1315 Macom Dr Suite 207, Naperville, IL 60564
34 N Island Ave Ste F, Batavia, IL 60510
Workshops + Retreats
Creative Soul-Care
"Live! Live the wonderful life that is in you! Be afraid of nothing."
-Oscar Wilde
The journey towards growth and transformation is one that begins with healing but often requires soul-care to [re]discover how to live a wholehearted life with courage, compassion, and connection.
We have come to understand that to live a life full of meaning and purpose, we must learn how to cultivate a wholehearted life --embracing our imperfections, being daring enough to speak our truth, and having the resiliency to show up even with life gets hard. In our workshops and retreats, we create brave spaces that honor each person's journey to wholeness. Our creative soul-searching, heart-healing workshops and retreats help to transform grief and trauma into a life of self-acceptance, self-love, and self-compassion.
Our creative soul-care workshops and retreats are centered around themes of authenticity, vulnerability deep connection, and belly laughs. We have developed our soul-care workshops and retreats that encompass the therapeutic use of expressive arts, mindful movements, relaxation, and lots of fun!
Creating Space creative soul-care workshops and retreats offer you the opportunity for deep connection, healing and growth that can lead you on the road to freedom, possibility, personal power & responsibility.
If you are craving true connection with others who have traveled difficult journeys, if you are wanting or needing to [re]connect with your inner wisdom and strength, if you have come to the realization that surviving isn't enough, then this is for you! Each workshop and retreat promises a felt sense of sisterhood and love! Come as you are. You are welcome.
The moment you doubt whether you can fly,
you cease forever to be able to do it.
To have trust in yourself is to have wings.
adapted from JM Barrie
Why is Soul-Care Needed?
There are things we all need as humans to feel joy and whole: safety, love, and meaning/purpose in our life. Most of us need to overcome fears and negative beliefs that keep us from feeling joy and whole. When we experience trauma and grief our sense of safety in the world, connection with others, and meaning in life often become disrupted and may be challenging to restore. Trauma and grief can leave us feeling vulnerable, isolated, and questioning the purpose and value of our existence. It can be difficult to trust others or the world around us, and our beliefs and values may be called into question. However, it is possible to work through trauma and grief and find a new sense of safety, connection, and meaning in life.
Creating Space Creative Soul-Care workshops and retreats offer you the opportunity for deep connection, healing, and growth that can lead you on the road to freedom, possibility, personal power & responsibility. Through our workshops and retreats, you will be invited to explore your inner world, express yourself creatively, and connect with others in a safe and supportive environment. Our experienced facilitators will guide you through various activities and exercises designed to help you process trauma and grief, release negative emotions, and tap into your inner wisdom and intuition.
By participating in our workshops and retreats, you can develop a deeper understanding of yourself, your strengths, and your values. You can learn how to set healthy boundaries, communicate effectively, and make conscious choices that align with your authentic self. With a renewed sense of personal power and responsibility, you can create a life that feels fulfilling and meaningful.
At Creating Space Therapy, we believe that healing is a journey, and we are committed to supporting you every step of the way. Our community of like-minded individuals is here to offer encouragement, inspiration, and solidarity as you continue to grow and evolve.
“Vulnerability is not winning or losing; it's having the courage to show up and be seen when we have no control over the outcome. Vulnerability is not weakness; it's our greatest measure of courage.” “People who wade into discomfort and vulnerability and tell the truth about their stories are the
real badasses.”
-Brene' Brown
Soul-Care = Self-Love
Before we can be authentic and vulnerable with others, we need to be authentic and vulnerable with ourselves. We need to show ourselves compassion and love. For most of us, that’s a pretty tall order.
The Power of Self-Love: Why It's Important for Your Mental Health and Well-Being
The first step towards self-love is acknowledging and accepting yourself for who you are. This means letting go of unrealistic expectations and societal standards that are often unattainable and can lead to self-doubt and negative self-talk. Instead, focus on your strengths, accomplishments, and unique qualities that make you who you are. It's essential to treat yourself with kindness, respect, and compassion, just as you would with a loved one or a close friend.
Self-love is the fuel that allows an individual to reach their full potential and is filled with compassion, grace, and gentleness. Creating space and prioritizing ourselves allows us to embrace our lives completely and wholeheartedly. Self-love is learning to extend kindness toward ourselves, even when we struggle and suffer. It is extending forgiveness to ourselves when we make mistakes. Self-love means prioritizing ourselves and giving ourselves permission to find and believe in our strengths and gifts. It means creating space to identify our needs and wants.
How to Practice Self-Love: Tips and Strategies for Prioritizing Your Needs
Another crucial aspect of self-love is soul-care. Taking care of yourself physically, emotionally, and mentally is crucial to your well-being. This means getting enough sleep, exercising, and eating a healthy diet. It also means engaging in activities that bring you joy and relaxation, such as reading a book, taking a bubble bath, or practicing meditation. Taking care of yourself also means setting boundaries and saying no when you need to. It's important to remember that self-care is not selfish, but rather a necessary aspect of self-love.
Depending on your perspective on humility and deservingness, you may find it difficult to assert that you are worthy of self-love. Compassion, care, and acceptance are in fact as fundamental as water, food, or shelter. Recognizing your worth and need for self-love is a core aspect of humanity.
