Before & After Transformations: The Art of Healing

She crossed into America, the "land of the free," carrying the weight of family secrets and trauma. For years, she sought refuge within familiar walls, but healing never came. One night, desperate and brave, she knocked on my door—a stranger’s door—for help.

Working together, she found the courage to reclaim her story. As she embraced motherhood, she realized that she could give her daughter something she never had: hope. By nurturing this new life, she discovered she was also pregnant with a new version of herself—a beginning rooted in trust, love, and healing.

Today, she is her own miracle, and her daughter's greatest source of hope.

She walked in carrying a bottle of alcohol, bracing herself to confront the heavy baggage of her past. Prepared to numb the pain, she thought she’d need it to cope. But the bottle remained untouched.  

As I stood close by, silently fighting the demons alongside her, she found the strength to do the work herself. With courage and grace, she unraveled the cycles of trauma that had bound her for so long.  

By the end, she emerged transformed — no longer a caterpillar weighed down by the past but a butterfly, free and soaring into a life of healing and possibility.

Her cup remained empty but she became filled to an overflow of grace. So she left the bottle with me as a token of her appreciation and a declaration to begin again!

In his prime, he lost a part of himself — an amputation that left him standing strong, but only as a facade for the world. Beneath the surface, exhaustion weighed heavy, yet vulnerability had never been an option.In his prime, he lost a part of himself — an amputation that left him standing strong, but only as a facade for the world. Beneath the surface, exhaustion weighed heavy, yet vulnerability had never been an option.

But here, in a safe space, he found the courage to shed that armor. As he committed to the work, he let go of the streets that once defined him and discovered the truth of who he was. Humbled by the power of expression, he reached for the canvas and couldn't help but write the name of his Savior.

Violet, the canvas proclaimed, as if to say Hallelujah. A testament to his surrender and the grace extended to the angel who introduced him to a higher power.

This is the story of an unhoused veteran I met—a father who had spent years struggling with substance use, in and out of his daughters’ lives. She was his heart, as he often said. After years apart, they reunited when he became sober and was rebuilding his life. But tragedy struck—she was in a car accident and passed away. The weight of guilt consumed him, believing he had lost his chance to truly be there for her.  

During our session, I asked him to write a note to his daughter—something he wished he could have told her. He poured his heart onto that page. Then, I created a painting: an angel holding a human heart, symbolizing that she, his heart, was now passing her love back to him. A reminder to live for her, heal for her, and thrive for her. His handwritten note was collaged into the piece, making it a deeply personal tribute.  

When I gave him the painting, he wept—for the first time since she had passed. I guided him to let those years of grief fall onto the canvas, his hands moving over the image as if tracing the love he still carried. That moment was a breakthrough, a step toward healing.