Repairing the Broken Bowl: Exploring the Therapeutic Applications of the Japanese Art of Kintsugi

This workshop will explore the Japanese philosophy of wabi-sabi and the ancient practice of kintsugi. Wabi-sabi is an aesthetic that embraces imperfection and the transient nature of things, while kintsugi is the meticulous art of repairing broken pottery with gold, highlighting the beauty in the object’s history rather than concealing its flaws. These approaches value the cycle of breakage and repair as integral to an object’s story, encouraging a perspective that sees change as an opportunity rather than a reason for discard.

Participants will journey through a creative approach to grief therapy that merges expressive arts with attachment theory, trauma theory, thanatology, and Neimeyer’s constructivist theory of meaning making. The workshop will focus on how the process of repairing the Broken Bowl can aid various populations by fostering resilience and demonstrating the phases that bridge the gap between loss and restoration. Following the lecture, participants will engage in a hands-on art experiential activity, designed to mirror the kintsugi process of mending a broken bowl. Through this activity, participants will learn about attachment, integration, resilience, and the practice of making meaning from brokenness.