Embodied Visual Journaling

January 9, 2025
by Elizabeth Warson, Ph.D., LPC, NCC, ATR-BC, EMDR & Sarah Penston in Ault, Colorado

 Embodied Visual Journaling is a powerful practice that integrates art-making with mindfulness, movement, and sensory awareness. It is a way of bringing your whole body and being into the creative process, using visual expression to connect more deeply with emotions, physical sensations, and the present moment. The idea is to bypass the usual logical, cognitive thinking that dominates our everyday life and instead tap into the deeper, embodied knowledge we carry in our muscles, our senses, and our intuition.

In an Embodied Visual Journaling practice, the focus isn’t just on the artwork you create but on the process of making it. The act of journaling becomes a tool for self-exploration and personal insight—an embodiment of your thoughts, feelings, and sensations.

Embodied Visual Journaling is a creative process that integrates mindfulness, movement, and sensory engagement to facilitate emotional and physical expression through art. Here are a series of directives to guide you through an embodied visual journaling session:

Prepare Your Space: Create an Intention-Aligned Environment

Clear a Space: Find or create a space that allows for freedom of movement. You may want to sit, stand, or even move between positions as you work.

Engage Your Senses: Light a candle, diffuse essential oils, or use incense. Bring in music that resonates with your mood or intention. Adjust lighting to suit your mood (soft lighting or natural light). Surround yourself with elements that invite relaxation or energize your senses.

Comfort: Ensure you are comfortable and relaxed. Arrange your materials within easy reach.

Tune Into Your Body: Conduct a Body Scan

Body Awareness: Take a few moments to check in with your body. Close your eyes if you prefer. Scan from head to toe, noticing where you might feel tension, discomfort, or relaxation.

Sensory Awareness: How do your hands feel? Are you holding tension in your shoulders or jaw? Notice your breath—whether it is shallow or deep. Acknowledge any emotional or physical sensations present in your body.

Set Your Intention: Direct Your Creative Flow

Intention Reflection: Think of a thought, feeling, or sensation you’d like to explore, release, or transform. This could be as simple as calming a restless mind or exploring the depths of joy.

State Your Intention: Either aloud or silently, state your intention for this practice. For example, “I wish to release tension in my body” or “I want to express my feelings of calm and stillness.”

Anchor Your Intention: Visualize this intention for a moment, feeling its energy in your body, and connect it to the space you’ve created.

Choose Materials Based on Sensory Feedback

Material Exploration: Select materials that invite a response from your senses. Feel the textures of pastels, pencils, paints, or ink. Explore the fluidity or roughness of different tools and consider how they connect with your current physical or emotional state.

Mark Making: Notice how the materials feel in your hand as you begin to make marks. Are they smooth or rough? Do they glide, scratch, or blend? Pay attention to how the act of marking feels in your body—does it feel soothing, liberating, or intense?

Engage with Movement and Rhythm

Find Your Rhythm: Begin moving gently to your chosen music or the natural rhythm of your breath. Allow your arms, shoulders, and hips to flow in an intuitive, loose movement. If you’re using music, feel the beat and let it guide your body.

Marking with Movement: As you move, allow your hands to flow through the air before you begin marking on the page. This physical preparation prepares your body for the art-making process.

Flow and Release: As your body and mind become immersed in the rhythm, let your hands make marks on the page that flow naturally with your movement. Paint, draw, or write without thinking too much—allow your body to lead the creative process.

Observe and Respond: Observe Your Image

Pause and Reflect: After a period of expression, take a pause. Sit back and reflect on the marks you’ve made. Slowly scan the page, letting your gaze rest on areas that draw your attention.

Physical Connection: Check in with how your body feels in the moment. Are there any areas of the page or your body that feel intense, relaxed, or needing more attention? Consider how your physical sensations and the artwork on the page are interconnected.

Engage with the Page: Add Layers or Adjust

Interactive Adjustments: If something on the page feels incomplete, continue adding or adjusting your marks. Trust your intuition—allow your hand to move in response to the emotions or sensations you are experiencing. There is no right or wrong way here; it’s about exploring, adjusting, and expressing.

Movement Exploration: Allow your body to shift positions or movements, if needed. If you are seated, try standing up or moving to a new spot. Your physical change may help you see the page with fresh eyes or deepen your embodied connection.

Reflection and Integration: End with Awareness

Gaze Slowly Over Your Work: Once you feel a sense of completion, slowly take in your page again. Does any part of the image draw you in more deeply? Does a particular mark or area seem to resonate with your intention?

Three Deep Breaths: Close your eyes and take three deep breaths. Inhale deeply through your nose and exhale through your mouth, allowing your body to release any tension that might remain.

Final Reflection: Open your eyes and scan your page once more. What feelings or thoughts arise as you reflect on your creation? Write these down in your journal if you wish, along with any new sensations or realizations you experienced during the practice.

Close Your Practice: Gentle Closure

End on a Positive Note: Close your practice with gratitude, taking a moment to appreciate your own creative expression and the time you’ve taken for self-exploration.

Body Check-In: Before leaving your space, do a final body scan. How do you feel now compared to when you began? Have your thoughts or emotions shifted in any way?

Optional: You may wish to light a candle to symbolize closure, or journal any final thoughts or insights you gained through the embodied visual journaling experience.

Additional Tips:

Stay Curious: If you find yourself feeling blocked or stuck, experiment with different materials, techniques, or rhythms. Let your body guide you without judgment.

Experiment with Speed: Try alternating between slow, deliberate movements and fast, spontaneous ones to see how your emotional expression shifts.

Frequency: Engage in embodied visual journaling regularly to deepen your connection to your body and creativity.

Through these directives, the goal is to create a practice that invites creativity and mindfulness, guiding you toward emotional release, insight, and healing through the rhythm of your own body and art.

The preceding article was solely written by the author named above. Any views and opinions expressed are not necessarily shared by GoodTherapy.org.