Sacred Heart
I see you! I see your struggle! I see you try every day to combat against the darkness. I see your sacred heart.
It’s All in Your Head
So many times mental health issues are not something you can physically see. And, many times people who try to talk about their mental health are told, “It’s all in your head.” Let’s end the stigma around mental health as we talk!!
Fear
This painting is part of a triptych “Fear, Loss, and Loneliness”. Talking about mental health is scary, but in talking about it and seeking professional help when required there is healing! There is hope!! Visualization is a wonderful coping technique. This paintings and the following pieces show places and things I like to visualize.
Journey Towards Hope
This painting celebrates hope in my own journey with mental health.
Libera Me
“To you, O Lord, do I lift up my soul. O my God, I trust in you.
Let me not be ashamed, let not my enemies triumph over me.” Psalm 25:1
To me this means, I lift up my genuine self.
Let me not be afraid of being me. Let not anxiety overcome me.
Holy Habitation
Learning to Fly
“There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved.” Psalm 46:4-5
For me having support from my faith has been an important piece of my continued healing.
Van Gogh Garden
A tribute to Vincent Van Gogh and his struggle with mental health.
Poppies
Meditation and breathing techniques are together wonderful coping techniques. The following pieces are about that.
Wise Woman in Meditation
“Wisdom is not information but an abiding presence; an intuitive, sensing opening of the body and heart. In wisdom the body of fear drops away and our heart comes to rest.”
-Jack Kornfield
Guided meditation is a practice in my personal life that I have found transformative in my own mental health. Perhaps you might find it helpful too?
Cosmos I, II, III
“The path (of life) isn’t a straight line, it’s a spiral in which you continually come back to things that you thought you understood and see deeper and deeper truth.” -unknown
Inspired by Vincent van Gogh’s celestial spirals, these cosmic wheels are meant to be peaceful and can be used to decrease stress simply by deeply breathing in and out as you gaze at the painting.
Four Days on the Cliffs of Bandiagara
Inspired by the memory of a trip I took to the Dogon Cliffs in Mali West Africa.
Shine Your Light
Keep on Shining! Keep on trying! You are worth it!!
Barbara Ensley Artwork 