About Vivian.

I was called to create long before I understood the language of healing.

At six years old, art became my refuge. It was where I could breathe, make sense of emotion, and express what words could not yet hold. Journaling and creative expression were not hobbies — they were anchors.

That creative thread stayed with me as I became a registered nurse, working in high-intensity medical environments where I witnessed both the fragility and resilience of the human spirit. I saw firsthand the cost of burnout, the weight of unprocessed grief, and the need for spaces where people could soften and be fully seen.

My early work focused on helping burned-out nurses reconnect with themselves through compassion and embodied awareness. But the path expanded.

Through my mentorship with Melisa Pearce — psychotherapist, master gestaltist, and founder of Touched by a Horse — I was trained in somatic processing and the tending of unfinished emotional experiences in partnership with horses. This work established a strong experiential and psychological foundation rooted in witnessing rather than fixing.

It was in my time with Melisa that I began to understand what is known as the Arc of Healing—the natural progression that unfolds when a person feels safe enough to be deeply witnessed. Through the profound partnership with horses, I saw how the nervous system softens, how the body begins to release what the mind has long held, and how integration becomes possible not through force, but through presence.

At the same time, my Reiki Master teacher, Cindy Rackley, deepened my understanding of energy awareness — teaching me to recognize the subtle relational field present between people and horses alike.

As a nurse, I integrate trauma-informed care and nervous system science into every experience. Research in neurobiology and co-regulation demonstrates that safety and attunement influence resilience and emotional health. Horses, as highly perceptive herd animals, respond immediately to shifts in human physiology and emotional state, offering clear, honest feedback that supports embodied self-awareness.

My creative foundation was shaped by the Morning Pages practice of Julia Cameron and the mindful writing approach of Natalie Goldberg. Today, I am especially inspired by expressive writing research from James W. Pennebaker and John F. Evans, whose studies demonstrate that structured emotional writing can improve health outcomes, process trauma, and build resilience.

Over time, these threads intersected.

Clinical training.

Energy awareness.

Nervous system science.

Creative expression.

Equine partnership.

From this intersection, Art Soul & Horses emerged.

Today, I work with teens navigating anxiety, bullying, and identity development; adults moving through burnout, grief, and life transitions; and helping professionals seeking renewal. In the presence of horses and through expressive art and writing, I have witnessed nervous systems settle, authentic voices emerge, and confidence return.

I do not believe people need fixing.

I believe they need safe space, attuned presence, and opportunities to remember their own inner authority.

Art is not an accessory to this work —

It is the bridge where science, somatics, energy awareness, and equine presence converge into lived transformation.

It is an honor to hold this space.

About Dana.

Words like grace, beauty, strength, power, and nobility come to mind when I think of a horse. My love for them began when I was a toddler. I remember feeling magnetically drawn to them. I remember feeling a sense of excitement and aliveness whenever I was in their presence. It took me years to be able to understand why the world seemed a little more magical when they were around.

Horses walk the earth connected to the inner and outer world. They embody their truth in each moment and with every step they take. They are kind, powerful, graceful , and noble creatures that speak a language older than words. When permitted, they make wonderful teachers always ready to teach the lesson we are ready to receive.

The most valuable lessons seem to be those where we are courageous enough to put our personal agendas aside and allow the heart to lead. How can I stay connected to my heart and to the hearts of others? Perhaps the aliveness and free spirit we so much love in them serves to remind us of our own potential. The grace of a life free of the constraints of the ego.

Through my paintings, I seek to pay homage to the infinite ways in which horses have elevated our lives individually and as a species. It’s my heart’s desire to render their beauty and spirit with deep gratitude.

Dana Del Castillo