“As a therapist, I get to help people change their stories.” -Lori Gottlieb, Therapist, Author There has been a lot of publicity about therapy these days. People are speaking about their therapy experiences on podcasts and radio shows, writing books about it, and being real about therapy on social media. You might consider this to be a golden age of therapy, as the information that is being presented is very positive. Basically, the gist is, 'therapy works’. Being in therapy can significantly improve one's life, and often helps to save lives. This is a strong contrast to the stigma surrounding mental health that has discouraged people from going to ...

I was recently highlighted as one of the recovery profiles in The Sobriety Collective blog. Laura Silverman is the creator of this fun and useful recovery hub for people either "self-identifying as in recovery from substance use disorder and/or mental health concerns or sober-curious." This profile gives a window into my addiction/recovery story and shares some of my top creative recovery tools. Find my blog profile HERE.

I recently lost a dear artist friend, Marlene Aron. Marlene passed away suddenly, a few days before her last art retrospective in San Francisco. Her death had a strong impact on so many people because Marlene led a life that sent out ripples of inspiration. I did not see Marlene often. We didn't keep in active touch but she was a constant in my life. I always knew Marlene was creating art and involved in her creative communities. I would see notices of the Van Gogh lectures that Marlene gave at local libraries, and her art openings exhibiting her environmental installations and/or art canvases made of ...

25 Professionals Share the Best Ways to Support Someone Who is Grieving I was recently approached by Sympathy Messages who have a really useful website that helps people write sympathy cards, and send messages to people who have experienced grief or loss. She asked 25 professionals who work with grief to share their thoughts. I wrote a section for her about my perspective on grief through the lens of creativity. Click here to read the full blog:  https://www.sympathymessageideas.com/expert-grief-support/ Here is a portion of my blurb: "I would not say that I’m an expert on grief, but I do know grief ...

“To me, beauty is about being comfortable in your own skin. It’s about knowing and accepting who you are.” - Ellen Degeneres As a Somatic Movement Therapist, I help people to understand their bodies better through sensory awareness and self inquiry. We listen to the body's sensations, memories and wisdom through quiet reflection, meditation or movement. Inhabiting one’s body is a great gift, as it gives us access to all of our senses and human experiences.  The way we perceive our appearance shapes our ‘body image’. Unfortunately, many people find their bodies to be a source of stress and disturbance. ...

Art is vital in my work and I present it in different forms depending on who I'm with and the specific setting. I may use art for pure expression, self-awareness and reflection, community support, as a form of therapy, or as a spiritual practice. For several years I've been exploring the idea of 'art ritual'. An art ritual is a creative exercise that is performed to encourage healing and/or growth. It can be done by oneself, or be performed with a small or large group. I especially like to incorporate art rituals when working with difficult issues such as grief ...

 Searching for the 'Real You' “…false You’s - the imitative You, the too-clever You, the Avoiding You - and (how to) settle into that (sometimes, at first, disappointing) beast, Real You. Real You is all you have, and all other paths are false. And in the best case, Real You is so happy to finally be recognized, it rewards you with Originality…” George Saunders, Writer Have you ever wished you could be someone else? Or felt a disconnect between how you feel inside versus how you are perceived? I certainly have, and work with many people who grapple with who ...

I was fortunate to be invited to teach and train professionals in Seoul, South Korea this spring. I spent two weeks in the heart of Seoul getting to know the culture and the dedicated people who live and work there. My host was Jung Myung Lee, the director of Tamalpa South Korea, a branch of Tamalpa Institute in Marin County, a movement based expressive arts therapy training program. Jung Myung organized my teaching work in the training programs at Tamalpa South Korea, with a psychiatric group, offering an inservice to staff at a trauma center, and facilitating a 3 day public workshop to professionals. My teaching in South Korea was focused on the big issues of addiction, ...

My  love letter to ART: Art is my deepest love, a love that never fades or abandons. Art is always there for me. Art makes me feel alive, sexy, and deeply nourished.When I engage in art making I fall in love again and again. I fall in love with the people I create with, my collaborators, my film subjects, my co-teachers, my students, and the environments where art is formed. ART continues to amaze and surprise me. I hold my breath with anticipation and imagine what else ART will offer me this year. With unwavering commitment to the creative process, Adriana Published: February 14, 2018

"I don’t think about myself as a woman when I set out to make art. I do, however, want to see myself, and the issues I care about reflected in my artwork.”  - Soad Kader, Woman of Color Visual Artist How is it to live as a woman today? And to be a woman artist specifically? These are questions I’ve been sitting with in response to the #metoo campaign and the opening of Pandora’s box in politics, the comedy world and Hollywood. It is a time to speak up about harassment and injustice towards women, and people are paying attention. ...