Art as a Voice of the Soul: A Creative Exploration From Grief to New Identity

Utilizing artistic-creative and heuristic methodologies and embracing a childlike spirit of exploration, the author undertook a creative journey of drawing, painting, and sculpting images to process her grief over the death of family members. This thesis presents her artwork and explains the process as a healing experience. Through employing the depth psychology techniques of active imagination and honoring dream imagery, she found that she gained strength from discovering that her family, ancestors, and inner guidance resided within. She reports that the creative process offered a reintegration of departed loved ones in a new and intimate way. The thesis proposes that therapists can utilize their inner experiences with grief and healing to ground themselves when working with clients who are looking to gain traction and inspiration from their history and personal myth and discover their inner abilities to transform and rediscover hope.