frequently asked questions

Art Therapy is a healing modality that involves art making, creativity, and counseling with the support of a credentialed Art Therapist, with the goal of overall improved quality of life. The beauty of Art Therapy is that you do not have to be “good at art” or be a “creative person” to benefit from it. 

It's true that making art requires creativity, and it's also true that creativity is a powerful force within each of us. Creativity allows us to CREATE changes in our lives, make meaning of circumstances, and imagine possibilities. Without creativity, we wouldn't be able to use language or daydream or even have hope during tough times. We all have the ability, need, and drive to be creative, but some of us have lost touch with this power (dare we say SUPER power?). 

We can think of creativity as a muscle: the more you use it , the stronger it becomes. Creativity is not about being the next Picasso; it’s more about personal power and connecting with our own ability to express ourselves, which can help us problem-solve in our daily challenges, have more fun, and experience fuller, richer lives. Tapping in to our own creativity with Art Therapy can help reduce stress and anxiety, while promoting resilience, personal insight, problem-solving, self-esteem, emotional expression, and life balance. 

 It can be helpful to think about creativity and art in relationship to sports. The benefits of art and creativity aren’t meant to be reserved for a few elite gifted professional artists….just like the benefits of athletics and fitness are not meant for just a few gifted professional athletes. 

Art Therapy is more about the process of communicating and expressing in a creative way, and much less about the art product.  So, the art in Art Therapy is really only used as a means of communication and expression, AND, since there is no wrong way to express oneself or communicate, then there is no wrong way to make art. 

Art therapy sessions can involve a variety of creative and expressive activities, such as drawing, painting, collaging, doll making, poetry, and more. At times Art Therapy can be fun and relaxing, and at other times it may stir up painful emotions...in either case the emotional expression is normal/healthy/beneficial as important part of the healing experience as we move toward physical, mental, and emotional wellness 

Most people want to be healthy, but many of us struggle to make the most of nutrition. Nutrition Therapy is an individualized clinical approach that promotes a greater sense of nourishment in the physical and psychological body, through nourishment and balance in multiple areas of life. 

In the western world, nutrition is often only considered when it comes to weight management, but our mental and physical health are dependent on the nutrients we consume and absorb, and how they are utilized by the brain and body. We each have individual variations in our genetics, cultural preferences/traditions, health histories, wellness goals, and relationships with food. We can use the food and nutrients we consume to support our psychological health and physical well-being.

Nutrition Therapy involves working with a functional medicine nutritionist, who looks at nourishment from multiple angles including food, friends, emotions, work, environment, and thoughts. How we are nourished in each of these areas can greatly affect our health and function. When the interconnections between these parts of our lives are truly identified and valued, we can move toward more permanent shifts in self-care, as we move away from dis-ease and distress.

At the initial nutrition visit, we will review the results of your completed nutritional intake assessment, gather more details of your nutritional history and relationship with nourishment, and discuss your goals for working together. Initial recommendations will be made depending on your level of readiness, priorities, and goals.

While many people are familiar with how life events and stress can influence mental health and mood, fewer are familiar with the effects that food and other nutrients can have on our mood and outlook. Many dysfunctions that show up as mental health symptoms, such as anxiety, depression, obsessiveness, addictions, and apathy, can be supported by nutritional interventions in addition to psychological support. The foods and supplements we take in can also influence neurotransmitters and enhance communication between the gut and the brain. In addition, identifying and minimizing foods that can exacerbate symptoms or influence inflammation in the brain and body can greatly influence treatment outcomes and provide a greater sense of vitality and lasting wellness.    

Energy Psychology is real, and it turns out that we're mostly made up of energy...and our solid matter may even be considered congealed energy! 

So, it makes sense that energy is an important part of our human experience.  Energy Psychology is a branch of psychology that uses the principles of Energy Medicine and offers techniques to support our human experience by focusing on the connection between the mind and body, and looking at the relationship between thoughts, emotions, sensations, behaviors, and the bioenergy systems of the chakras, meridians, and the biofield.  

Energy psychology works with the energy centers and pathways in (and around) our bodies, and promotes the movement of healthy energy in support of overall health. At Inspired Life Therapy, we use a variety of Energy Psychology techniques, including the following: 

Emotional Freedom Technique:

Emotional Freedom Technique is a therapeutic modality that promotes stress-reduction and relaxation. It involves clients lightly tapping on specific meridian points (or acupressure points), while being verbally guided by a trained practitioner to focus on particular events, occurrences, or memories. Many clients find EFT to be effective in reducing the intensity of painful memories, and ongoing research is finding evidence that EFT is helpful in reducing the production of stress hormones…which is beneficial for overall health. It is important to note, that all physical touch in EFT is applied from the client to themselves. As a therapist, I will not physically be administering the “tapping”, but will guide you through the process. 

Energy Medicine & Energy Psychology Exercises: 

Based on the work of Clinical Psychologist, David Feinstein and Energy Medicine expert, Donna Eden, we teach clients a variety of deep breathing techniques that promote the healthy flow of energy in the body/mind system, to offer relaxation,  focus, grounding, calming, stress -management, and clarity.   

In general, people have a lot of fears about what hypnotherapy is, and what they might experience. Some people think they can't be hypnotized; some are afraid they will act in embarrassing ways or will be too vulnerable under hypnosis. These are normal concerns, and my goal is to educate clients about what hypnotherapy is and isn’t, to help eliminate these fears. 

Hypnotherapy is a type of therapy that works with the subconscious mind and requires deep levels of relaxation. The current clinical understanding of hypnosis is that it all comes down to brainwaves and states of consciousness...which are both common to all of us. Throughout the day, we experience many different levels of brainwave functioning and states of consciousness, including what is called a "trance state". Have you ever been driving and gone into "auto pilot", not realizing how long you were not paying attention? Have you ever "zoned out" in a daydream? These are both examples of being in a trance state. Basically, if we are ever "not fully present" in the current moment, we are experiencing an altered state of consciousness or a trance state. Some people achieve these altered states by using alcohol or drugs. In hypnotherapy, these states are achieved through relaxation.

Why would we want to be in a trance state? The purpose of inducing a trance state in therapy is to access the wisdom of the subconscious mind (a level of consciousness below normal awareness that communicates to us through symbolism, often in dreams). The goal of working with the subconscious is to facilitate a deeper level of healing. 

It is important to know that in hypnotherapy with Zandi:

• You will never say or do anything under hypnosis that you do not want to
• You will be able talk and move, and even scratch your nose, if it itches
• You will also be aware of and remember everything that you say and do
• Your conscious mind never goes away...it just takes a passenger seat during the journey