Catharsis Art Medicine

✴

Catharsis Art Medicine ✴

Two women in an art studio surrounded by paintings, plants, and art supplies, smiling at the camera.

✴

Why Creativity & Art Alchemy?

  • Creativity as a Disruptor
    Break free from autopilot, consumption, and numbing habits—creativity helps you shift from absorbing to generating.

  • Neuroplasticity & Joy
    Creating art rewires the brain, enhances resilience, and brings deep, lasting satisfaction.

  • Emotional Release & Processing
    Art allows you to externalize tension and emotions—especially helpful during times of overwhelm, grief, or stress.

  • Safe Space for Expression
    Catharsis creates judgment-free, compassionate spaces where it’s okay to rage, cry, laugh, or simply be.

  • Healing Through Community
    Shared creative experiences foster belonging, connection, and collective healing.

  • Therapeutic Insight & Holistic Additions
    Led by healing professionals (Jaimie + Phillippa), combining therapeutic insight with artistic exploration.
    Sessions often begin with grounding or meditation, and include plant-based alchemical mocktails to support focus, creativity, and emotional openness.

  • Reclaim Presence & Connection
    Step away from screens. Come gather, create, and connect with others in meaningful, human-centered ways.

Expression is the opposite of depression

✴

Expression is the opposite of depression ✴

Catharsis Art events a creative hip of events and workshops to 'Turn Your Pain into Expression' and heal through ceremony, creativity, spirituality and psychology

Tune In

Feel

Connect

Create

Express

Release

Let go

What is the community saying?

“I would support this Catharsis until the end of time.

It’s literally allowed me to uncover a whole different side of myself that I literally buried away. It’s so authentic I love it.”

-Havannah B. 2025 (Poetry workshop)

“I just wanted to reach out and say that the poetry night was amazing! I felt very held by the space and the lovely people filled it.

The prompt I pulled from the hat felt like it was meant to find me and I am still working on my poem and the themes days later. I will be coming to as many events as I possibly can! Next time I’ll have to try that magical purple looking mocktail.”

- Carolyn V, 2025 (Poetry workshop)

“I loved the poetry workshop! The empowering talk, the way our writing was gently supported, the guided meditation, and of course the cacao!

Such a well-held space of like-minded/ hearted souls. I look forward to the next one!”

-Yakoub S, 2025 (Poetry workshop)

“Thanks again for last night! I appreciate your team holding space and facilitating transformation.

Each session has helped me to make inner shifts.”

-Miriam, 2025 (Poetry and painting workshop)

Stay connected & up to date.

A person painting a colorful abstract portrait on a small canvas at a cluttered wooden table. The table has art supplies, including paint tubes, a palette with mixed paint, and a small easel. Cape Town painting art healing workshops and events.
A group of women gathered around a table engaging in a painting activity, with art supplies and a completed painting of two women in the background. Art therapy healing class Cape Town, South Africa. Creativity community. Spiritual.
An art studio with small abstract paintings, sketchbooks, and art supplies on a wooden table, with two people working on their art and a colorful wall art in the background. Art therapy healing class Cape Town, South Africa. Creativity community.
Group of people gathered in a cozy, decorated room engaged in reading, writing, and discussing, with various items and cozy furniture around. Poetry therapy healing class Cape Town, South Africa. Creativity community. Spiritual. Writing. Learning.
A group of people sitting on floor and chairs in cozy, decorated living room, reading books, with candles and mugs on tables, and colorful lighting.
A group of people seated on the floor with cushions and blankets, listening to two women standing and speaking in a cozy room decorated with warm lighting and eclectic decor.

Take a look at what’s happening soon!

On the events page by clicking below,

And by following @catharsis.artevents on Instagram.

Check out the retreat! ☟

Audio by Yasmin Ezzideen & Pedro Carvalho.

↑

Full screen for mobile view

➨ 3 - 9 November 2025

➨ Art villa in Cape Town, South Africa (GAIA Centre for Healing Arts, Constantia)

➨ Merging art, psychology & spirituality

➨ Art workshops leading to larger art work creation

➨ Facilitated by healing practitioners Jaimie Pratt & Phillippa Schmulian

➨ Two professional guest artists Atang Tshikare & Yasmin Ezzideen

➨ Hypnotherapy, Yoga, Meditation, Journaling, Divination, Ceremonies

➨ Sculpture, Painting, Poetry

The science behind creativity's healing power.

1. Boosts neuroplasticity — rewiring the brain for growth

Engaging in creative activities—from painting and sculpting to music, dance, writing or fibre arts—stimulates new neural pathways, enhancing cognitive flexibility, memory, motor coordination, and emotional resilience (legendsrecovery.com+4scholarblogs.emory.edu+4languageforlife.com.au+4). Studies show that long-term artistic practice can reshape functional brain networks, making creativity a habitual, spontaneous response (en.wikipedia.org).

2. Enhances mood via dopamine and lowers stress hormones

Artmaking triggers dopamine release—the “feel-good” neurotransmitter—helping to replace cravings from addictive cycles with healthy reward pathways (twinlakesrecoverycenter.com). Just 45 minutes of creative engagement has been shown to reduce cortisol levels and calm the amygdala, promoting emotional stability (wellbeingarttherapy.com.au+1rehabs.in+1).

3. Offers powerful non-verbal expression

Trauma, addiction, and deep-seated emotions often surpass verbal expression. Creative arts leverage right‑brain processing—images, symbolism, movement—to externalize what words can’t reach, allowing safe exploration and release (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov+6wellbeingarttherapy.com.au+6en.wikipedia.org+6).

4. Supports addiction recovery and disconnection

In addiction recovery, art therapy helps individuals process emotions, reduce stress, build self-awareness, and communicate without speaking—all key to healing and connection (spiritualarts.org.uk+10recovered.org+10legendsrecovery.com+10).

5. Cultivates flow and mindfulness

Creativity naturally induces flow—the state of deep present-moment immersion—reducing rumination and quieting the default-mode network, which fuels anxiety and depression.

Beyond habit-breaking: creativity as holistic therapy.

  • Strengthens the body-mind connection: Art engages motor, sensory, and emotional regions simultaneously—coordinating fine motor skills and mental focus, and aiding in trauma integration .

  • Builds resilience and identity: Completing creative projects boosts self-esteem, purpose, and a sense of agency—empowering individuals, especially during personal transitions or healing journeys .

  • Improves cognitive and emotional flexibility: Creative tasks routinely challenge problem-solving, memory, and adaptability, which benefits all areas of mental health .

  • Fosters community and connection: Making art together builds empathy and social bonds. Whether you're birthing something personal or laughing over shared canvas mishaps, connection forms—and that communal holding can heal deep isolation .

Looking for something else?

Are you an artist, movement practitioner, sound healer, or have a modality you think would be interesting to combine with art making?

Reach out - let’s chat and see whether a collaboration is possible.