The Art of Body Acceptance: Strengthen Your Relationship with Yourself Through Therapeutic Creative Exercises

by Ashlee Bennett

Make Bad Art. Make Messy Art. Make Art that Heals You, Grounds You and Inspires You to Have More Compassion for Your Body and Yourself.You are inherently creative. Yes, you. Even if you’ve never picked up a paintbrush before, registered art therapist Ashlee Bennett will teach you how to reclaim your creativity and make amends with your body using art.In our image-obsessed society, it’s easy to be bogged down by the negative messaging that you’re not enough, that your creativity and self-expression aren’t “right” and that your body isn’t worthy of love and respect. But Ashlee sees the falsehood in those messages and is here to guide you to a place of greater compassion, acceptance and connection with your body and your inner self.Therapeutic art exercises give you unconditional permission to express yourself. Creating a sensations map helps you connect your body and mind, forming sculptures allows you to represent your inner qualities using clay and making a collage gives you the opportunity to express the way you wish media reflected bodies and appearance. The goal isn’t to create art worthy of a museum or even your refrigerator door—the goal is to use art as a way to reconnect with your body, reject harmful beauty standards enforced by our society and learn that you are worthy of taking up space, just the way you are.

Genres: Nonfiction, Mental Health, Self Help, Counselling, Bodies

261 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 25, 2021

Reviews

[Kasia · Rating 3 out of 5]

The art prompts are interesting — maybe better suited to young teens

[Olivia Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Had this book recommended by the counselor who led an art therapy group I participated in so that our group could continue on our own once our sessions were done, and I’m so glad we got our own copies! The exercises in this book are so helpful, and Ashlee Bennett’s voice on the page is so warm and kind- it’s almost like having a therapist right there with you! I really like how she both explained the thoughts we may have about ourselves, where those may come from, and how we can work through art to reframe them. Would recommend this book to anyone- whether you are trying to heal yourself from the inside or outside 💕 Definitely going to be something I come back to often and even bring in to my own therapist!

[Jenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Gifted copy, no obligation for a review).
Ashlee is a must-follow on Instagram. I've learned so much from her across the years that I have followed her work. This book is such an important extension to the body of writing that she has shared. Each chapter starts by explaining socio-political influences (amongst others) on our body image. She then guides us through creative exercises to help us move toward more embodied living. I love that each chapter has a number of exercises, allowing us to pick the ones most useful to our own personal work.

[Hazel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somehow missed the memo that this was actually an art therapy book. Oops! I tried a couple of these exercises and I can definitely see how they have application. However, I do feel I've already gone through a lot of these mission statements already in life , through other material I've read. BUT, this is a new amazing resource out there for those of us with body image issues (aka all of us)
I absolutely love Ashlee's Instagram account and it provides me with all of the daily inspiration that I need to continue on the journey. Great work!

[Guerry Sisters · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to #partner Page Street Publishing for our copy of The Art of Body Acceptance.

Rating: 4 star
Genre: Nonfiction

Thoughts: I saw a recommendation for this book and immediately requested it! I really didn't know what to expect.

This is such a beautiful book, both physically and the ideas/activities in the book. I am excited to add this book to my collection.

Many times we recommend practices that are more written or spoken. I think adding practices through art can be so helpful with body image!

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

I marked just about every art prompt from Chapter 6 onwards. Looking forward to recommending these to clients.

[Ella · Rating 1 out of 5]

Felt infantilised. The majority of 'self-help' books I've read are tiresomely ableist, this included.

[Dollee Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Art therapist in training here! This book was a beautifully curated collection for art therapy prompts and exercises. From a personal perspective as a plus sized individual it was a joy to read and reflect on my self image. As a therapist in school I see how these would positively impact my clients. A must add to your resource shelf!

[Kayla Slater · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great for working with some clients who are passionate about art and struggling with self-esteem and overall body image. Loved the different activities and have definitely utilized these in sessions.