Fake It Till You Make It – Why Are Acting And Theatre Effective In Spiritual Transformation
- Dec 6, 2022
- 5 min read
Written by: Natalia Jansen, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Ancient Greeks built theatres near hospitals because they believed that while the hospitals helped mend your physical body, theatre performances helped heal the soul. Comedy brought laughter and joy, which create a high vibration and positive state of mind. We now know that laughter is medicine, it boosts your immune system and even supports longevity. Tragedy offered an emotional catharsis. Watching the hero struggle, make the wrong decision, and pay the ultimate price is a powerful teaching moment for those viewing the story. One has an opportunity to empathize, reflect, and let go of suffering, struggle, or resentment in their own life before it would be too late for one. That is the power of theatre and storytelling. It mirrors to us real life with its infinite variables and possibilities and offers an opportunity to self-reflect, revise, and choose what we create for ourselves. In other words, it is not just an art form that brings stories to life, but a powerful tool that can be used for dramatic transformation in helping anyone become the best version of themselves and unlock their unlimited potential.
When an actor is cast in a role, they engage in the process of characterization. It’s a creative process that consists of two important phases, discovery and application. At first, the actor must analyze, study and understand the character. They investigate to get to know them. Often there are missing pieces that one can fill with creative imagination using the clues in the script and the knowledge of human behavior and psychology. The second phase is a translation of all this understanding into physical actions, gestures, and expressions that the audience can see in the actor’s performance as they embody the character they have come to know and understand. Spiritual transformation is like the characterization process, except the goal isn’t to study yourself as you are but imagine yourself as the successful, abundant, and empowered self you want to be. When you create a vision of a life you truly would love to live, the person living that life has certain characteristics, habits, feeling, and engages in certain specific behaviors. You must decide what they are and clearly state them in writing. Clarity is absolutely the key to any successful endeavor. You must know exactly what you want in order to have a clear plan of action on how to get it.
Until this point, you may have been the person who lived by default, shaped by your genes, parents, schooling, community, and experiences. We all come into this world as a blank page with unlimited possibilities and as we live and grow each day what we see, hear, learn, and experience shapes us into the person we are now. But our past does not determine our future. It’s not all we can be, it’s simply a version we have become up until now. There are some amazing things about you that you love, and your family and friends cherish and appreciate, but there is also this other impulse, one that’s whispering in your mind and longs for more. There are things and results in this story that you want to change. You want more, be more, create more and you can. The person living the life you want is a different version of you living a different story. That’s the character you are creating in the life lived by design. Once your desired future self is clearly defined and you have the character you want to become, you begin practicing being this person right here and now. You simply “fake it, till you make it”, as the saying goes. What I mean by “fake it” is that you don’t wait for the circumstances in your life to change, before you can be the successful person in your vision of the future. You must be that person here and now, as best you can. In other words, you pretend being that future self as often and as best as you are able to in the present. If your future self is someone confident, you practice being a confident person as often and in any situation you find yourself in throughout the day. What does a confident person look like when they walk? What does a confident person say to someone they engage in a conversation with? How does a confident person sound?
What thoughts does a confident person entertain? Wherever you are, be it in a grocery store,at the post office, in your kitchen, practice being the person you want to become. As often as you can, remind yourself who it is you want to be and take it on. It will feel awkward at first and you won’t do it perfectly, and that’s ok. The key is to notice when you are being doubtful, shy, or unsure and pause at that moment. Remind yourself who it is you want to be, and then simply be it. That is the key to transformation. It can only happen in the present moment when you are aware of the thing you want to transform. It’s about noticing, pausing, and making a different choice at that moment and then doing it, again and again, enough times until the new response becomes automatic and natural. You are transformed. The speed of one’s transformation is directly proportionate to the level of self-awareness, which can be slow and time-consuming on our own. It takes practice to recognize our own patterns and habits, but it can be easy, exponentially faster, and more effective with the right mentor and support. I love helping clients create a clear vision
of their future self and like an acting coach, I hold a safe space for them and guide them through their dramatic transformation. To learn more about how to unlock your potential visit my website.
Personal transformation requires a committed decision and both the right and the left brain approach. Art and creativity are just as important as the science behind these concepts.
Imagining and visioning is the art and the practice of becoming the match for that vision is the science. Create a picture of who you want to become and embody that imagined person as often and as thoroughly as possible until you become them.
Natalia Jansen, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Natalia combines her rigorous certification training with Brave Thinking Institute by Mary Morrissey, her 20 years of experience as an educator and theatre artist with her passion for personal development and spiritual transformation to her mission to teach women ‒ especially single moms ‒ to embrace their spiritual nature, re-ignite their dreams, take charge of their life, and design the life they truly love living.
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