In this article I am sharing my thoughts on the power of Art Therapy, transitions and rituals, enriching my view with some quotes from Hans book about the particularities and importance of rituals.
My interest in transitions and how it shows up in art therapy
In my work as an art therapist, I am particularly fascinated by those moments that are difficult to put into words. For me, there is no doubt that art therapy works. Often, it centres around transitions or the “in-between.” Transitions, however, are often characterised by their complex dynamics and unpredictability. Demonstrating specific active factors through traditional scientific research methods is, therefore, a challenging field. Much of what operates within art and the creative process is shaped by subjective experience, which is rarely comprehensively represented in case studies or documentation. Making subjective experiences communicable and accessible to others is a theme that greatly preoccupies me for this reason. Whether it is moods, an atmosphere, spatial perception, or the effect of a movement – I draw on these nuances in my artistic practice and reflection. In particular, I see transitions as a fascinating field. By transitions, I mean both temporal and spatial shifts, as well as interstices.
[Ma] Transitions, interstices, rituals
The Japanese concept of Ma relates to this – a kind of silence and interspace that manifests itself in language as well as in other everyday aspects. It speaks to a form of spatiality and temporality that is difficult to articulate.
I am also intrigued by the role and significance of rituals in Japanese culture, which have become rare or hold little prominence in Western societies. Rituals are important because they facilitate and shape transitions. The aspect of transcendence, of crossing over, is fundamental to rituals. In the Church, this occurs in relation to the earthly and the beyond, heaven and earth. Rituals make transitions sensorially perceptible – through prayers, songs, sounds, and scents. They provide stability in an ever-changing world. Through rituals, the individual becomes aware of being part of something larger. Rituals create order, foster encounters, and build relationships. As Han (2019, p. 20) expresses:
Rituals and their connection to identity and embodiment
“Rituals are processes of embodiment and physical staging. The valid orders and values of a community are physically experienced and solidified. They are inscribed into the body, incorporated, that is, physically internalised. Rituals thus produce embodied knowledge and memory, an embodied identity, and a physical sense of connection. The ritual community is a corporeal entity. The community as such possesses a bodily dimension. Digitalisation weakens communal bonds insofar as it exerts a disembodying effect” (Han, 2019, p. 20).
The mind follows the body
“A ritual turn is conceivable, in which the precedence of form once again prevails. It reverses the relationship between inner and outer, spirit and body. The body moves the mind, not the other way around. The body does not follow the mind; rather, the mind follows the body. One might also say: the medium generates the message. This is the power of rituals. External forms lead to internal transformations. Thus, ritual gestures of politeness have mental effects” (Han, 2019, p. 31).
How this relates to my work
In my clinical work in psychiatry, these questions around transitions and interspaces accompany me every day. Many individuals I meet find themselves in phases where the familiar narrative no longer holds, yet the next chapter has not fully revealed itself either. In such moments, art therapy becomes a container – not to force clarity, but to create a protected relational space in which something unspoken can take shape. It is often in these subtle interstices that people rediscover agency, meaning, and a sense of belonging to their own inner movement.
What continues to strike me is how often the smallest artistic gestures create openings. A line placed with careful intention, a rhythm of colour, the act of pausing with a material – these tiny rituals can shift the internal landscape. They make emotional states tangible, perceptible, and therefore speakable. In this sense, art-making becomes a ritual of noticing. It invites individuals to dwell for a moment in the Ma between what has been and what is not yet, without pressure to decide or perform. This space, when honoured, can be deeply stabilising.
Over time, I began to notice how these processes extend far beyond the clinical setting. Many people – including professionals, artists, and individuals navigating personal transitions – seek a place where their experiences can be reflected upon with care and curiosity, without needing to fit into a diagnostic framework. The themes that arise in psychiatry also appear in everyday life: identity shifts, relational changes, inner thresholds, questions of belonging, and the need for small rituals that anchor us in times of uncertainty.
For this reason, I offer my mentoring and consulting work online, both for individuals and for professionals seeking reflective case consultation or narrative-oriented support. These conversations are shaped by the same principles that guide my art therapy practice: an appreciation for the unspoken, a sensitivity to transitions, and a belief that meaning emerges when we take time to listen to the spaces in between. Whether through reflective dialogue, therapeutic photography, or the careful unfolding of a life story, the aim is to create a space where your experiences can be seen, contextualised, and understood within the wider continuity of your life.
If your own story feels like it is shifting – or if you simply wish to explore it with greater attention and gentleness – you are warmly invited to reach out. The threshold is already there; sometimes all that is needed is a shared moment of presence to step towards what comes next.
Reference
Han, B. C. (2019). The Disappearance of Rituals: A Topology of the Present. Berlin: Ullstein.