Painting emotions, a therapeutic method is born to slow down and reconnect

In 2007, Mònica saw her life change completely; she was diagnosed with an Arteriovenous Malformation (AVM) in the right side of her brain. The symptoms derived from this malformation are several but, she says, the ones that affect her most are seizures, paralysis on the left side of her body, and motor difficulties.

Since she started noticing the first symptoms, 13 years ago,has been in a wheelchair more than once, has had to learn to walk againand her life has never been the same. "My life has changed, but not in a negative sense, it's simply different. I've had to adapt to the demands my body places on me, but I've also rediscovered myself," says Mònica.

Little by little, she learned to live with this disease. Initially, she decided to do relaxing activities to curb the symptoms, such as yoga or reiki. Although this worked, relapses were frequent. It wasn't until she slowed down her pace of life that she noticed a substantial improvement in her daily life. "Until I stopped working for multinationals and reduced my stress level, I didn't notice a real improvement. At first, what I did was set aside one day a week for yoga or something similar, but I still had a stressful life and, although this helped me, it didn't quite work out. Now I go at the pace my body asks of me," she comments. Little by little, she has come to understand how this disease works, and has seen that the most important thing is to be at peace with oneself.

Until I stopped working for multinationals and reduced my stress level, I didn't notice a real improvement

Since she was little, she has always been interested in creative arts,her grandmother painted with watercolor and she followed her example. She studied design and worked in this sector until she decided to leave it to take care of herself. But her passion has always been watercolor. Now, more than a passion, it has becomea method that helps him alleviate the effects of the disease he suffers from"Watercolor is very powerful, because by working with water it is very good for letting emotions flow," says Mònica.

At first she painted for pleasure, for passion, but she saw that this activity helped her to free herself and to feel calmer and, consequently, the symptoms were reduced. Relapses, she says, are now much milder and are always accompanied by moments of more tension in daily life. With her knowledge of design and watercolor and her experience in dealing with the emotional part of the illness, she has created the Emotional Watercolor Method, in order to help all those people who want to learn to express their emotions and connect with themselves. "Now that I will launch the new Emotional Watercolor course I am more nervous and I do notice some symptoms, although they are mild," she points out.

In the sessions she offers, Mònica teaches to let emotions flow and to paint without any kind of limitation. As she herself explains, "watercolor is very good because by painting without following any pattern or previous drawing you can do what comes from within, this is very important and it is what I try to teach in the course, to let go and not to put any barriers on yourself."

Through this emotional watercolor course, Mònica wants to help all those who need to learn to externalize emotions. "Sometimes it is very difficult for us to express what we feel, all emotions are correct and we should not be afraid to externalize them, watercolor has helped me in this aspect and now I want to help more people. There are emotions, like fear, that are frowned upon, but all are normal and we cannot pretend they are not there," she comments.

She has been giving watercolor classes for some time, at her home for small groups or in larger spaces for larger groups. But it was not until now that she decided to officially launch the course. The experience she has gained and the good results she has noticed in the different students she has had have motivated her to take this step. "Until now I had never dared to officially launch a course, but many people wrote to me on social media asking for advice or help, and I saw that it was the right time to do it," she states.

Sometimes it's very hard for us to express what we feel, all emotions are correct and we don't have to be afraid to externalize them, watercolor has helped me with this and now I want to help more people.

The launch of the course this February has been moved forward a few days due to the large number of people seeking help. The social and economic crisis that accompaniesthe Covid pandemic is leaving serious psychological sequelae, and many people are looking for new ways to relax and try to feel betterIn this context, in recent months Mònica has received an enormous amount of messages and, finally, has decided that the best thing she could do was to launch the course as soon as possible.

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