MARK GEARD
MAAT. Clinical (First Class Honours). MDes. (Distinction)
MEDITATION & ART THERAPY
The mind
Needs to flow
Like a mountain spring
Moving, pure with vital life
Translucent, light-filled
The ocean
Seeking
Meditation
Ai technologies while highly useful in terms of efficiency and production threaten to undermine the very
fabric of what it means to be human within the expression of our thinking, feeling, and deeds. We are
also challenged to discern reality and fact, when so much untruth threatens to undermine trust in others and trust in our own ability to make sense of the world. Brutality and corruption are widespread which leaves many feeling helpless and disempowered.
My belief is that meditation can strengthen the spiritual core of our being and provide equilibrium within a chaotic world. It helps embed in the depths of the heart, empathy, compassion and love for others, and can engender a light that seeks to be of service to the world.
I have meditated for many years combining this practice with arts therapy working with prison inmates
and those who have suffered mental illness and sexual abuse. Meditation, colour, and creativity are a
powerfully transformative combination which can serve as awakening healing agents within the soul.
Arts Therapy
An arts therapy session may employ any of a number of modalities such as drawing, painting, writing, sculpture, movement, visualizations and meditation, depending on the needs of the client. It is important to note, however, that one does not need any artistic skill or experience to benefit from these sessions. Complicated and confusing emotions, often so hard to express in thoughts and words, can be made conscious and illuminated through creative artistic approaches. Fears, stresses and anxieties, so prevalent in today’s world, can be successfully ameliorated through carefully guided creative processes. I am interested in transformative pathways in healing and self-awareness, and the source of a client’s desire and will to implement change.
CONTACT:
021 898592
COST:
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$120 per session
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(Payment options for those with financial hardship)
LOCATION:
Toi Pōneke Arts Centre, Studio 24, Second Floor, 61-69 Able Smith Street, Wellington
About myself and my work
My therapy studio is in Wellington where I see a range of clients from teens through to those of more senior years. I have experience working with youth at risk and clients suffering from stress, anxiety, low self-esteem, depression, marital issues, and mental trauma. I also have had considerable experience running one-on-one art therapy sessions, and a mindfulness and wellbeing programme for inmates at Te Whare Manaakitanga, therapy unit at Rimutaka Prison. I am an Arts Therapy Supervisor and I have run workshops for students of Arts Therapy for a number of years at Whitecliffe College of Arts and Design.
I have a strong interest in colour as an aid to healing, and also as a pathway into meditation. These form an ongoing area of research for me. I am a member of an international meditation initiative and co-founder of Alamandria: The Art of Self-Mastery, Mindfulness and Meditation, facilitating retreats and workshops throughout Aotearoa New Zealand, for individuals, groups and the workplace. Alamandria is an initiative for healing, wellbeing and personal development. I am a practicing meditant of many years and an experienced Tai Chi Wu style practitioner. I am also a painter, poet and writer, and have my therapy practice at Toi Poneke Arts Centre in Wellington City.
I have great respect for the biographical path each person forges in life, often under the weight of great personal hardship and suffering, and have often witnessed phenomenal endurance, transformation and transcendence through such adversities. My clients are so often my teacher, and it is a privilege to accompany them on their path of recovery and self-knowledge.
To book a session or ask for further information, contact Mark Geard on markngeard@gmail.com