Perfectionism and the Story it Tells
Perfectionism casts a spell and has us time travel to the future where all all things and events are held in a rigid understanding of how things should or could be. I think of perfectionism often as we move to unfamiliar situations, this spell creates a belief that all things will be ordered and moved in a predictable fashion.
We are often held to high standards which maps the way toward perfectionism and keeps the present moment out of reach. Perfectionism designs our thoughts in a difficult pattern of shame, and separation from our intuition. Perfectionism drives out our intuition and self knowing, leaving depression, anxiety or a fawn response in it’s place.
Therapy helps untangle the perfectionist or fawn persona from our thinking. It’s helpful to take a deeper look at perfectionism and how it shapes our perceptions of the present moment. Symptoms of anxiety, depression, rigidity in thought and avoidance may be signals for change and a trailhead for a new way of seeing and responding.
Symptoms of depression or anxiety may be a trigger thats holds hurting energy from a different time. This energy holds emotions and protective ways of responding that makes it difficult to find peace and joy with ourselves and others. Linking the somatic to thought is a powerful tool to interrupt unconscious thinking that clouds our ability to engage our five senses.
The fawn response is a physiological reactive energy that responds to our environments request that we please others before connecting to ourselves. I believe that this is protective response is alerting us that the perfectionist persona is hurting our body. Expressive arts can help tell a different story that the mind/body can believe, sending the nervous system to a space of peace and rest and connect. Expressive arts engages the right hemisphere of the brain which helps us connect the senses to present moment which unlocking intuition and deeper self knowing.
Our storyteller often relies on the left hemisphere of our brain which uses words and language to make sense of the world. The left hemisphere is not aware of the bodies story and is unable to connect deeper knowledge of our social/emotional selves. Journaling helps this bi-lateral crossing from left to right hemisphere of the brain by putting the words and art to tell a new story. Art designs the world we want to see and wakes up our higher self and begins to breaks the spell of unconscious trauma responses.
Art is one tool that helps us connect to our observer in the present moment. Taking time to see the present moment with a breath and a new view helps us separate from the hurting energy of the perfectionist. We can practice noticing the present moment with each of the five senses and direct our words to reflect a more hopeful narrative that reflects the spirit of our higher self.