The Art of Healing Trauma Coloring Book

Book excerpt: Slow down, tune into yourself and relax while you color 20 beautiful coloring pages centered around the theme of recovering from challenging past experiences. Each of the first 13 illustrations in this adult coloring book is accompanied by a mindfulness activity or somatic therapy exercise that teaches you how to be more present with your body and self-regulate your own nervous system. These body awareness activities are not just useful for healing from trauma; they can also help to reduce stress and anxiety. The last seven illustrations are accompanied by messages that address various deeper aspects of the healing process. These seven pages of poetry and written word were created to be short meditations to sink into while coloring. The act of coloring itself is also quite therapeutic: When you engage in the creativity of choosing different colors, the rhythmic repeated actions of filling shapes with color, and deep mental concentration of coloring, your body calms down and you become more centered, making coloring a great way to practice self-care. Illustrated and written by artist Heidi Hanson, creator of New-Synapse.com Tools for Self Healing and The Art of Healing Trauma Blog.