What if you could paint your deepest emotions — without anyone judging whether the painting is beautiful, and without needing to analyze what it means? In this episode, I talk with Bahar Amanzadeh, an intuitive painting guide whose trauma-informed workshops create a safe, somatic space for emotional healing through art.

Bahar explains how intuitive painting differs from art therapy, why healing happens in the body before it happens in the mind, and how community and creativity can help us find rootedness even in the most turbulent times. As a member of the Iranian diaspora, she also shares how this practice helps her and her community process grief, displacement, and the ongoing trauma of war.

Whether you're an artist or have never picked up a paintbrush, I think this episode will change the way you think about creativity, emotional expression, and healing.

In this episode:

What an intuitive painting guide does — and how it differs from art therapy
How somatic, body-based art practices support trauma healing
Why the inner critic shows up in creative work — and how to work with it
The role of community in emotional healing
How Persian poetry, music, and culture help Bahar stay rooted during crisis
Finding belonging and identity as part of the Iranian diaspora

Timestamped Highlights

0:12 — I introduce the show and share a personal story about anger, shame, and the need for nonjudgmental emotional expression
2:21 — Bahar's background: from dentist to intuitive painting guide, and her training with Kris Sydell
3:55 — What is an intuitive painting guide? Bahar explains the role and the process
5:28 — How intuitive painting differs from art therapy
8:32 — How Bahar found her way to intuitive painting as a single mom, immigrant, and sensitive soul
13:05 — The inner critic: why it always shows up and how facilitators help participants work with it
16:22 — A recent workshop in the Oakland Hills redwoods: painting, poetry, movement, and the theme of rootedness
21:30 — The elephant in the room: being part of the Iranian diaspora during a time of war and violence
24:12 — Finding rootedness through Persian and Sufi poetry, music, and ancestry
28:52 — How transformation happens incrementally — and why healing is never all or nothing
33:38 — Why Bahar named her practice "Painting the River" — and what that metaphor means for healing
38:43 — How to find Bahar: paintingtheriver.com and Instagram @artforhealing7

Resources & Links

Bahar Amanzadeh's website: paintingtheriver.com
Instagram: @artforhealing7
Learn more about the show: arthealsallwoundspodcast.com
Follow me on Substack for updates

Music by Ketsa, Lobo Loco, and Barbara Higbie.

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