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. 

 

 

What is visual journaling? 

Visual journaling [also called art or drawing journaling] has been identified as both an important and accessible approach in expressive arts therapy, counseling, and education. It is not only an effective method for stress reduction, but also is considered a creative way to express personal narratives and life stories as well as make meaning through images, creative writing, and story sharing.  

Why combine images with words?   

In a comparative study on the efficacy of art and writing therapy on stress reduction, Pizarro (2004) noted that the combined effects of art therapy and writing demonstrated more significant positive changes in terms of perceived levels of stress than writing alone.  

History of visual journaling 

Visual records of thoughts and daily life have been maintained throughout history. Petroglyphs (rock carvings) and pictographs (rock paintings) are the oldest forms of symbolic language representing complex cultural meanings often layered over time. Japanese 10th century “pillow books” were private written and visual journals (collection) depicting personal thoughts, feelings, and reflections about court life (Kasahara, 2017). Indigenous methods of recording historical events are also typified in the Lakota Winter Counts: a storyteller creates a pictograph for every year (snowfall to snowfall) on hide or cloth (Atka Lakota Museum & Cultural Center, n.d.).

Benefits of visual journaling 

There are a number of proven health benefits correlated with visual journaling or artmaking.  For instance, engaging in brief artmaking has been shown to enhance immunity and decrease cortisol levels (Lorance & Warson, 2012; Hayes et al., unpublished raw data).  Although, many of these benefits can be transferred to the effects of the visual journaling process, research on the specific effects of visual journaling demonstrated a decrease in anxiety levels and negative affect (Mercer et al., 2010).  

In a 2012 study with southeastern tribal elders, visual journaling was sustained over a two-month period with a 95% response rate among 26 participants (Warson, 2012). Preliminary data analysis indicated a preference for depicting every-day life events such as picking peas in the garden, designing quilt patterns, as well as references to family and spirituality. These preliminary findings suggest that mindfulness-based awareness was evident in the re-experiencing of important daily tasks and events. As a result, there is growing evidence for visual journaling as a promising intervention for stress reduction. 

Guidelines for visual journaling  

For maximum benefit, choose a consistent time of day to work in your journal.  Keep a small container of favorite art supplies close by in addition to a small travel case. Health benefits such as increased dopamine and serotonin production can be achieved after five minutes of sustained visual journaling (Zaidel, 2014).   

Research on visual journaling has demonstrated that a self-directed approach is just as beneficial as using specific prompts (Mercer et al., 2010). Create your own approach and vary it as your awareness grows. For example, visual journaling process over a period of time can elicit new themes as broad as your depiction of wellness. Mindfulness-based practices are also a natural fit with visual journaling.   

Suggested visual journaling exercises 

• Create a symbol of how you feel in the present moment and write one word to describe this feeling. 
• Create a symbol of your day and write one word to describe your day. 
• If you are having a not so good day, draw or trace a circle. Using lines, shapes, and colors create a symbol of this feeling in the circle.  Write down words that describe this feeling.  You can take this drawing out of your journal if you choose to. 
• Create a drawing of your favorite place. Share this place with someone. 
• Create a symbol of tension and write down a word to describe this state of being. Starting at your feet, focus on tensing up each muscle and then releasing it. Do this until you reach the top of your head. 
• Create a symbol of relaxation and write down a word to describe this state of being. 
• Create a circle of wellness. Draw or trace your circle and divide your circle into 4 sections and include symbols of physical, emotional, spiritual, and mental activities. Label each activity and share your wellness circle with someone.  
• Create a circle of family and friends. Draw or trace a circle. Paste copies of pictures (or magazine images) of family and friends (past and present) who have been a source of support.  Be sure to include a picture of you.  Share stories about each person. 
• Create your own approach and have fun! 

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References  

Atka Lakota Museum & Cultural Center, (n.d.). Lakota winter count. http://aktalakota.stjo.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=8993 

Mercer, P., Warson, E., & Zao, J. (2010).  Visual journaling: An intervention to influence stress, anxiety, and affect levels in medical students.  The Arts in Psychotherapy, 37(2), 143-148. 

Kasahara, Z. (2017, Feb. 2). The pillow book. https://zelda-kasahara.medium.com/most-japanese-people-can-recite-the-famous-opening-lines-of-the-pillow-book-by-sei-shonagon-b205552e01ee 

Pizarro, J. (2004). The efficacy of art and writing therapy: Increasing positive mental health outcomes and participant retention. Art Therapy: Journal of the American Art Therapy Association, 21(1), 5–12. 

Warson, E. & Lorance, J. (2012). Physiological measures in art therapy evidence- based research. In C. Malchiodi, (Ed.), Art Therapy and Health Care. New York, NY: Guilford.   

Warson, E. (2012). Healing across cultures: Arts in healthcare with American Indian and Alaska Native cancer survivors. In C. Malchiodi, (Ed.), Art Therapy and Health Care. New York, NY: Guilford.   

Zaidel, D. W. (2014). Creativity, brain, and art: biological and neurological considerations. Frontiers in human neuroscience, 8, 389. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2014.00389