Clay art therapy inspires awakening. Earth-infused and experiential methods are relational, self-reflective, and transformational. Clay therapy provides documented outcomes in healing, anxiety and stress reduction, trauma and recovery, as well as in reframing beliefs and identity. The approach builds skills in daily living and relationships. Seeking a holistic perspective to inform clay therapy, this project follows decades of research into the healing of trauma in minority cultures revealing the hidden power of spirituality as meaning making. A person-centred method reframes minority identity within a postmodern psychotherapy. Experiential methods in therapeutic art-as-life and life-as-art embraces scientific evolutionary theories of development, cooperation, ascent, and convergence. Clay-based psychotherapy is informed by culturally infused methods reflecting on western, minority, and disability experiences. We explore our therapy studio productions as well as the works of contemporary sculptor Andrea Martini, and the 15th century works in terracotta by Andrea della Robbia. Our approach provides for opportunities to reflect on the nature of clay art therapy in healing, capacity and skill building, identity formation, and in facilitating transcendent outcomes.

Let go of your pretensions—squeeze, shape, knead & play your way to spiritual growth. "I am being formed by the clay. I am reconnecting with the earth, and with the other basic elements, too—air, water, fire—and life itself. Every gesture leaves its trail in the clay. Every fingerprint, a message. My breath fills the cavity. My touch curves the wall of a bowl. And inwardly, I am being formed by the outward practice. I am learning to trust the process, to lean into the possibilities rather than striving for some predetermined goal. I am being hollowed out, stretched and constricted, trimmed and sometimes reworked entirely." —from the Prologue Drawing from her first-hand experience of working with clay, Marjory Zoet Bankson takes you through the seven-step process of making clay into a pot, drawing parallels at each stage to the process of spiritual growth: Grounding—Connecting with our core elements Kneading—Awakening to the inner realm Centering—Gathering everything together Shaping—Focusing inner and outer pressures Finishing—Trimming away the excess Decorating—Adding a playful touch Firing—Committing to transformation This simple connection with the earth has the potential to put you in touch with the whole of creation and, at the same time, your soul's longing to participate as an artist, creating something new and unique. Through reflective questions in each chapter—along with a wealth of unique clay projects that even beginners can do—Bankson invites you on a journey of spiritual discovery, a path of reconnecting with your body and spirit, and with the earth itself.

Drawing on her first-hand experience of working with clay, Bankson takes her readers through the seven-step process of making clay into a pot, drawing parallels at each stage to the process of spiritual growth: grounding, kneading, centering, shaping, finishing, decorating, and firing.

The book is an exciting exploration of the different ways in which the spiritual forms an essential, life-enhancing component of a well-rounded therapeutic approach. The contributors explain how their own spiritual and creative influences interact, finding expression in the use of art as a healing agent with specific populations.

Art, Pottery, and the Clay-Human Connection Understanding the Prophet Whom God Has Set in the Church! Dr. Alvin Haywood, Ed.D. Calling all faithful and committed men and women of God whose number one priority is to walk unapologetically in their God-given calling and purpose for their life. This book is for any dedicated servant of God but is especially geared toward those who are single and walking in a prophetic calling. Married folks, and others walking in any calling from God, can also benefit from this book--those who want to further review the clay-human connection and understand more about the trials and triumphs of a prophet of God. Like clay in a potter's hand, God's people are molded and shaped in his hands. Nestled in a beautiful narrative setting of art, history, and pottery, Art, Pottery, and the Clay-Human Connection: Understanding the Prophet Whom God Has Set in the Church is based on and embedded in relevant and applicable scriptures as it validates and encourages any servant of God to concentrate on what the Word of God is saying about them in their walk with God. Jeremiah the prophet is used as a focal point as he was singularly called by God to go down to the potter's house to receive a prophetic message about this clay-human connection for the church or the people of God.