Acting, emotion and personal growth

“Guest author Carmen Lynne writes :

“After spending the greater part of my life as an actress and performer, I became a therapist in early 2007.

“While I still do a little bit of acting when I have a chance, I now mainly spend my time helping other people to fulfill their creative ambitions or to just learn how to be happier.

“The interesting thing to me is how valuable my years as a performer have been in helping others with their issues.

“There were things I learned as a young actress years ago that have been incredibly helpful to me throughout my life, many of which I can pass on to my clients.

“For example, I had a wonderful voice teacher at drama school… One of the things she used to say was ‘use it, darling, use it’ whenever I was experiencing a strong emotion, particularly something uncomfortable.”

Continued in Acting, emotion and personal growth
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One of the aspects of acting that fascinates me is the psychological impact that performing as different personalities must have on the identity and emotional health of actors. They can “sample” even extreme situations and emotions in the relatively safe environs of a stage or movie set.

Emily Blunt had a stammer, since age 8. Her mother took her to relaxation classes, which did not do anything. She reached a turning point at 12, when a teacher cleverly asked her to play a character with a different voice and said, “I really believe in you”.

“Blunt ended up using a northern accent, and it did the trick, her stammer disappeared.” (imdb.com)