A Favorite Transformation Story

Transcript: One of my favorite stories from working here at The Drake Center is when I get to work directly with patients and we create art together. Some of the stories and visions they experience are just incredible, and I have the privilege of helping them express those moments through art. One of my favorite patient stories, especially on the creative side, was with one of our younger patients. She came to us for PTSD and other struggles, and her parents brought her in to find some healing. We worked through a lot, and as part of her treatment and integration process, she created art with me. During one of her journeys, she described feeling like she was dancing in the clouds with flowers growing around her—and she painted that vision. It was so profound. Sometimes patients just see colors or feel emotions, and other times they have actual, vivid visions.

This particular patient loved to paint, so we created several pieces together. In another journey, she said she felt all her troubles washing away as the water on a beach receded, taking her pain with it. That became another painting. Integration, to me, is about taking those insights and weaving them into your life. Through artistic expression, patients can externalize what they experienced and really begin to install it into their everyday lives. For this young girl—just 16—it was a beautiful journey to witness: the washing away of pain and sadness, and the freedom she felt dancing in the clouds.