Exploring Energetic Perceptions with Art Therapy Research

As part of my Masters in Art Therapy Research, I’ve been inquiring into my felt sense of energy around me. Specifically, I’m deep diving into how I perceive energy beyond my physical body and the challenge to articulate and build agency over my energetic interactions with others - both human and non-human.

Image 1 - Me in the centre, surrounded by energetic perceptions

The process of inquiring and researching via art-making, feels like a safe container to lean into making discoveries and forming depictions of the energetic felt sense around me - the meeting point where my energy ends and another’s begins - and discerning the difference.

This has brought up topics of exploration around boundaries, slowing down to notice my perceptions, as well as discovering that I sense safety and boundlessness within nature and with art materials.

Image 2 - Sovereignty, intuition and groundedness, interconnected with nature and a safe, rooted base

So far, my arts-based inquiries have involved a wide range of mediums, including video, lego, clay forms, cardboard and twine, drawing, painting and natural forms.

I choose artistic mediums that feel like an energetic ‘match’ to the feeling or discoveries I’m inquiring into, almost like the materials themselves become an analogy for feeling/perception.

For example, I’ve used lego, clay or cardboard ‘vessels’ to depict my body, lego dots to depict a sense of vibrating atoms of energetic becoming around me, and various mediums such as wire, paper mache, bark and transparent plastic to depict my boundaries.

Image 3 - Building strong relational boundaries with wire

After meeting with my uni supervisor (I’m studying at MIECAT Institute), I was able to reflectively define that what I’m really interested in, is not only ways I perceive energy via my unique body in connection with the world around me, but also HOW I can strengthen my own energy, so I’m less impacted by the energies/lives/people I come in contact with.

In short, I understand that some spaces are safe for me to be wide open and vulnerable in - this feels like my natural state. However, life has taught me that there are some spaces where I need to protect/shield my porous energetic boundary, so that I’m not overwhelmed by the energetic impact.

Image 4 - Merging Energies (left), Weaving into Being (right)

It is my hope to map these experiences and perceptions, in relation to my experience as a neurodivergent (ND) woman, so that my findings may bring rise to lived resonance and more research in the areas of energetic perception, boundaries and empathy in the experiences of other ND people.

If you also ND and perceive energy beyond your body as part of your everyday lived experience, feel free to drop me a line and share your story with me here.