I’ve been thinking about the word practice.  I like it when I hear someone say they are practicing something.  When we are taking the time to practice something, it gives our brains a chance to process information in a new way.  It opens us up to hope and healing.    

In Cathy Malchiodi’s new book Trauma and Expressive Arts Therapy, she presents a four-part model for art-based healing practices.  She breaks it down into these categories:

·         Movement:  Dancing, Yoga, Bilateral Movement, Sensory Integration, Energy Arts, Cultural Practices, Labyrinth, and Play

·         Sound:  Singing, Drumming, Playing Instruments, Humming, Chanting Prayer, Vibration, and Listening

·         Storytelling: Enactment, Drama, Role Play, Improvisation, Visual Art, Creative Writing, Lyric, Journaling, Embodied Narratives, and Ceremonies/Rituals

·         Silence:  Mindfulness, Meditation, Contemplation, Art Making, Yoga, Labyrinth Walking, Felt Sense, Interoception (Perception of internal body sensations), and Witnessing Arts

Incorporating these practices into your therapeutic process can help deepen the work that you are doing in “talk therapy.”  So, why not pick out one and start up a new practice today?