The space between.

Sometimes no words are needed at all. 

No verbal explanation. No advice. No telling, or yesses and nos. 

I cannot say what you should do or how to be. And you don’t need to hear this from me.

The simplest, but most profound acknowledgements lie in the lines between us. They hide and live and grow in the materials, as you work with them, to draw on meaning and make sense of in a way that works for you. Ultimately, you drive this process. But I am here to journey alongside.

I wanted this blog to introduce the idea of inter-subjectivity; a well-worn procedure amoung Arts Therapists. And for me... a value that I hold dear.

Inter-subjectivity:

…where what takes place in the space between two people has the momentum to carry both along. 
Quote by Terry Marks-Tarlow // Clinical Intuition in Psychotherapy: The Neurobiology of Embodied Response

So what is an inter-subjective response? 

Oftentimes it’s where our responding is of most value and at its best; where what happens between is captured and held onto. 

It is an offering and acknowledgement bundled all in one. I have heard you. I have listened and witnessed the pain and suffering and confusion that is now bubbling to the surface through the process and your choice of materials. You may be starting to become aware of it, or not. 

Arts Therapy is experiential and relational, and embraces this way of working.

The procedure of responding inter-subjectively often comes from an embodied sense that this is what I am witnessing as it unfolds in the moment for you. With permission, I share this back.

The image: A carefully considered watercolour response, with key words for a client I was recently working with in session. As they worked through a process, this is how I came to respond.

I don’t feel a need to explain this. Rather, I invite you to look in and connect with this in whatever way feels appropriate. What do you notice? What do you feel? Is there something in this that stays with you?

You are not alone. You are heard. This is my offering to you.

NOTE: special acknowledgement and thanks to my client for allowing me to share.

Be kind and go gently.


Words by Jasmine