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research group - endometriosis
When the body holds
what words cannot say
A 10-week live art therapy research group for women living with endometriosis. Small, intimate, online. Only 8 women. Every session matters.
Important: This programme is not a medical treatment and does not replace your doctor's care or prescribed therapy. It is a somatic and emotional support process — designed to work alongside your medical treatment, not instead of it.
I want to be considered
See the Programme

- Why this group exists

Endometriosis lives
in the body. And beyond it.
Endometriosis affects 1 in 10 women. It is chronic, often invisible, and deeply misunderstood — by medicine, by society, and sometimes by the women living inside it. We know what the tissue does. We don't fully understand what the body is trying to say.
  • 01
    The gap medicine leaves
    Medical treatment addresses the tissue. It rarely touches the emotional weight — the rage, grief, shame, and exhaustion that come with years of being dismissed, misdiagnosed, and in pain.
  • 02
    The body speaks in images
    Somatic art therapy accesses what talk therapy and medication cannot — the pre-verbal, the felt, the stored. The body has its own language, and art gives it a voice.
  • 03
    This is a research group
    We are formally documenting whether and how art therapy improves quality of life, emotional regulation, and body relationship in women with endometriosis. Your participation contributes to this.
- The research hypothesis
What we believe
and why
"Somatic art therapy can reduce emotional suppression, improve body-self relationship, and enhance quality of life in women with endometriosis — not by curing the condition, but by releasing the emotional charge stored around it."
Chronic illness doesn't only live in tissue. It lives in the nervous system, in the patterns we learned to survive pain, in the way we stopped trusting our own body. We are exploring whether releasing that layer changes how women experience their condition.
  • Cortisol and hormonal impact.
    Chronic stress and suppressed emotion elevate cortisol, which disrupts the very hormonal balance already destabilised by endometriosis. Emotional release may reduce this load.
  • Embodied trauma. 
    Many women with endometriosis carry unprocessed experiences held in the pelvic region — relational, sexual, ancestral. Art therapy creates a safe container to approach these.
  • Grief and chronic illness
    Endometriosis involves real grief — for lost fertility plans, lost pain-free years, lost trust in one's body. Creative expression allows this grief to move.
  • Agency and relationship to body.
    Many women with endometriosis feel betrayed by their body. Restoring a sense of communication — even curiosity — toward the pelvic region may shift the inner experience of pain.
- The method
Why somatic
art therapy — specifically
Art bypasses the part of you that wants to explain, manage, and make sense of everything. That bypass is exactly the point.
  • It reaches what words don't
    Verbal therapy is powerful — but it works in the realm of what can be named. Somatic art therapy works in the pre-verbal. The image, the colour, the shape: they access the nervous system differently. They go under the rational mind.
  • The body is the medium
    We don't just make art. We notice where in the body the impulse comes from, where it gets blocked, what sensations arise during the creative process. The artwork is evidence. The body is the source.
  • It doesn't require re-telling trauma
    You don't need to tell your story again. You don't need to explain your pain to be heard. The art holds what needs holding. The group witnesses. The body integrates at its own pace.
  • The group field matters
    Something particular happens in a small group of women working with the same theme. There is a resonance — a shared field — that amplifies individual process. You are not alone in this room. And that alone changes things.
  • It is evidence-informed
    Art therapy has documented effectiveness in chronic illness, trauma, and pain management contexts. We are adding to that body of knowledge with this specific focus on endometriosis.
  • It respects your medical treatment
    This work does not compete with your medical care. It works in the emotional layer — the one medicine rarely has time to address. Many participants find it deepens their capacity to make informed decisions about their treatment.
- Who holds this space
Two women.
Two disciplines.
This group is held by a therapist and a researcher — both bringing their full selves, not just their credentials.
  • Marka. Group Facilitator — Somatic Art Therapist
    I am a somatic art therapist, family constellations facilitator, and body-oriented practitioner with more than 10 years of work with women and their bodies.
    I have lived with endometriosis and PCOS myself. I know the loneliness of it. I know the years of not being believed. I know the particular exhaustion of a body that feels like an adversary. That is not why I do this work — but it is part of why I know how to hold it.
    I combine art therapy, somatic awareness, family constellations, and energy work. The creative process I use is not about making something beautiful. It is about telling the truth your body has been waiting to tell.
    LinkedIn
  • Lillian. Researcher — Qualitative Interviews & Analysis
    Lillian conducts the research component of this programme. After the 10 sessions are complete, she will interview each participant to gather qualitative data on their experience, any shifts they noticed, and how the process affected their relationship to their body and their condition.
    Her analysis will form the documented research output — contributing to the emerging field of art therapy in chronic gynaecological conditions.
    Her presence means your experience is not just witnessed — it is recorded, honoured, and used to open doors for other women who come after you.
    LinkedIn
- What happens inside
10 weeks.
8 women. Live.
Duration: 2 hours + home practice
Format: Online, live, weekly
Group size: Maximum 8 women
Includes: 1 constellation per participant
Research: Exit interview with Lillian
08:00 – 08:30
Somatic space and inner tension
The connection between throat, neck, and pelvic floor — where your body holds what your voice doesn't say
08:30 – 10:00
Conversations of self-development in design and revolutions in the minds of the early 20s
Alex Larkins, project manager in Pixels
How to be a graphic designer and not to lose your soul. Alex will share his experience about the process of becoming a professional, career ups and downs, and searching for personal style and approach. Also, there will be a conversation of controversial points in the whole conception of design, such as: what if it is not such a hot replica, but a decree of nature?
10:15–11:30
Morning workshop
Sarah Lewin, creative director in DD agency
Lettering workshop with guru of pens, brushes, colapens, bamboo dip pens, and other instruments. Sarah will introduce you to different styles of writing and show you how to create your own handmade lettering tools.
11:30 – 12:30
Lunch
After the 10 sessions: Lillian will schedule a one-to-one interview with you to gather your reflections and document your experience as part of the research analysis. Your contribution matters — not just for yourself, but for every woman who will come after you.
- Who holds this space
This is not a course
you purchase
This group holds 8 women maximum. The selection process exists to protect the quality of what we build together. You are not buying access — you are requesting to be considered.
Step 1
Fill the form
Tell us about yourself, your experience of endometriosis, and what you hope this process might offer you. There are no right answers.
Step 2
Meet in person
We schedule a short call — not to assess you, but to meet you. To feel whether this is the right space, the right time, and the right group for where you are.
Step 3
Confirm your commitment
If we both feel it's right, you confirm your place. This step matters — the group requires your full presence across all 10 weeks.
Step 4
Begin the process
You join a small group of 8 women, held in safety, moving together through 10 weeks of creative and somatic exploration.
Tell us
you're here
It is not a medical intake. It is not an assessment. It is simply a way for us to meet you — and to understand whether this particular group, at this particular time, is right for where you are.
We read every submission personally. You will hear back from us within 5 working days.
This research group is in partnership with academic research and supported by Endometriose.nl. All data collected as part of the research process will be handled according to GDPR requirements and with your full informed consent.
This form is the beginning of a conversation.
By submitting, you agree to us contacting you about this programme. We do not share your data with third parties. This form is the first step — not a commitment to join.
Important disclaimer: This programme is a somatic art therapy group aimed at emotional support and wellbeing. It does not claim to treat, cure, or heal endometriosis as a medical condition. Endometriosis is a chronic condition that requires ongoing medical management. Our work supports the emotional and psychological dimension of living with endometriosis — it is not a substitute for medical treatment, and we actively encourage all participants to remain under the care of their medical team. Client testimonials reflect individual emotional experiences and are not medical outcomes.
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