Healing in the Quiet Seasons: Art Therapy and Mindfulness for Winter

Image ©Krista Powers

The time of wintering is drawing closer. As I begin to prepare for winter, I consider what it means to greet this season aligned with the spirit of rest, and reflection.

The light shifts, sometimes the days feel a little heavier, and it can take more effort to stay connected to ourselves as the holidays near. Nature moves at its own pace, and soon the days will become visited by snow. We can choose to honour this rhythm of snow, with slow. Winter can be an invitation into quietude, dreams, and rest.

In these moments, art can become a soft place to return to — a comforting balm for the soul, a way to slow down and listen inwardly.

As we approach the winter months and the daylight hours grow shorter, many of us are impacted by these seasonal changes. These quieter, darker times can affect mood and energy levels. For some, these changes can deepen into symptoms of depression or Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) (Psychology Today, 2025).

If you are experiencing depression or symptoms of SAD, please reach out to your doctor or healthcare provider for medical support. Please note that art therapy does not diagnose, and is not a replacement for medical care.

Creativity as a Gentle Balm

During times of transition, creativity can offer a soft place to land. Mindfulness-based art therapy provides gentle, restorative ways to support emotional balance and self-understanding.

Art therapy offers a space to express feelings that may be difficult to put into words — or too tender to name. It invites pause, play, and experimentation, helping to restore emotional equilibrium and re-energize the spirit. Through art-making, inner experiences can be externalized, stress can be reduced, and a sense of calm or renewal can emerge.

Mindfulness-Based Art Therapy

Mindfulness complements the art therapy process beautifully. One approach, known as R.A.I.N. (Recognize, Allow, Investigate, Nurture), encourages awareness and compassion toward our emotions. When paired with artmaking, it becomes a powerful way to explore what we feel and respond with care rather than judgment.

This technique — originally developed by Michele McDonald and later adapted by Tara Brach — is one of several mindfulness methods that can be explored in art therapy sessions.

As Brach (2025) describes, her teachings blend Western psychology and Eastern spirituality, cultivating mindful attention to our inner life and compassionate engagement with the world. This approach embodies what she calls "radical compassion" which is similar to (but not the same as) the principle of "radical acceptance" supported in Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT). Radical acceptance is to acknowledge reality and accept it as it is, while radical compassion is the active, tender response to that acceptance, for yourself and others. Radical compassion and radically acceptance are interconnected and work together.

"Dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) is an evidence-based model of therapy that helps people learn and use new skills and strategies so that they build lives they feel are worth living" (CAMH, 2025).

In September and October, I completed two of seven DBT training courses as I work towards DBT certification through Wilfred Laurier University. I continue to integrate these approaches into my art therapy practice, through supportive mindfulness techniques and backed by clinical supervision.

Practicing R.A.I.N.

If you wish to try this technique, I recommend doing so accompanied within a guided setting such as an individual or group art therapy session, and beginning with brief check-ins. This provides the support and safety needed to engage in deeper emotional work.

• Recognize what you’re feeling — gently name the emotions or sensations that arise.

• Allow them to be present without needing to change or fix them.

• Investigate with curiosity and kindness — notice what the feeling might be asking for.

• Nurture yourself with compassion, offering care and understanding to what you discover. Perhaps take a short walk in nature or listen to soothing sounds to help you reconnect.

In a mindfulness-based art therapy session, this process is paired with art-making to deepen self-awareness and create a soothing anchor during difficult moments. Art provides both distance and connection — allowing you to safely process your experiences while restoring emotional balance.

Healing often begins in small, mindful moments of attention —one breath, one brushstroke at a time.

Upcoming Art Therapy Offering: “Slow & Flow”

Mindfulness-based art therapy is one of the many approaches I share in my practice. If you’re curious to experience this work, I invite you to join my upcoming online “Slow & Flow” Art Therapy Group beginning in mid-January (dates to be announced soon). Enrollment is now open.

Here is a short, two-minute video I created using one of my own mindfulness art therapy techniques — painting inspired by a walk in the morning rain.

A short two minute mindfulness video inspired by a stroll in the rain.

References:

Brach, Tara. (2025). RAIN: Recognize, Allow, Investigate, Nurture. https://www.tarabrach.com/rain/

CAMH. (2025). Dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT). https://www.camh.ca/en/health-info/mental-illness-and-addiction-index/dialectical-behaviour-therapy

Psychology Today. (2025). Seasonal affective disorder. https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/conditions/seasonal-affective-disorder