DIY
How to Use Crochet As a Tool for Introspection
Crochet therapy is the new old thing in town
Crochet Therapy is real.
There are YouTube channels with thousands of subscribers, books, and probably things I haven’t discovered yet that teach but above all talk about all the advantages of crocheting.
Although crochet is often seen as “only” a hobby or a creative outlet and we normally think of our grandmas or ourselves when we were kids crocheting for fun, it can also serve as a powerful tool for introspection and self-discovery. This is because, through the rhythmic motion of looping yarn through hooks, there lies a unique opportunity to delve deeper into one’s thoughts, emotions, and innermost reflections.
Reconnecting with this old hobby has helped me explore its therapeutic benefits, and it can also help you if you also feel you need to reconnect with yourself.
The call
Last year, my then eight-year-old son kept looking for videos on how to learn to crochet. My sister had knitted a few things for him and my other son, and he had become very intrigued and eager to create his own toys.
Coincidentally, every day on the way to school, we pass by the doorstep of a crocheting and knitting place, so it was only a matter of time for both my son and I to join the gang.
Sam enrolled in July, and although Maica, the owner, kept inviting me in, too, I didn’t jump to accept the invitation straight away.
Despite all my excuses not to enroll, I was mentally already crocheting bags with my business logo and other items I could also sell online, due to the default button in my brain. Even my eleven-year-old self was shouting to come out and renew, this time with proper lessons, one of her favourite hobbies.
The synchronicity
I thought that, by August, my son would forget about crochet and that as soon as he went back to school he wouldn’t be interested in crochet anymore. But to my surprise, he was very much up for it. The problem was that crocheting is still an activity carried out by women, mainly in their late forties. Unlike in the summer when there were only a couple of people, in September the place was full of chatty busy ladies. This overwhelmed him, and that’s where I come into play.
The first day he froze and cried. Some of his thoughts had to do with the social pressure of what his classmates would say when passing by and seeing him there. He is very aware that being a crocheting boy could create some sort of ignorant and sexist comments around him. But, it would have been a shame for him to give up an activity he was curious about for those reasons, so I enrolled, too.
However, what came as a surprise was what this activity would do for me.
Recovering from trauma
I needed to acknowledge that my relationship with people had gone down the pan gradually, but I had not realized it. It was when I closed my language school during the pandemic that things started to come to the surface.
Although underdiagnosed, I know I was suffering from trauma related to years of working as a teacher of English as a second language. The signs were obvious: palpitations every time I got near the building where my school had been, trembling voice and shortage of air when meeting old students in the street, avoidance, and a few other things that happened at different times.
The job that I had fought for for so long, loved doing the most, and that was my only source of income, had become my worst nightmare and a financial handicap.
Finding a new business identity has been my main quest for the last four years now, and although I am getting through with a lot of external help, I still have some work to do on my own.
As my analyst confirmed, I was going through an existential crisis.
This is where crochet comes into place.
In this new circle of crochet classes, people didn’t know anything about me, and I didn’t know anything about them, which took away all the pressure of being in the spotlight as a teacher or business owner, and therefore not having to impress or sell to anybody became a sudden relief. Attending class, I can bond with my youngest son and socialize with others without having to be deeply involved with them.
As well as the social side of things, and as I mentioned before, crocheting is also helping me reconnect with my youngest self, something that came as a synchronicity while studying psychiatrist and analytical psychologist Carl G. Jung.
In his book Memories, Dreams and Reflections, he talks about the moment he took up a childhood game as an adult and how this moment was the beginning of “discovering” his “own myth.” He found out that playing his construction game again helped him “release a stream of fantasies” which he “later wrote down” and that became the beginning of a whole process that would last a lifetime.
How this observation connects with crochet is what I am going to talk about next.
Benefits of crochet under a Jungian lens
Analytical psychology emphasizes the exploration of the unconscious mind and the integration of different aspects of the Self. Creative and artistic productions are exercises that lead us to connect with parts of our unconscious in very subtle ways.
Here are some of the benefits that I have experienced since taking up crochet again that I hope can also help you:
- Crochet gives you access to symbols and images that can reflect your innermost thoughts, feelings, and desires, through the choice of patterns and colors that you make.
- Using symbols and archetypal motifs such as circles, spirals, and mandalas can have deep personal meaning and significance, reflecting different aspects of your psyche. While crocheting you also contemplate the symbols, and therefore you can gain insights into unconscious motivations, fears, and aspirations.
- You can integrate opposing forces within the psyche, something that we also see in Gothic literature which is my other huge passion. When you weave together different colors, textures, and patterns you are really creating a cohesive whole, which can help you explore and reconcile conflicting aspects of your personality, leading to greater self-awareness and psychological balance.
- You become more mindful as you focus, become patient, and pay attention to detail. The repetitive motions of crocheting can help you enter into some sort of meditative state. I have a colleague who even falls asleep while knitting. This is because we manage to quieten the chatter of our conscious mind and allow deeper thoughts and insights to emerge from the unconscious. This is a great facilitator of introspection and self-reflection, that can help you gain clarity and perspective on your inner world.
- When you are relaxed, you activate everything you need towards your individuation process. But most importantly, you reduce stress and manage symptoms of anxiety and depression unknowingly. Crochet can help you integrate unconscious elements into consciousness, which will lead you to greater wholeness and self-realization.
Final thoughts
Sometimes we don’t realize that the solution to our deeper problems lies within us, like in this case in an activity we’ve known from childhood.
The old hobbies that we resume, or familiar ones we decide to learn for the first time, often mean something at a deeper level.
Like me, my son also benefits from reconnecting with himself by forgetting a bit about the world outside, a world that still pretty much classifies people for the way they look and the activities they take up.
When we crochet, we can dive into our unconscious world, letting go of the daily worries, welcome any thoughts that may pop out of the blue, and leave all the pressures and responsibilities outside for a while.
The only thing you need to think of is your creation and how what you are creating makes you feel.
If you want to know more about what I do and how I help others transition into their journeys, visit my About page: