An Art Therapy Exercise to Support Habit Change After Ceremony: Rewire your rituals with image, intention, and imagination
You left ceremony with a vow.
“No more numbing.”
“I’m ready to quit drinking.”
“I want to start my mornings in meditation.”
“I need to set boundaries with love.”
But now you're back home… and the old pull is strong.
The scroll. The glass of wine. The people-pleasing. The overwhelm.
You remember your clarity, but you can’t always feel it.
So what if you didn’t just think about change—
What if you created a visual map of the shift you’re stepping into?
Here’s one powerful art therapy exercise I give to clients in early integration— especially those working to break an old habit and build a new one.
Art Exercise: “The Threshold”
What it’s for:
This process externalizes your habit loop so you can see the moment of choice—and give it shape, color, and power.
It anchors your intention in your body and subconscious through creative engagement.
What You’ll Need:
A blank sheet of paper (large if possible)
Markers, oil pastels, crayons, pens—anything you like
A quiet space where you won’t be interrupted
Your post-ceremony journal or intention
Step-by-Step:
1. Draw a Threshold or Gateway
In the center of the page, draw a doorway, bridge, or threshold.
This represents the moment of choice—the pause between the old and the new.
The sacred pause where you can choose a different path.
2. Label the Left Side: “Old Pattern”
On the left side of the threshold, draw symbols, textures, or imagery that represent your old habit:
What triggers it?
How does it feel in your body?
What does it cost you?
What does it protect you from?
Let the images be abstract, emotional, symbolic.
3. Label the Right Side: “New Pattern”
On the right side of the threshold, draw imagery that represents your new ritual or intention:
What’s the feeling state you’re seeking?
What does it nourish in you?
How does this support your values?
What new identity does it reflect?
Include symbols of growth, strength, compassion, presence—whatever matches your truth.
Optional Integration:
Place the drawing where you’ll see it each morning
Use it before facing a trigger (e.g., pour tea and sit with it for 60 seconds)
Pair it with a mantra like:
“I am choosing again. I walk the bridge I drew.”
Want More Creative Tools for Integration?
Join a Creative Integration Circle to make change alongside others
Or work 1:1 to explore habit change through art, vision, and accountability
Let your intentions become image.
Let your art become action.
Let your healing become habit.