Writer's Block provides a multitude of writing techniques that allow one to access a deeper part of one's creativity. When one feels the resistance to writing, Lewis provides tools that eliminate that performance anxiety.
"We'll be doing some breath techniques, we'll be doing some meditation techniques, we'll be doing some writing exercises that allow you to connect better with your work. All of which can be applied to the visual arts, as well," she said.
Writing to Heal the Soul analyzes loss and our human response to it.
"We have lost. How we recover from that loss has a lot to do with acknowledging and honoring that loss. Whether it be the lost of a loved one or the loss of a job. We don't have to suffer through loss. Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional," she said.
Writing to Heal the Soul uses the written word as a tool to explore pain and loss so it can be moved through and prevent someone from becoming "stuck" following an emotionally traumatic event.
Lewis said she is able to use the techniques that she teaches to her clients, students and attendees of her workshops in her own personal life. Her own path towards recovery has been a long, arduous journey and she hopes that her own experiences can connect to those who are dealing with similar struggles.
More information about Lewis's workshops can be found at www.elizabeth-lewis-coach.com.
ArtStart's School Of The Arts Legacy Program will be held Sept. 27-30 at Treehaven, ArtStart, and the Rhinelander District Library. Participants can register online at artstartrhinelander.org.
(Article submitted by ArtStart of Rhinelander)
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