Pamela Hayes : Art Therapist: This exercise is based on a Native American folktale: The Fight of Two Wolves Within You An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life: “A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy. ”It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One wolf is evil–he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.” He continued, “The other Wolf is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you–and inside every other person, too.” The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: “Which wolf will win?” The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.” They were encouraged to be creative and make their own painting based on this folktale. This gives an opportunity to learn to tolerate frustration without giving up, and to push through and finish what they started. The painting process also provides time to think about the folktale and decide which wolf they will feed. #twowolves #AA #arttherapy #anxiety #dontgiveup #NativeAmerican