about the work
The expressive arts therapeutic process is not new to our communities. Artistic expressions such as movement, painting, singing, music, poetry, rituals and more have been present in our lives for centuries to make sense of the world around us, to grieve, to celebrate, and express what our bodies are feeling.
Starting in the body, we connect to the present moment, then we continue to movement—movement that is natural and spontaneous—and transition to the creation of tangible art (visual, sculpture, music, writing, etc.), and then arrive to reflection, our own personal reflection and communal reflection, and then the cycle starts again whenever is needed.
We experience our everyday lives through our senses, our nervous systems, and our bodies, and the arts give us a way for expression and connection with ourselves and others. During this creative process we can find regulation and balance in our systems—physical body, emotions, thoughts, and spirit—and discover resources that allow us to transform our responses and observations to the fragmentation that trauma stressors have created in our lives. We build tools for our own dignity, belonging, and wholeness.
The expressive arts therapeutic work is rooted in the collective wisdom and work of past and present Black, and Indigenous communities from around the world, where the practice does not only fall on the individual responsibility for self-care and healing, but on the collective accountability and revival. I believe this healing creative process can support us all in working towards addressing difficult systematic challenges in our societies, in the struggles of internal family dynamics, and our own self-care.
It is my personal commitment as facilitator and witness in this therapeutic process to work with individuals , families, and groups to build reconnection to ourselves and each other, as well as the environments we live in, in order to end harmful patterns and practices, both internally and in the social structures around us, and find alternative perspectives of how to live our lives.