The Role of Forgiveness in Self-Love: Letting Go of Past Mistakes and Moving Forward
Practicing self-love also means letting go of the past and forgiving yourself for past mistakes. Holding onto past mistakes and regrets can be detrimental to your mental health and prevent you from moving forward. Learning to forgive yourself can be challenging, but it's an essential step toward self-love and personal growth.
Self-Love vs. Selfishness: Understanding the Difference and Why Self-Love is Essential for Personal Growth
Self-love is often thought of as selfish and that couldn’t be further from the truth. In order to care for others effectively, one must first care for themselves. You can pour from an empty cup. Ultimately, self-care helps you and others.
Self-love delves beyond the surface and isn’t all about rainbows and unicorns along the way. Along with recognizing your worth, needs, and goals, self-love requires the courage to distinguish your weaknesses, challenges, and obstacles. Therefore, self-love necessitates humility, empathy, and concern for the self as well as for others.
Self-Love and Relationships: Surrounding Yourself with Supportive People
A critical component of self-love is recognizing your limits, needs, and worth, and asserting intrapersonal and interpersonal boundaries as needed to uphold them. Beyond the stereotypically positive perks, self-love also includes the decision to recognize your areas for growth, tailoring a compassionate approach that will allow you to bravely face it head-on to make necessary changes. True self-love can be enacted by taking accountability and responsibility as you courageously embark on your journey.
Self-love is also about surrounding yourself with positive and supportive people who uplift and encourage you. Toxic relationships can be detrimental to your self-esteem and overall well-being. It's important to surround yourself with people who accept and love you for who you are and who support you in your journey toward self-love.
Creating Space Creative Soul-Healing Workshops and Retreats: A Safe Space to Explore and Embrace Self-Love
Oftentimes, we struggle to know how to love ourselves. We quickly and easily identify shame and negative beliefs about ourselves and the need for self-love but get stuck, not knowing what steps to take to change. Oftentimes we feel lost, hopeless, and unsure that we'll ever be able to feel differently.
This is why we developed our Creating Space creative soul-care workshops and retreats. Our workshops and retreats are all about recognizing the facade and lies that we hold up and cling to. It's about learning to embrace our inherent dignity and worth and emerging softer, wiser, and more compassionate. We discover all the ways in which we are not broken but deeply and profoundly whole.
Self-love is an essential aspect of personal growth and well-being. It allows us to embrace our lives wholeheartedly, recognize our worth, and prioritize our needs and wants. Practicing self-love requires courage, vulnerability, and humility, but it's a necessary step toward reaching our full potential and living a fulfilling life.
Our Creating Space workshops and retreats offer a safe space to explore and embrace self-love, helping individuals emerge softer, wiser, and more compassionate towards themselves and others. Remember that self-love is not selfish but a necessary aspect of personal growth and well-being.
"Your task is not to seek love.
but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it."
-Rumi
Soul-Healing
The Transformative Power of Creativity
Creative soul-care exercises are creative projects and activities that foster creative wellness. Facilitators act as guides to support you on your journey to healing and re[connecting] to your heart and soul. These workshops and retreats are designed to help you feel whole and complete.
As adults, we let the verbal way of communication and self-expression dominate. We falsely believe that creativity is for paid, professional artists. But the truth is we are all born creative and if we allow ourselves to change our self-limiting beliefs then we can cultivate creativity and that set us free from limitations on who and what we are and can achieve.
In our heart-healing workshops and retreats, you are encouraged to let go of the need to prove yourself, to let go of the need to be perfect. You’re worth and dignity are inherent. We invite you to trust the process. To be curious about what your inner soul/child/world needs and wants to say. You are invited to practice acceptance without judgment of your inner needs and wants. You are invited to nurture your heart and soul.
Our Creating Space Creative Soul-Healing Workshops + Retreats
Truth Cards
Truth cards are sweet notes that you make for yourself as reminders of how loved you are, how much you matter and how capable you are.
We often forget these truths when we have gotten in the habit of believing the lies that we tell ourselves, but deep down and in our core we know these as truths.
Offered as a 3-hour workshop with all supplies included.
Heart + Soul Restoration
To restore your life, your personal power, and your heart + soul . . . you've got to dig in and find the roots of the lies you believe about yourself. Then you TELL THEM THE TRUTH.
Heart + Soul Restoration takes you through a revolutionary process that doesn't change you, but RESTORES YOU back to who you have always been.
Under all that's happened to you, and all that you've believed about yourself . . . your original, magnificent self is still there.
Offered as either a 6 week group or full-day retreat with all supplies, lunch and snacks included.
I am
The "I am" workshop is a fun and simple workshop that reminds us of the truth of who we are. It uses simple cut-and-paste prompts and a little creativity. But the results are anything but basic.
One of the ways we can heal from grief and trauma is to remember all of the magnificent ways we show up in the world and how much our gifts are needed.
Offered as a 3-hour workshop with all supplies included.
[Re]Discovering Myself
It's not uncoming after a significant life event whether that is a death, a traumatic experience or significant life changes such getting married or starting a family, that we realize we don't recognize ourselves anymore.
In this workshop you re[discover] who you are, why you’re here, and what you truly want.
You’ll find the courage to embrace the magnificance that is you and begin to thrive.
Offered as either a 6 week group or full-day retreat with all supplies, lunch and snacks included.