Creativity as Medicine with Expressive Art Therapist Nandi Szabo

In this episode, Nandi Szabo shares what she’s learned through decades of expressive art therapy. Nandi cultivates safe environments where people come together and discover what is seeking expression during the cancer journey.

Nandi’s workshops approach the cancer experience from many different angles, starting with an invitation to meet yourself where you are. All of them incorporate some element of movement - moving tension through the body. In her words, “we will think about it, feel about it, and then move about it.”

Our conversation is full of beautiful resources including the concept of a “medicine bag.” The medicine bag is like a healing toolkit; when you find a certain practice or image to be supportive, Nandi will say “put that in your medicine bag!” as an invitation to remember this resource and return to it in difficult times.

One of my favorite threads in our chat was about lightening up. Nandi lead a whole season of workshops on the theme of light. One of the questions she asked was, “What is the medicine of lightening up? This lead to a conversation about angels and flight and a beautiful answer emerged from the group: “Angels can fly because they take themselves lightly.”

Art and Healing: Using Expressive Art to Heal your Body, Mind & Spirit by Barbara Ganim

Art Heals: How Creativity Cures the Soul by Shaun McNiff

“Quotes About The Benefits of Art & Art-Making”

“Art Therapy for People with Cancer”

“Creative Arts Therapy and Expressive Arts Therapy”

“The Effectiveness of Expressive Arts Therapies: A Review of the Literature”