GROW Batch #2 Session 2 invited participants to explore how grief can show up in the body through creative expression and body mapping. In this session, natural materials became a way to reflect on bodily sensations, recognise difficult-to-name emotions, and explore personal experiences of loss at their own pace. Through this process, participants practised listening to themselves without judgment, in a supportive space where not everything had to be put into words.
When Grief Lives in the Body
Grief does not live only in our memories. Sometimes, the body holds its own stories, too.
After establishing a sense of safety and beginning to explore different forms of grief in the first session, participants of GROW Batch #2 Session 2 were invited to notice how experiences of loss can show up in the body.
Grief does not always arrive as sadness that is easy to recognise. Sometimes, it appears as tightness in the chest, heaviness in the shoulders, stiffness throughout the body, or an emptiness that is difficult to explain. Some experiences are already possible to put into words, while others remain difficult to name.
Through a session titled What the Body Holds: Mapping Emotions Through Nature, GROW Batch #2 Session 2 invited participants to slow down and pay attention to bodily sensations without rushing to understand, judge, or change them.
Not every feeling needs to find its words right away. Sometimes, we can begin simply by noticing.
Mapping Our Experiences Through the Body
During GROW Batch #2 Session 2, participants explored body mapping as a way to reflect on the relationship between emotional experiences and bodily sensations.
The process began with drawing a body outline on paper. Participants were then invited to notice which parts of the body seemed to hold something, whether it was tension, heaviness, warmth, emptiness, or another sensation.
There were no right or wrong answers. The intention was not to find a definitive explanation for what they felt, but to create space to recognise their experiences with greater attention and curiosity.
A simple question, “Where in my body do I feel that something is being held?”, became a starting point for listening to themselves.
This approach resonates with a 2025 study by Schamroth, Berman, and Spencer, published in the Journal of Education and Development, which explored body mapping as an art therapy methodology in medical education. The programme invited medical students to create visual representations of their personal histories and experiences. In their feedback, students reported greater self-awareness and self-reflection, alongside perceived improvements in their ability to approach others with empathy. The authors also acknowledged limitations, including the small group of 24 students and the absence of a longitudinal study to assess longer-term effects.
Although the study focused on medical student education rather than grief support, it offers a useful perspective on how creative, visual approaches can create opportunities for reflection and a deeper awareness of personal experiences.
At GROW Batch #2 Session 2, body mapping offered a related opportunity: to explore how experiences of loss might be felt in the body, even when they were difficult to articulate. By translating sensations into shapes, materials, and visual forms, participants could begin to engage with their experiences without needing to explain everything in words.
Participants did not need to know the answers immediately. They could simply begin to notice, at their own pace.
Letting Nature Help Tell the Story
During GROW Batch #2 Session 2, participants used natural materials such as pebbles, dried leaves, flower petals, twigs, seeds, and clay to express their bodily experiences.
Each material offered different possibilities, from the heaviness of a pebble to the flexibility of clay. Participants chose and arranged materials on their body maps based on what resonated with their experiences.
There were no predetermined meanings or expectations to create something beautiful. Through this creative process, GROW Batch #2 Session 2 offered a way to express feelings that might be difficult to put into words, at each participant’s own pace.
Expressing Without Having to Tell Everything
During GROW Batch #2 Session 2, participants had the freedom to choose what they wanted to create, share, or keep private. Through body mapping, they could express their experiences without having to tell their entire story.
This reflects GROW’s commitment to creating a supportive space that respects personal boundaries. Observing, creating in silence, or simply being present were also meaningful ways to participate.
A safe space does not demand everyone open up. It allows each person to decide how, when, and how much they wish to share.
Learning to Listen to the Body Without Judgment
During GROW Batch #2 Session 2, participants observed their body maps and reflected on the sensations they noticed, from heaviness and tension to warmth or emptiness.
Through reflection and their workbook, they began developing a vocabulary for describing bodily experiences.
Rather than finding answers or forcing sensations to disappear, GROW Batch #2 Session 2 encouraged participants to notice what was present with curiosity and without judgment.
Recognising what is happening within us can be a first step toward understanding our needs and exploring how we might care for ourselves.
Returning the Natural Materials to the Garden
At the end of GROW Batch #2 Session 2, the natural materials used during the creative process were returned to the garden as a simple closing ritual.
Returning the materials did not mean that every feeling had to be released, too. There was no expectation to leave with a lighter heart or to find answers to every question.
Perhaps something had become easier to understand. Perhaps something still had no clear shape or words. Both were allowed to exist.
Just as natural materials return to the cycles of life, our experiences continue to move and change over time.
We are allowed to grow without having to resolve everything today.
The Body Has Stories, Too
Through this session, GROW Batch #2 continued to explore grief as an experience that cannot always be explained through words alone. The body, movement, objects, and visual expression can also offer ways to approach these experiences with greater gentleness.
Thank you to all participants who showed up and helped care for this shared space. Our gratitude also goes to Vina Puspita and Clessya for accompanying the creative exploration through natural materials, as well as the peer facilitator and Pratita, our peer counsellor, who helped maintain a supportive environment throughout the session.
GROW is not about finding a way to recover quickly or making every uncomfortable feeling disappear. It is a space to learn to recognise our experiences, build connections with others, and discover ways to keep moving through change and loss.
Because every story has its own rhythm.
We do not have to resolve everything today. We can keep learning to listen to ourselves, one small step at a time.
Because growing does not have to be something you do alone.
Curious to learn more about GROW? Read about the programme, its approach, and the six-week journey on our GROW Support Group page.