Glass Art Society Conference | Dallas–Fort Worth, Texas | 2025
At the 2025 Glass Art Society Conference held in the Dallas–Fort Worth area of Texas,
I had the privilege of moderating a panel titled
Glass as a Therapeutic Medium for PTSD and Trauma Recovery.
This panel brought together a multidisciplinary group of glass artists, art therapists, educators, and researchers to explore how the material properties of glass—its heat, fragility, strength, and ability to transform—can be harnessed as a powerful medium for emotional healing, particularly in the context of trauma and post-traumatic stress disorde
Below is a 20-minute video that highlights key moments from the panel discussion. Under the video, you’ll find a more detailed description of the panel.
Please note: due to an unexpected technical issue, a significant portion of the panel was unfortunately not recorded. However, the footage that was captured still includes valuable insights and meaningful dialogue from our participants.
The panel was grounded in the belief that working with glass—through hot glassblowing, kiln forming, and flameworking—can provide deeply embodied experiences that foster mindfulness, trust, and self-awareness. We focused on how these processes, when approached through a trauma-informed lens, support the psychological well-being of individuals navigating acute and complex trauma.
Drawing from my experience as a trauma-informed glass educator and my work with Hot Shop Heroes at the Museum of Glass in Tacoma, Washington, I opened the discussion by sharing how glassblowing has been effectively integrated into therapeutic programming for active-duty military members and veterans. The program offers hands-on instruction in a structured, team-based environment where participants gain technical and artistic skills while building communication, trust, and emotional resilience.
I shared examples of how the glass studio can serve as a space for vulnerability and growth. Many participants enter the program with symptoms of PTSD—such as hypervigilance, emotional numbing, and relational challenges. Yet through the collaborative demands of the hot shop—where timing, precision, and teamwork are essential—they often find renewed agency and connection. The physicality of glassblowing, paired with the meditative rhythm of studio tasks, helps reestablish mind-body awareness, promote regulation, and enable nonverbal emotional expression.
Panelists included clinical art therapists and artists experienced in trauma recovery, who contributed both research and personal stories on the psychological impact of working with glass. Topics included:
Tactile engagement and sensory processing for emotional regulation
How repetitive studio work mirrors trauma therapy grounding techniques
The role of narrative reconstruction and identity in creative work
The symbolic value of glass as a metaphor for transformation, fragility, and strength
Audience members were invited to reflect on their own studio experiences and consider how trauma-informed approaches could be integrated into glass education and community programming. We also explored the ethical responsibilities of instructors working with vulnerable populations, the importance of access and inclusivity, and opportunities for collaboration between the arts and mental health fields.
The panel closed with a conversation about the potential of glass studios to become spaces not just for aesthetic exploration, but for social healing, psychological repair, and community resilience. By centering trauma, healing, and creative agency, this panel contributed to a growing movement that embraces glass not only as a material of beauty—but as a medium for care.
