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Mandalive®: mandala art therapy for working with emotions and behaviors

By Lubica Hamarova

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    Part wellness book, part peaceful colouring book, part self-care journal, this giant book does it all.

    Synopsis

    Mandalive®: mandala art therapy for working with emotions and behaviors enables work with both positive and negative parts of personality to access mental energy, creativity and new possibilities. It consists of more than 80 mandala templates that represent emotions, qualities and behaviors, both positive and negative. They are arranged in pairs; for example: happiness/sadness, success/failure, courage/fear. By coloring the mandalas, you'll learn to express emotions in a healthy way and gain access to mental energy and new possibilities that have – up until now – remained dormant in your unconscious mind. This innovative approach to inner work, self-exploration, and healing helps you gain balance, energy, clarity, and confidence to live a more authentic and fulfilled life.

    Wow, this was so much more than I was expecting. This book combines an understanding of emotions paired with ‘emotive mandalas’ and journal prompts. I am a Spiritual Counselor/healer and this was right up my alley, but I immediately thought that the author should create a version that allows for photocopying rights for use with clients/therapy clients, etc. 


    The book is divided as follows: an introduction by clinical psychologist Dr. Hamarova with spiritual insight, reflective ideas, a brief discussion about emotions, and about using mandalas as a healing tool. Dr. Hamarova came to the understanding of using these as a tool for emotions through a dream, and as a person who receives a lot of spiritual direction through dreams, this honest and vulnerable sharing to start the book was very much appreciated. This book also has a corresponding app that allows you to access constantly updated mandalas. 


    Dr. Hamarova writes, “All that we don’t want to have in our lives, all that we try to erase or ignore, doesn’t just disappear. It “hides” in the unconscious mind. And these unwanted negative qualities, emotions, and behaviors are called the “shadow.”” - Mandalive is seen as a tool to release these shadows and negative qualities. She believes it’s important to reflect upon and work with both negative and positive emotions and so each mandala in this book has a pair (happy/sad, success/failure, etc).


    But it’s not just a mandala that you’re colouring in this workbook, you are also working through valuable and insightful questions that really tap into your spiritual psyche and have you reflect deeply on what your feeling. Each mandala also has an intention which is such an important addition to each one.


    The only negatives I would say is that the same questions exist with each mandala and it can get repetitive. While I think the questions are important ones to ask, it can get boring if you’re not really “in the zone” for it. In addition, the mandalas were drawn by a friend of hers who is a Zen master so I may not know what I’m talking about here, but some were really unimpressive; all the mandalas looked like something I could have created through the Photoshop ‘Mirror’ option. Then again, if I’m feeling grief, I’m certainly not in the mood to colour something too complex and overwhelming. What I can say is that every shape seemed to ‘fit’ with the emotion; looking at it, you could guess the emotion it represented.


    I wish I had this book when I was teaching Gifted teenagers, as I’m sure it would have been a valuable tool for managing many of their overwhelming emotions. 



    Reviewed by

    A Canadian in France, a bibliophile, logophile, and Francophile. She lives driven by joy and filling her life with passion. When she’s not reading, creative journaling, or writing, she’s lending her clairaudient mediumship abilities to others through her spiritual business Seeking Celestial Grace©

    Synopsis

    Mandalive®: mandala art therapy for working with emotions and behaviors enables work with both positive and negative parts of personality to access mental energy, creativity and new possibilities. It consists of more than 80 mandala templates that represent emotions, qualities and behaviors, both positive and negative. They are arranged in pairs; for example: happiness/sadness, success/failure, courage/fear. By coloring the mandalas, you'll learn to express emotions in a healthy way and gain access to mental energy and new possibilities that have – up until now – remained dormant in your unconscious mind. This innovative approach to inner work, self-exploration, and healing helps you gain balance, energy, clarity, and confidence to live a more authentic and fulfilled life.

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    About the author

    Dr. Lubica Hamarova is a clinical psychologist, shadow work expert, coach, trainer, Zen monk, and pioneer in applying C.G. Jung’s theories outside psychotherapy. She has been guiding people to change their lives, reach goals, and better connect with their inner self for more than 35 years. view profile

    Published on November 19, 2020

    Published by

    10000 words

    Genre:Self-Help & Self-Improvement

    Reviewed by