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My rose bush had several fully bloomed roses, three buds, and three withering roses whose petals were falling to the ground. There were numerous leaves and a few thorns as well as a horizontal line representing the ground and an abundance of roots running deep. I also drew a little lady bug walking towards the rose bush. The significance of my drawing In respect to my current state of mind and emotions were remarkably precise. The fully bloomed roses resembled my positive feelings towards my current situations.
The budding roses represented the “new* and the growth and optimism I feel for my future, my popes and expectations of things improving in my life and future gains. I have had a very emotionally draining year and my feelings of loss and need to let go of my father’s unexpected passing and other significant members in my life, can be interpreted in the withering roses. In further interpretation of the withering roses, the petals that are falling to the ground could be a representation of my feelings of “letting go” and loss.
Considering buds symbolism life and the “new”, and withering roses symbolism death and the “old”: the amount of buds in comparison to the mount of withering roses can be interpreted as me feeling a level equilibrium in my life as there is a new life for each loss of life. Something gained for something lost. This is exactly how I do feel and what I continuously remind myself, that for everything there is a reason and with every loss in life, God will provide an opportunity for something to be gained.
My approachable and comforting nature can be represented by the abundance of leaves on the rose bush. This may also be interpreted as my need to protect myself from others. Another symbol of my need for protection is the presence of thorns. I have been deeply hurt and misused In my life and constantly feel the need to protect myself from others due to the vulnerability I experience when others get “too close”. The ground and abundance of deep roots may be Interpreted as me feeling that am nurtured, supported, comforted and established a feeling of balance In my life.
The lady bug Is a symbolism of my pertinently and perhaps my feelings of closeness to nature. However this may represent a feeling of being threatened as If the Insect were coming to eat the rose bush. On reflection of the actively, I have noted that my pugnacious perception of my current life Is perhaps not as distraught as I had previously presumed. This Is represented by several significant features symbolism experiencing have more of a greater effect on my current state of mind than I had realized.
It was also revealed that I have not yet completely dealt with some of the suffering and hurt that I have experienced and am experiencing. It made me aware of and appreciates the support I have around me. My subconscious need to “protect” myself from others may be due to feelings of vulnerability that may need to be valuated and “dealt with”. This exercise was intriguingly revealing and a fascinating technique to establish one’s state of mind and emotions.
It is imperative that clinicians have a good understanding of their own emotions and state of mind as well as that of their clients in order for effective communication and interaction to take place. Therefore this method may be useful in my practice as a speech therapist to establish my own emotional state and that of my future clients. It should be noted that with each day and each new phase of one’s life, the drawing and what it resembles may change.