Mirroring Self, Mirroring Soul

Abstract

In this depth psychological, heuristic study, the author explores her sense of heightened personal perception as it is revealed through the powerful conduit of drawn facial expressions that link imaginal ways of knowing to outer ways of understanding the conscious world. Employing a/r/tography as a form of inquiry, the researcher draws upon her profound interaction with facial reflection as seen through her facial drawings and as experienced through enhancement techniques of archetypal writing, active imagination, and collage. The research is augmented by attention to somatic sensation, authentic movement, and poetry. Through a step-by-step process of engagement, the author explores the dynamic process of creating potent and compelling camaraderie with figures from the imaginal realm as they emerge from drawings of the reflected face. She identifies the impact the relationships have on her sense of personal awareness and sense of self. The findings are supported by the research: Facial reflection that is turned into the drawn facial image leads to an insightful exploration of unconscious processes and knowledge. The researcher concludes that facial images resulting from the drawn face in the mirror are conduits to profound internal awareness. Through the research, an increased sensibility and relationship with psyche is revealed as multiple channels of investigation enhance unconscious ways of knowing that are vitalized as they enter into conscious awareness.