Imaginal Vision
Expressive Art Therapy & Digital Tools
Where creative expression meets therapeutic insight
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In 1964, the French philosopher Henry Corbin coined the word imaginal to describe something most of us sense but struggle to name — a way of knowing through images that is as real as sight or reason. Not imaginary, not make-believe, but a genuine mode of perception. The imaginal is what happens when a painting moves you before you can explain why, or when a dream image stays with you long after waking.
The psychologist James Hillman made this idea central to his life's work. He saw imagination not as escapism but as the very foundation of the psyche — the place where meaning is made. Later, Shaun McNiff brought the imaginal into the therapy room through expressive arts, showing that when we draw, collage, write, or move, we're not just expressing ourselves. We're participating in something deeper: a creative dialogue with our own inner life.
“An image is not what one sees but the way in which one sees.”
Edward Casey, philosopher
Art Cards and Dreamscape are built on this tradition. They're tools for imaginal seeing — ways to work with images as a path toward insight, whether in a therapy session, a classroom, or a quiet moment of personal exploration.
Use Art Cards and Dreamscape between sessions or during telehealth to deepen your expressive arts work.
A training tool for expressive arts programs. Currently used at CIIS for intake training.
Integrate these tools into your own practice, whether you work in-person or remotely.
No therapy background needed. Browse the card deck, create a collage, see what emerges.
Cassandra Clark is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT #116676) with over nine years of clinical experience. She holds an MA in Counseling Psychology with an emphasis in Expressive Arts Therapy from the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) in San Francisco.
Her practice is rooted in Jungian and transpersonal psychology, drawing on expressive arts, dreamwork, and guided imagery to help clients access deeper layers of meaning. She created Art Cards and Dreamscape as extensions of this work—tools that bring the therapeutic imagination into digital space.
Trauma-informed therapy grounded in expressive arts, guided imagery, and depth psychology. Available in-person in Nevada City, CA and online for California residents.
Sliding scale: $132–200 per session
Insurance accepted: MediCal (Partnership, Anthem, HealthNet), Blue Shield, Aetna
Expressive arts workshops coming in 2026. Check back soon for offerings.
