How come photos can help me with my emotionally intense kids?

Well, yes. There’s an entire field of studies on the topic, although pretty small I must say 😅 there’s a training  in only one university in the world (in the UK) from what I know. 

But there’s many ways photos can be therapeutic, they can be in a very formal photo therapy session (like art therapy in some ways) but are also used for activisme as group programs in marginalized community (PhotoVoice being the main source of info in that field) and they can be used for therapeutical purposes by ourselves or in different, less formal ways like courses or programs.

It’s also a way to practice mindfulness (more on that in a second).

I integrate it in one or both of those last ways in some of my work (therapeutic photography and mindfulness photography) as I'm not a licensed therapist so I don't do Photo Therapy. 

Taking and looking at photos can help with self-esteem, sense of self, sense of belonging. I also add enhancing connection with others and that's where it becomes very important for our family where conflict is everywhere and connection can be challenging. 

I saw that in my own house, photography clients have share it with me and there’s even some studies that show that kids who see images of themselves in their house have a higher sense of belonging.

Mindfulness is a great way to regulate ourselves (more on that topic over here)

But is "being present in the moment" hard for you when there's so much intensity and so many things to take care of? It is for me too (and I’m a certified mindfulness teacher 🫣) unless I have a camera in my hands. Does that idea sound weird to you? I know it did to me when I realized I was using photography as a mindfulness tool

But I didn’t invent anything (I thought I did for a moment 😅), it’s a recognized used of photography, because when we take photos, we slow down and focus on what we want to photograph, without thinking of anything else most of the time. 

What I do differently from what most people using photography as mindfulness is what I photograph. You see, most mindful photography is done in nature walks, taking photos of, well, nature. Or by landscape and wildlife photographers who will stay hours in the same spot waiting for the right light and/or right action of an animal. Or doing macro photography (closeup of very small things like flowers for exemple, but it can be anything). I have no patience for those 😅and no time. So I apply mindfulness photography to my everyday intense life and do it by taking photos of my kids. Now I can hear you think: "How can that be mindful in any way? It’s a shit show around here, like all the time!"

Well, I take photos of the shit show 😅. And the magic is that it becomes way less of a shit show just by doing it. 

• Mess? It can look pretty when you use the right angle and light…or you just position yourself to not see it 😅
• Conflict? I personally never photograph the negative parts but might document the repair and connection that comes from solving conflicts, or pain.

Now, you likely think: "you have no idea, my kids will never pose for photo!" Well, mine either 😅 ok, they do it like once a year to humour me on Mother’s Day or my birthday. But other than that, I never ask them to pose or look at me for photos. That’s what mindfulness family photos are: I document what is. I document what’s in front of me, what they are doing, what interest them at any given moment. And by doing that my focus to what they are doing. It allows me to be present in the moment, give them undivided attention (think connection here) for a few moments and learn to understand them better. 3 for 1 (and more, as there’s also the impact of the photos once they are taken, like shared above). And all thing that are helping us to make things better with our intense kids. 

I dare you to try and use photos in a mindful way this week 😜. Oh, and if you want to dive deeper on the topic, check out my Enjoy the  Present  Moment - Through Photography guide, it’s all about.  

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