This experiential workshop introduces art therapy students and practicing art therapists to the core principles of the Role of Emotion Processing in Art Therapy (REPAT) intervention (Czamanski-Cohen & Weihs, 2023). REPAT is an evidence-based, body-oriented art therapy protocol grounded in the bodymind model, conceptualizing emotional processing as an embodied sequence of awareness, acceptance, and expression facilitated through art making

This workshop will explore three distinct aspects of the subtle body from a Vedic perspective: the Chakras, the Nadis, and Koshas. Each of these systems have relationship to the emotions, mind, and physical body, and can be accessed through breath and visual representation. Participants will learn about common visual iconography associated with subtle body including  color, symbol, and sacred Geometry. A guided meditation and experiential will allow participants to explore their own subtle body relationship through art making.

This workshop will share the integration of Andean knowledge in community-based art therapy. The workshop leaders will provide the opportunity to reflect on ancestral roots, intersectionality, and relationship to art making. The Quechua concept of anyi, or reciprocity, a call-and-response practice in art therapy that honors cultural spiritual traditions and helps to address intergenerational and interpersonal violence and trauma.

This workshop presents the potential of VR Art Therapy as a clinical and creative tool. Current research will be presented along with core concepts of presence, embodiment, the therapeutic frame in VR spaces as well as ethical concerns and consent.  Dr. Cohen will also lead an experiential in which both those with Oculus VR headsets and those without will be able to engage in multi-leveled collaborative art making. Please bring your Oculus headsets with the Multibrush app installed to fully take part in the whole experience.

This experiential workshop invites participants to explore gender through an embodied and relational lens using sensory awareness, creative expression, and guided reflection. We all have gendered bodies that are constantly sensing, adapting, and responding to the world around us. Together, we'll practice slowing down, noticing what emerges, and discovering how creative and body-based practices can help us listen with greater curiosity and compassion. We'll move from sensation to image to meaning, exploring how embodied experiences can become pathways for deeper self-awareness, integration, and discovery. 

This workshop explores chronic pain through an embodied art therapy lens, recognizing the body as a source of knowledge, communication, and healing. Grounded in trauma-informed practice, participants will examine how chronic pain shapes one’s relationship with the body and how creative expression can foster interoceptive awareness, nervous system regulation, and embodied presence. Attendees will learn embodied art therapy approaches that support individuals in reconnecting with their bodies while fostering greater self-compassion and expand their capacity for living with chronic pain.