The Student Wellness Center hosted its weekly “Mindful Mondays” event on Monday evening.
Facilitated by Dr. Sarah Strader-Garcia, a licensed professional clinical counselor and registered expressive art therapist, the event is for students to learn ways to lower stress levels and feel energized through guided meditation and expressive art, according to the San José State University event calendar.
Strader-Garcia attended the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology for her graduate program where the school encouraged a holistic approach to her practice.
“I love yoga, I love meditation and I just think it’s so powerful,” she said. “Why not incorporate that into helping someone with their thoughts?”
During “Mindful Mondays”, Strader-Garcia takes 10 minutes to teach students a short lesson about the importance of meditation and its purpose.
Following her short lesson, students practiced guided meditation with gentle music playing.
Guided meditation is when someone forms mental images through meditation by thinking of senses including smells and physical sensations in the body or visualizing places that help them relax with the assistance of a teacher or guide, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Strader-Garcia said she uses guided meditation as a way for students to connect creatively without overthinking.
“I do a guided meditation (so) we’re really in our bodies and not our minds,” Strader-Garcia said. “(It's) important to feel grounded like that and approach the creative process from an embodied state.”
After the guided meditation, students had the option to write or draw about the experience with materials provided by Strader-Garcia.
Once students were done with their creative expression, they reflected as a group on what the process was like for them.
Expressive art therapy is a multifaceted approach that uses different creative methods such as art, music, drama or dance as a way for people to achieve personal growth, according to Verywellmind.com.
“I think art is so healing and it’s such an amazing way to express yourself,” Strader-Garcia said.
Art therapy is a formal practice that was established in 1942 by British artist Adrian Hill where it was observed through tuberculosis patients whose drawing and painting practices provided them a sense of freedom that they lacked while bedridden, according to the Adelphi Psych Medicine Clinic.
Art therapy was also used in mental institutions through the work of British artist Edward Adamson. This further connected artistic expression with emotional release, according to the same website.
Strader-Garcia said that expressive art therapy uses the right side of your brain, which is the creative-side of the brain, so it can bring you into a deeper knowledge of yourself and give you a new perspective on daily struggles.
“I think for a lot of students it’s a great first step to know ‘Oh I’m a counselor and I’m not scary’,” said Strader-Garcia.
This event is considered a drop-in event, which allows students to come to the event whenever they like. Strader-Garcia said that she wants students to feel like they can express whatever they want with no pressure.
Strader-Garcia said she meditates every morning and in-between counseling sessions with students.
“It (meditating) helps me be more present with the person that’s in front of me,” Strader-Garcia said. “I think that’s so important because I think the biggest gift we can give people is our time.”
Design studies junior Azucena Nieto-Vera has been attending this event for two weeks and said that it has helped her get out of her dorm and become more comfortable in San José.
After learning about the event through an email, Nieto-Vera said she wanted to see what things she hadn’t tried on campus before.
“If I were to just walk to class I see buildings but they feel very closed off,” Nieto-Vera said. “But now, I know what it looks like in here and I know what is in here.”
Strader-Garcia said events like these can help with stress relief among students, in hopes that they walk away feeling calmer and rejuvenated.
“We’re (always) going from one place to another and it’s really important to slow down and we’re not taught that,” Strader-Garcia said.
Research has shown that eight in 10 college students experience frequent periods of stress and 61% of college students have sought counseling for anxiety, depression, academic performance, family issues and relationship problems, according to The American Institute of Stress.
After attending “Mindful Mondays”, Nieto-Vera said she was flooded with even more resources.
“Before this, I was too scared to come in,” Nieto-Vera said. “Now it’s like I don’t feel as burdened by the need to come in and use the resources they have.”
