Healing with Creativity

By A. Padilla

The creative process at Blue J Creative Healing is based on Jungian Psychology and much of what Joseph Campbell said in the above quote. Students work in different mediums from encaustic wax, resin, paint, watercolors, clay, to music. It’s not just the traditional art materials — there is much more. Scientific data is available documenting how creativity helps with anxiety, depression, addiction and self-esteem. During the creative process all parts of our brain are activated at one point or another. This is why the process is so healing when in conjunction with a person qualified like Jenny Preece Schomaker Padilla.

Who Can Benefit?

Blue J Creative Healing helps kids, teens, and adults in conjunction with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy throughout the Valley. Randi Gray, LPC said, “Jenny provides clients with an alternative, creative way to process, learn, discover and grow. I’ve seen the beneficial effects her work has on clients. It has been a positive experience having Jenny in my practice, offering this additional resource to clients.”

Her gifts lie in guiding us to understanding our bodies, minds, and how all of these are important in creating wholeness and unblocking past issues. She also focuses on nutrition and how it impacts the brain and body. Her grandmother and mother nurtured the importance of nutrition. Jenny doesn’t believe in dieting however, more of a balance and understanding how different foods and portions work with our brain and bodies.

Jenny graduated from Pacifica Graduate Institute in Santa Barbara where she obtained her Masters of Art in Creative Life, Humanities, and Depth Psychology. After being a internationally published photographer for 15 years, she was diagnosed during with Spasmodic Dysphonia. This impacted her voice, which was part of her identity for sometime. She was a DJ at her college radio station. After college she pursued marketing and sales management positions in the travel and tourism industry, which required daily public speaking assignments. After trying yoga, meditation, traditional therapy, she still needed more to understand not only what she was going through but understand things in another perspective. She felt called to go back to school as a single mom of three in her 30’s, no small task.

Being able to put the puzzle pieces together with her graduate program and other educational experience she was able to come up with an individualized program. The “Creative Life” is a way of life for humans, just like water is to fish. She uses creativity on a personal basis. “Each person has it within them, we have just forgotten how to use and access it” says Jenny. In a world becoming more and more electronic there is a need for balance.

Jenny is a guide, teacher, and coach helping people get back in touch with the part of them that may have been suppressed or traumatized. Tapping into the “inner child” specifically and subconscious to find those things that help build the person. Julia Cameron has said, “When we open ourselves to our creativity, we open ourselves to the creator’s creativity within us and our lives.”

If you or a loved one struggles   with anxiety, depression, addiction or low self esteem please visit www.bluejcreativehealing.org for more details.