At the halfway point of my Erasmus exchange, my experience has been enriching and aligned with the work plan. From the very beginning, I was fully involved in Espacio Lume’s activities, which allowed me to contribute meaningfully rather than observing passively. The collaboration with my Host Entrepreneur has been fluid, creative, and based on mutual learning.
Progress toward objectives has been substantial. We co-developed a holistic methodology combining art therapy, EMDR-inspired tools, and body-based practices. I applied these methods in community and private settings, including collaborations with the health centre and community school in Jinámar, and with the association Ocho Pies. These activities strengthened Espacio Lume’s community presence and expanded its therapeutic offer.
Significant early events included two art workshops in Jinámar with children and adolescents with disabilities, and a family-based creative session in Gáldar. These experiences showed me how art becomes a universal language and reinforced the value of trauma-informed, creative approaches.
We also began reorganising Espacio Lume’s physical space, designing new programming, and preparing two joint project proposals for donors. Initial contacts with NGOs such as Psicólogas Sin Fronteras opened new partnership opportunities.
Looking ahead, our priorities include finalising project applications, expanding partnerships, completing the restructuring of Espacio Lume, launching new workshops and one-to-one sessions, and strengthening communication strategies.
This exchange has already deepened my skills, broadened my vision, and confirmed my commitment to community-rooted, holistic therapeutic work.
My Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs Story
“Feeling to Create”: My Journey of Art, Healing and Community in Jinámar Gran Canaria.
When I arrived in Gran Canaria to begin my Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs exchange, I knew I was stepping into a new professional experience — but I didn’t know that the following four months would become one of the most simple yet transformative journeys of my career. My host, Laura Iballa, founder of Espacio Lume, welcomed me not only into her business project but into a creative and therapeutic universe where art, the body, and community meet. From the very beginning, we discovered how naturally our approaches complemented each other: her experience in art therapy and creative expression, and my background in psychosocial support, trauma-informed methodologies, and body–mind work. Together, we decided to build something new — a methodology that could truly serve people navigating physical, emotional, and psychological challenges.
Co-creating a Methodology of Healing
Over weeks of meetings, discussions, planning sessions and adjustments, we shaped the programme “Sentir para Crear – Arteterapia y EMDR.” Our idea was simple but powerful:
to help people reconnect with their bodies and emotions through the five senses, creativity, and EMDR-inspired stabilization techniques.
We developed:
• grounding and breathing rituals
• bilateral stimulation for emotional regulation
• sensory journeys exploring colours, rhythm, scents, textures and taste
• intuitive art creation as a final integration
Those early design sessions were full of discovery. I tested the exercises myself, reflected on sensory memories, and exchanged insights from our respective fields on how everything could be connected with a creative, artistic dimension. Little by little, our individual expertise blended into a shared approach — until we realized: “This methodology is ready. Now it needs people.”
Bringing the Workshops to Life in Jinámar
We implemented the programme in two very different spaces in the neighbourhood of Jinámar, Gran Canaria:
• the local health centre, where adults attend rehabilitation programmes
• the social programme at the community school, a welcoming place for residents in vulnerable situations
Two groups, each with 6 to 12 adults already part of a previous programme where Laura had been working, joined us. They came with different backgrounds and personal histories — people recovering from depression, chronic stress, cancer, work burnout, physical pain, and long-standing emotional blocks. Some appeared shy, tense, and uncertain about how a new approach could help them.
Others came with hope and curiosity, but also with small fear of what might arise. What they all shared was a desire to feel better and to heal — even if only a little.
A Journey Through the Senses
The workshops unfolded like a gentle yet impactful guided journey, combining the two different energies of the two therapists. We always began the sessions by breathing together, grounding our feet, and tapping softly on shoulders or knees in a bilateral EMDR-inspired rhythm. These first moments were crucial. I could see people’s breathing slowing down, their eyes softening, their bodies settling.
Then the sensory exploration began:
• Colours and shapes gave form to emotions.
• Rhythms and sounds awakened movement, sometimes laughter, and opened a new dimension of body awareness. Working with the voice became one of the deepest sources of emotional unblocking, evoking unexpected feelings.
• Aromas opened forgotten memories — some comforting, some sad, all meaningful.
• Ground and textures revealed strength, vulnerability, tension, and release.
• Mindful tasting brought people back to calm, memories, confidence, and presence.
• And finally, intuition guided hands, brushes, and colours into creations that often surprised their own authors.
Every session became a small journey — inward, sincere, and courageous.
Moments I Will Never Forget
I witnessed transformations that words can barely capture.
“I feel this part of my body again…or I unlocked this part of me with the voice,” someone told us.
I remember the silence — thick and respectful — and the moments of joy when someone finally managed to express new emotions that suddenly appeared, as if reminding them of something they had forgotten they could feel.
And I remember the laughter, too. Because healing is never only pain; it is also the relief of being seen, understood, and allowed to feel. Little by little, these groups showed how, along a shared journey, people can become small communities, supporting each other through vulnerability and creativity.
What This Journey Gave Me
As a young entrepreneur and practitioner, this experience shaped me deeply:
• I co-created with Laura a new therapeutic–artistic methodology, now central to my work.
• I strengthened a collaboration with Espacio Lume that continues beyond Erasmus.
• I gained more experience applying trauma-informed tools through art with adults in vulnerable situations.
• I strengthened my capacity to hold space for entire groups moving through collective emotional processes.
• I gained clarity about my own professional path and the value of integrating body-based and creative approaches in psychosocial work.
• And above all, I confirmed how powerful creativity becomes when combined with safety, presence, and empathy.
This project reminded me that art — simple, honest art — can be a bridge to healing.
Conclusion: A Story of Connection and Renewal
My Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs exchange in Jinámar was not just a professional placement — it was a shared human journey. I arrived with knowledge and curiosity. I am leaving in a few months with a new methodology, a trusted collaborator, and a deeper belief in the healing power of creativity. But the greatest gift came from the participants themselves — from their courage, their stories, their colors, their tears, their textures, their laughter. Through them, I confirmed my belief that feeling and creating are not separate acts. They are two steps of the same path toward healing. And this Erasmus experience allowed me to walk that path with them.