“The only thing you can really count on is change.”
-Cynthia Toussaint
Cynthia Toussaint: An Agent of Change
Cynthia Toussaint didn’t sign up to be an agent of change. She signed up to star in the TV series Fame. But life was about to take her in another direction.
I first spoke to Cynthia last year. This podcast, she’s talking about the power we all have to heal. And expressive therapy is a part of that process.
Expressive Therapies
Are you right brained or left brained?
Expressive therapies tap into your creative right brain to bring forth movement, emotion and clarity for holistic self expression that leads to healing. Music, dance, song, and art are some of the modalities that offer multi-sensory experiences. One need not have any artistic inclinations, just a right brain.
Why a right brain?
While expressive therapies can use both our left and right brain, but it’s our right brain that is non-linear and emotionally expressive.
Many of us are not good at pinpointing our emotions or where they come from. Feeling is often lost when there is abuse or extreme stress. And the reality is that everyone has had some sort of traumatic bump in the road that has left an impression on them.
How does one try to explain the power of expressive therapies? I have to admit it took me a long time to “grok” this concept. Here’s an example.
Think of a song that has meaning to you. It has meaning because it evokes emotion. What is that emotion? How does it make you feel? What events do you associate with that feeling?
When we get to the root of our emotions, healing can begin.
Have we lost our ties to dance and spirit?
Many societies have traditionally had rituals that combined expression and spirituality. In our fast paced world, such traditions are often lost. Expressive therapies help us find meaning in our own expressions to reclaim our emotional balance.
Cynthia has been on a healing journey for decades, and in expressive therapy she has found profound healing. Given her background as a singer, ballerina and performer, perhaps this is a natural outlet for her. But it can be an outlet for all of us to find the peace and freedom that we seek.
Bump In The Road:
Cynthia Toussaint
Want The Rest of the Story?
Cynthia Toussaint and Song
“People gasp when they hear that I was unable to speak for five years due to CRPS, because that’s an unthinkable symptom caused by an unimaginable disease…
When I couldn’t sing, I didn’t get to be Cynthia. Something fundamental, basic was stripped away from me. And with that went my expression and joy.”
-Cynthia Toussaint, ForGrace.org Blog Post
With her voice back, Cynthia recorded a CD, You can listen and download a copy here.
Cynthia’s new CD. A must listen!
And below, for Bump II members is the second half of the podcast where Cynthia and I continue to explore what creates health. It’s a terrific and far ranging discussion. Don’t miss it. Subscribe to Bump II for free. Use the code FREEMONTH to try it out and join Cynthia and me on the second part of the podcast.
Bump II subscribers can log in here to listen to the second half of the podcast.
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Cynthia and John at the beach
Cynthia Toussaint: Perspectives On The Journey
“I was a 21 year old ballerina singer and actor. A triple threat. I lived to perform.”
“I went through a lot of hell surviving all this, losing my identity as a performer and being told I was crazy by the doctors.”
“Transformation, especially with great illness, doesn’t come easily. These are such difficult lessons.”
“I found my way back to my greatest passions through my work.”
“What a reward to be able to use my strengths, the things I love to do my passions, to be able to help other people. I didn’t know that part of me before I got sick.”
“The victim mode seems such a natural place to go when you get really sick and lose a lot.”
“If you get into the expressive arts to express yourself and explore your feelings, you’re less likely to become a victim.”
“Flow. It’s like meditation. It’s work. You have to work at it. It’s a practice. It’s hard work, but it’s wonderful work.”
“So much of healing is mind over matter.”
“I always say follow your gut. There’s no wisdom like your gut.”
“The only thing you can really count on is change.”
“It’s so hard for people to accept change, yet that’s what’s normal.”
“Uncertainty is so exciting.”
“Without the surprises, where is the joy in life?”
“We have to take chances.”
“Where did fear go? Isn’t that interesting?”
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