Visual Journaling: When Words Are Not Enough One of the greatest misconceptions about expressive arts therapy, art therapy, and even visual journaling is that the goal is to create something meaningful and/or beautiful. The goal is simply to express yourself through art. Visual journaling is one expressive arts therapy practice that invites us to express our inner experiences through images when words alone are not enough. When we are overwhelmed, confused, grieving, anxious, or struggling to...

If thinking isn't always enough to create change, what do we do instead? One possibility is learning to follow the creative process rather than trying to control it. Many of us begin creating with a plan in mind. We decide ahead of time what our visual journal entry will look like. We think about it, sketch it out in our minds, and get caught up in the details. We become hyper-focused on the imagined outcome, with tunnel vision that pulls us away from the creative experience itself. When this...

Have you ever found yourself replaying the same situation over and over in your mind? You analyze what happened. You consider different perspectives. You understand why you reacted the way you did. You might even gain valuable insight into the patterns, beliefs, or experiences that contributed to the situation. Yet despite all of that thinking, you still feel stuck. Nothing changes. The anxiety remains. The grief remains. The anger remains. You know what is happening, but nothing has...