A beautiful book about trauma and loss? Yes!

Art and the Body is about using creative expression and body-based mindfulness to aid in recovery from medical trauma. In the process, it conveys practical clinical information in a uniquely accessible manner.

"Martha Snider is a physician and an artist with a rare voice—at once humble, playful and poetic. She does not just tell us about the power of vulnerability, she demonstrates it through her own willingness to be seen. We accompany her through a process of self-discovery that leads to profound insights about the power of creativity and engaging the unconscious to help us heal. This is a must-read book for anyone seeking to enrich their lives while gracefully navigating a changing body.” Jodi Halpern, MD, PhD, author of From Detached Concern to Empathy: Humanizing Medical Practice.

Despite the narrator’s background in medicine, there were times she had absolutely no idea what to expect. Her descriptions of those times are truly informative.

Patients looking for resources to help them process overwhelming emotions often find that information is difficult to take in. Pictures help. Art and the Body contains more than 50 illustrations.

The book’s colorful images encourage readers to open their own creative channels and explore non-linear ways of knowing. Art and the Body is a book for patients and practitioners, art lovers and art therapists, as well as seekers and dreamers.

The book ends with twelve appendices detailing the techniques referenced in the narrative—methods that are easily mastered. Likewise, the necessary supplies are inexpensive and readily available.

Three versions of Art and the Body are available: the first edition paperback is available to read and reread, write in, and draw on—literally and figuratively. The paperback Special Edition, an artbook-quality version, showcases the vivid colors of the illustrations. The PDF version reproduces the colors of the original images.