I. Behind Bio-Mindful-Art

The concept of combining these three elements - Biology, psychology, and art - wasn't born from divine inspiration, a trend, or simply because it seemed appealing. I strongly believe that God always understands which individuals, locations, and circumstances I need to shift my focus and absorb lessons. This is how biopsychology entered my life, offering a path to further my academic pursuits in the US with my student visa. It was God, speaking through my advisor, as I would never have personally selected a degree in the science field out of my own interest. That decisions and everything that came with making that choice lead me to this approach.

Over time, health has evolved into a life value that I have sought to uphold in various ways and at different times through personal experimentation. Yet, I hadn't committed time to formally studying the human body, except for the brain, which remains a mystery to me even after earning three degrees in psychology. Truthfully, I never imagined I would grow to love cellular biology, chemistry, and the flawless internal processes of the human body as much as I do now. 

Biopsychology was the "X " I had been missing in the equation I had been trying to solve for years using countless personal development tools, therapy, self-help books, diets, sports, podcasts, and everything else a curious mind can explore to understand and cherish moments of adversity and joy. And that's me: a curious mind with a limited memory, who never fully finishes learning and has nothing figured it out.

My path in psychology has been long. I've spent a decade exploring human behavior in Colombia and the US, sifting through scientific articles in databases, analyzing case studies, and finding the strongest evidence to support the latest academic theories. Honestly, and this might sound cliché to some, no class has taught me more than examining my own behavior by studying my body as a whole.

I am thankful for the opportunity to study and learn from remarkable professors; having an academic background in any form is crucial for nurturing perspective and critical thinking. In my experience, it was by living, making errors, experimenting, and enduring pain that I truly understood the human body's—commanded by our brain—ability to heal, transform, and create extraordinary realities.

It was only by experiencing and managing intense emotions that I realized transforming my behavior and evolving required more than going to therapy and accumulating diplomas. I needed to connect with my biology and acknowledge the human body as a whole, rather than focusing solely on the brain. Now, I view the brain as the CEO that needs alignment with the rest of the body to thrive with purpose, not as an isolated machine or an abstract mind.

During my divorce, which was one of the most emotionally challenging experiences of my life, clinical therapy proved to be a powerful tool; though in my case, it wasn't the only or most crucial one. The divorce felt like an emotional upheaval, not necessarily because of the failure of the concept of romantic love, but due to the trauma of confronting violent patterns and taking responsibility for my unprocessed wounds and experiences. I confronted the pain of trauma, grief, anxiety, and sadness at the right moment, as I likely wouldn't have been ready earlier; I needed the prior experiences to open my eyes and go deep inside myself.

From the first session, I worked with my psychologist, an amazing woman both personally and professionally, on healing the trauma. Undoubtedly, clinical therapy was a powerful tool for learning to recognize how my body had stored so many emotions over the years and how I had never taken the time to transform them. Somatic therapy and EMDR were vital in this process to develop self-awareness and, finally, after 30 years, stop avoiding what I felt. It involved months of weekly clinical therapy, enduring the pain without medication, as I never opted for pharmacological treatment.

However, therapy wasn't the main focus. I would spend hours in my room painting hearts and experimenting with colors on canvases. Through painting, I discovered an ideal way to convey with colors what was too painful to articulate with words. With vibrant bursts of color, I expressed my emotions without the fear of judgment, without feeling shame, guilt, or the need to justify my truth to anyone. Painting offered me a sense of belonging in a world that, at the time, felt rather dull.

Nevertheless, art wasn't the most important tool for me either. Following my divorce, I took up running on the treadmill. Initially, I started running a mile, and after each run, I practiced breathing exercises that I learned in my first therapy session and recited positive affirmations I created myself. I grew to love exercise, not for physical appearance, but for the sense of vitality it gave me, which helped me reconnect with reality.

All of this to summarize that therapy, painting, and exercise we are equally important in my journey of growth and emotional healing, a journey that will continue to accompany me for as long as I live.

Amidst using all these tools, there came a time when life started to feel enjoyable once more. It wasn't tied to a particular day, nor was it a sudden realization or a divine insight. It was akin to how children first crawl, then stand, and eventually start walking. I found the energy to create a life that felt fulfilling.

I started making new friends, enjoying time with my family again, focusing on my routines, working, and continuing my studies. And, most importantly, continuing to experiment and live, because more mistakes came, more heartbreaks, more mirrors of unresolved patterns, and millions of frustrations. The school of life never stops.

At that point, I began studying biopsychology and a master's in positive psychology. Without realizing it, I started adopting new habits, examining and comprehending them from a biochemical standpoint. I learned about the importance of hydration and how a mineral-deficient body operates at a low frequency and began to take salt and magnesium seriously. I overcame my fear of sunlight and started enjoying coffee in the mornings while facing the sun and walking barefoot on the cold grass. I ceased depriving myself of food and began providing my body with the necessary nutrients, without counting calories or enduring prolonged fasting. I quit fixating on scientific articles and instead paid closer attention to my body's signals, which I still regard as the most reliable evidence. Our bodies are always communicating with us, yet often we seek answers externally rather than listening to our internal cues.

I realized that to keep evolving, I had to acknowledge and take responsibility for my biology. Therapy, art, and exercise routines alone without a deep connection weren't sufficient to thrive, as the solution seems to extend further: the root comes from depth and the origin. BioMindfulArt embodies that concept: Going back to the origin, to the root, and connecting with life by honoring the biology of the human body.

Did I then discover the only way to evolve? No. BioMindfulArt is not a new, supernatural, or mystical tool. This approach is a fusion of concepts that have existed for years in books, in ancestral cultures, in psychology, and in biology.

Why Did I Want to Merge Biology, Positive Psychology, and Art? Because it works for me, and it can work for others, of course, adapting to individual life goals, interests, and values. Each person experiences their process differently and finds in these elements the form that represents them best, as art is not just about painting, exercise is not just about running, and therapy and healing are not just about sitting on a couch to be heard.

Regarding positive psychology, my opinion on medication, and each element of this fusion, I will discuss in another post to avoid extending this one more. The conclusion is that behind BioMindfulArt there is a story and a purpose. I believe in this approach because I practice it to this day, and I see how my life has color when I use my creativity, connect with the present moment, take responsibility for my emotions, and prioritize physical movement.

I don't have the only formula, and I don't believe there is a single way to live. I have much to learn and continue experimenting. The practice of this approach doesn't give me a perfect life or having everything together; it simply embraces the tools and lessons that help me love the life I have been building and contribute the best energy to the world, even on cloudy days. That's the why behind!

Welcome to Biomindfulart, thanks for reading ♡

Maria Jose Tovar