Our Wave LogoOur Wave Logo

Community

Community

Questions & Answers

Questions & Answers

Find Support

Find Support

Community

Community

Questions & Answers

Q&A

Find Support

Support

0

Users

0

Views

0

Reactions

0

Stories read

Need to take a break?

For immediate help, visit {{resource}}

Show resources for

United States flagUnited States
Argentina flagArgentinaAustralia flagAustraliaBolivia flagBoliviaCanada flagCanadaChile flagChileColombia flagColombiaCosta Rica flagCosta RicaCuba flagCubaDominican Republic flagDominican RepublicEcuador flagEcuadorEl Salvador flagEl SalvadorEquatorial Guinea flagEquatorial GuineaGuatemala flagGuatemalaHonduras flagHondurasIreland flagIrelandJapan flagJapanMexico flagMexicoNicaragua flagNicaraguaNew Zealand flagNew ZealandPanama flagPanamaParaguay flagParaguayPeru flagPeruPuerto Rico flagPuerto RicoSpain flagSpainUnited Kingdom flagUnited KingdomUruguay flagUruguayVenezuela flagVenezuela
English
EnglishEspañol日本語

Made with in Raleigh, NC

Read our Community Guidelines, Privacy Policy, and Terms

Have feedback? Send it to us

Activity

Healing through photos

by Dr. Laura Sinko, PhD, MSHP, RN

Healing is a complex, non-linear process filled with highs and lows in our lives. It includes small, everyday moments that might seem ordinary but contribute significantly to our growth and wellbeing. For some, healing is a moment of feeling safe in your body. For others, it is a place where you feel seen. It might be time with someone you trust, a quiet morning, the feeling of moving through the world without carrying as much weight.

Sometimes healing is barely noticeable — a small shift in how you breathe, how you move through a room, how you let yourself rest.

The purpose of this activity is to explore what healing looks and feels like for you, by photographing experiences that influence your healing journey. This includes significant breakthroughs and subtle daily moments where you notice yourself feeling better, even briefly.

With care,

How it works

  1. Choose 1-8 photos that represent healing moments for you from your camera roll or take new ones.
  2. Reflect on the images and what story they are telling
  3. Notice your patterns and explore how to prioritize healing in your life

Choose from my camera roll

Take a week to take photos

Why it works

Developed by Dr. Laura Sinko, this activity uses Photo-experiencing and Reflective Listening (PEARL), to help survivors notice and make sense of their healing as it happens day to day. Research on PEARL has found that reflecting through photos helps survivors engage in purposeful reflection, stay connected to the present moment, and build a plan to make progress toward their healing goals.

Learn more about the science behind this activity on Dr. Laura's blog post

Keep in touch

You do not have to walk this path alone. Let us know how you'd like us to support you.

Keep me going. Send occasional check-ins to help me along this week of photographing my healing.

For immediate help, visit {{resource}}

Made with in Raleigh, NC

|

Read our Community Guidelines, Privacy Policy, and Terms

|

Resources

Post a Message

Share a message of support with the community.

We will send you an email as soon as your message is posted, as well as send helpful resources and support.

Please adhere to our Community Guidelines to help us keep Our Wave a safe space. All messages will be reviewed and identifying information removed before they are posted.

Ask a Question

Ask a question about survivorship or supporting survivors.

We will send you an email as soon as your question is answered, as well as send helpful resources and support.

How can we help?

Tell us why you are reporting this content. Our moderation team will review your report shortly.

Violence, hate, or exploitation

Threats, hateful language, or sexual coercion

Bullying or unwanted contact

Harassment, intimidation, or persistent unwanted messages

Scam, fraud, or impersonation

Deceptive requests or claiming to be someone else

False information

Misleading claims or deliberate disinformation

Share Feedback

Tell us what’s working (and what isn't) so we can keep improving.

Log in

Enter the email you used to submit to Our Wave and we'll send you a magic link to access your profile.

Grounding activity

Find a comfortable place to sit. Gently close your eyes and take a couple of deep breaths - in through your nose (count to 3), out through your mouth (count of 3). Now open your eyes and look around you. Name the following out loud:

5 – things you can see (you can look within the room and out of the window)

4 – things you can feel (what is in front of you that you can touch?)

3 – things you can hear

2 – things you can smell

1 – thing you like about yourself.

Take a deep breath to end.

From where you are sitting, look around for things that have a texture or are nice or interesting to look at.

Hold an object in your hand and bring your full focus to it. Look at where shadows fall on parts of it or maybe where there are shapes that form within the object. Feel how heavy or light it is in your hand and what the surface texture feels like under your fingers (This can also be done with a pet if you have one).

Take a deep breath to end.

Ask yourself the following questions and answer them out loud:

1. Where am I?

2. What day of the week is today?

3. What is today’s date?

4. What is the current month?

5. What is the current year?

6. How old am I?

7. What season is it?

Take a deep breath to end.

Put your right hand palm down on your left shoulder. Put your left hand palm down on your right shoulder. Choose a sentence that will strengthen you. For example: “I am powerful.” Say the sentence out loud first and pat your right hand on your left shoulder, then your left hand on your right shoulder.

Alternate the patting. Do ten pats altogether, five on each side, each time repeating your sentences aloud.

Take a deep breath to end.

Cross your arms in front of you and draw them towards your chest. With your right hand, hold your left upper arm. With your left hand, hold your right upper arm. Squeeze gently, and pull your arms inwards. Hold the squeeze for a little while, finding the right amount of squeeze for you in this moment. Hold the tension and release. Then squeeze for a little while again and release. Stay like that for a moment.

Take a deep breath to end.