The Mystery of Memory: How Expressive Arts Helps Access the Unseen
“There are no memories worth keeping that aren’t also sometimes painful” — Martha Beck
Our brains are mysterious landscapes that are complex, beautiful, and still largely unexplored. Even with decades of neuroscience research, much of what happens inside our minds remains a wonder. Memory, in particular, is one of those fascinating mysteries.
At its core, memory is the brain’s way of encoding, storing, and retrieving information. Scientists describe it in three key stages:
Encoding – transforming sensory input into a form the brain can store.
Storage – maintaining that information over time.
Retrieval – bringing stored information back into our conscious awareness.
That last stage of retrieval is especially intriguing to me. As an Expressive Arts therapist, much of my work centres on what lies beneath the surface of conscious recall: the world of the unconscious and subconscious mind. This is where our implicit memories live, in the sensations, emotions, and experiences that shape us, even when we’re not aware of them.
Most of us are familiar with short-term and long-term memory but we often overlook another distinction: implicit vs. explicit memory.
Explicit memory involves conscious awareness by recalling facts, events, and details we can name and describe.
Implicit memory, on the other hand, operates quietly beneath awareness. It guides our instincts, emotional reactions, and habits such as knowing how to ride a bike, navigate a familiar route, or react to a comforting smell. These memories influence our thoughts and behaviors without needing to be consciously recalled.
How Expressive Arts Engage the Unconscious
When you engage in expressive arts whether through painting, writing, movement, sound or story, you’re doing more than creating. You’re activating implicit memory, giving form to experiences and emotions that conscious awareness alone can’t reach.
The creative process becomes a bridge between your unconscious and conscious mind. You might find yourself drawn to certain colors, gestures, or symbols without knowing why. Over time, these intuitive choices reveal layers of meaning and emotion: the grief, joy, fear, or hope that is quietly waiting to be seen.
This is what makes the expressive arts such a powerful tool for self-discovery, growth and healing. The process invites what’s hidden to come into the light, not through logic or analysis, but through imagination and creative expression.
As we create, we remember not just the facts and timelines, but the feelings, sensations, and images that reconnect us to our whole selves.
If you’re curious about exploring your inner world and uncovering the stories your unconscious holds, join one of my upcoming expressive arts workshops or classes. Together, we’ll use creativity as a bridge between what’s hidden and what’s ready to emerge.
Join a workshop or class and begin your journey of self-discovery: https://www.firepotexat.com/workshops
