Talking to the angst inside

We all tend to lose our cool at some point, some more frequently than others. From time to time, we fall into episodes of depression, feeling de-motivated and sometimes even unable to get out of bed. But what if these emotions have a tangible form, and you can really talk it out with some help? These two Bengalureans have been addressing this need with their new concept.

Last month, Archana Shyam and Seema Naik, two mental health counsellors floated a new concept Conversations with Emotions through their venture WaheNadhi wherein they conduct three hour workshops  that enable people to express emotions through art and activities like sketching and clay modelling. As the name signifies, WaheNadhi or the flowing river identifies with the human body and mind. These classmates turned business partners who met at a course in counselling decided to start this venture to help people overcome emotional instabilities and obstacles just like how the river flows towards the ocean, cutting through rocks.

“When we found our niches and passions were similar, we started to focus on doing something related to positive psychology, mainly about mindfulness and changing mindset. We realised people wanted short programmes to address emotional challenges. Through our workshops, we facilitate connection, re-framing and expansion of individual and organisational mindsets so that they can thrive and reach their best potential,” says Seema, a certified psychodramatist. Seema loves being on the treadmill as she feels that she finds her most creative ideas stemming from that space.

You must have heard people call you ‘angry’ or ‘sluggish’ but most often, we fail to identify the reason behind the emotion by which we are defined. These metal health counsellors took a plunge into showing you what emotions look like and how you can actually communicate with them.

“Through different activities like sketching, we get the participants in touch with the root cause of their emotion to make the challenge/difficulty work for them instead of against them. We help people seed a little more thought about their own actions, and patterns in their communication,” says Archana Shyam, who finds solace in oceans and mountains, and loves connecting with nature.
Though the number keeps changing, they have six to seven clients at their sessions on a weekly basis.

When not helping those in needs, both Seema and Archana loves dancing and you might even catch them doing a little jig while amid workshops. They are planning to conduct two workshops in Bengaluru in January to help more people converse with their emotions.