Is it possible to take care of ourselves by cooking? According to the principles of cooking therapy, yes! The kitchen, from a simple place where you cook and prepare meals for yourself and your family, turns into a temple for dialogue and debate. Psychotherapist Barbara Volpi explains this process, which combines psychotherapy with cooking.
Cooking therapy is divided into two parts: one that defines the path of awareness in cooking, which begins with the purchase and selection of products as a kind of process that sets the brain in motion. "Touching the vegetables you choose to buy, cleaning them and cutting them in the kitchen is a kind of therapeutic laboratory," says Volpi.
The second part delves into the role of kitchen therapy through psychodynamic aspects.
A typical case for example: the preparation of pizza by the whole family! An activity that allows the involvement of children and parents. In this recipe, the ones who enjoy the most are the children, as they are allowed to make the dough, touch it with their hands, give it the shape they want. "Children play with the dough, become more creative and give it a beautiful shape and then fill it with the ingredients they want. With this process, not only children, but also adults get used to the dimension of freedom, train patience, perfect the senses and manual skills," continues the therapist Volpi for "Corriere della Sera".
Meanwhile, a neuroscientist explains in his book "Cooking Therapy: the kitchen as a gym for the mind" that our brain is able to regenerate and heal itself during the cooking process.
"Chefs of luxury restaurants have a super mind, just like mountain climbers or basketball players. In the kitchen you need concentration and manual skills, so this is an optimal environment for mental and motor rehabilitation," says the author, Antonio Cerasa.
Besides all the individual benefits, cooking is a great way to bring people together.
Source: Elle
