Publisher's Synopsis
If you find yourself grappling with the process of healing, and progress seems slow, this book could be just what you need. It presents a detailed exploration of the seven pivotal steps needed for healing. It offers guidance on how to effectively engage with each step to enrich your path to recovery. It introduces the dual practices of arts therapy and mindfulness as powerful tools to deepen the comprehension of your unique healing journey and its inherent complexities.
Through deep breathing techniques, you will learn to cultivate tranquility, setting a foundation for mental and physical readiness. Then you will be given a series of art therapy activities designed to assist you with each step of healing. To conclude, this book provides a guided meditation for each step of the healing process, moving you forward in your recovery journey. Created for Mindful Arts Therapy Books by Susan Day, art therapist and author, this book is an essential resource for anyone seeking to take charge of the healing process and find solace and meaning in their recovery from trauma in a holistic and profound manner. TestimonialsSeven Steps to Healing Trauma with Mindful Arts Therapy by Susan Day is full of ideas for anyone possibly dealing with trauma. It doesn't purport to supplant any necessary professional care, but emphasizes how a holistic approach (including therapy, social support, self-care, guided meditation, breathing exercises, journaling, and creating art) could help someone in need. It touches on the scientific reasons why something as easy as the act of creating art (however rudimentary) could be helpful, e.g. using neuroplasticity for good, reducing cortisol (harmful in long run?), improving serotonin levels, releasing dopamine and endorphins, and even improving blood pressure. It mentions some things that would seem to be helpful, e.g. using art to visualize your emotions. The emotion cards/wheels/landscapes also seem promising. Sometimes we're not ready to put things into words, and that's probably a good time to explore these things through drawing, sculpting, painting, etc. Doing so can help us stumble upon useful realizations. The book teaches how mindfulness, art creation, journaling, breathing exercises, and guided meditation can help lead to emotional regulation, so it's worth a read. - F. Browns This book found me. It's not the sort of thing I'd normally read, but it came at a great time. I've taught college level fine arts classes over the past few years and have always been interested in the way that our artistic nature intersects with the nitty-gritty of life. After reading "Seven Steps to Healing With Mindful Art Therapy" I'm seeing that far from being just an impulse for art, difficult experiences can actually be healed by making art. The reality that most art is non-verbal, makes media like painting, sketching, sculpture, etc. excellent ways to communicate when words are hard to find. This book offers a short explanation of art therapy, followed by some practical steps to set up ones own art space. The rest of the book contains actual art projects that anyone can try, each tethered to one of the seven steps to healing. As someone who knew very little about this topic, I can recommend this book as beginner friendly, easy to read and informative. - Mary K
