“Community is created when we write, listen and speak from the heart” – Ahava Shira I first heard about the Barcelona Journaling Festival last year, when Marusha Mozolevskaya, one of the co-founders, contacted me about the first edition, which would take place two months later, in November 2024. I loved […]
poetry therapy
6 posts
Client Background Julia, an experienced Spanish learner, reached out seeking support with a very specific challenge. Despite years of study, she struggled with severe anxiety when speaking the language. While she could read and understand Spanish reasonably well, the act of speaking triggered deep fears connected to childhood experiences of […]
Sometimes the words of others are medicine. Not every day, not every moment. Sometimes they reach you, sometimes they drift past. I have emails of poems I subscribe to, and a handful of poets I follow on Instagram. Some mornings I open them and stop after the first line; other […]
Language learning is often taught as a formula: grammar + vocabulary + repetition = fluency. But for many learners—especially adults navigating Spanish learning anxiety—this equation leaves something out: the human experience. The fear of sounding “wrong.” The grief of losing one’s native voice. The longing to express feelings deeper than […]
Reclaiming language through art For neurodivergent adults and individuals affected by trauma, learning a language can be more than an academic challenge—it can be a deeply personal and emotional process. Traditional methods often overlook the internal experiences of learners whose brains process language, emotion, and identity differently. This is where […]
Identity is not fixed. It’s more a multifaceted, fluid, ever-changing looking glass through which we view the world. Yet one of the most profound filters we use to interpret reality remains unchanged throughout our lives. As a migrant who left her native country 20 years ago, I have spent as […]