La Trobe University
Creative Arts and Critical Enquiry
Recent research suggests cause for concern, with the wellbeing of university students lower than for adults within the general population (Cummins, 2003; Stewart & Podbury, 2003). Promoting wellbeing of tertiary students has been... more
The arts are a language that can cross many boundaries, move across cultures and time and speak directly to a part of us that is intuitive, felt and still. It is through the process of making or witnessing a creative work that something... more
The arts are a language of the spirit. As an artist, I have learned that we can connect more deeply with ourselves through making art. However, the beauty of the arts is that they can touch the heart across divides. Humans can erect... more
As we move through the layers of the stories we carry we find those narratives, inherited from our ancestors, the transgenerational trauma that may have shaped us. In this life writing account, the author searches through her own life... more
Within us are many stories, some we use to define our sense of self, others perhaps reside within the depths of our psyche. For the past three years artist, writer and psychologist, Lara Bardsley, has used an intuitive methodology with... more
Lara Bardsley reflects on the value of collecting ‘familial stories of loss, trauma, separation, suicide, and genocide’ for her research. Beautifully capturing her feelings of loss upon her PhD submission, she notes the ‘transformative... more
Narrative is intricately embedded in human experience and is a potent means of shaping self-identity, imbuing meaning, facilitating insight and transforming awareness. This article reflects on the creative findings of a three and a half... more
An autoethnographic, transpersonal and practice-led exploration of the Persephone myth utilising the arts and creative writing as the language of the investigation. In the finished painting (attached) Persephone is appears to be emerging,... more
This is a second part of my autoethnographic, transpersonal and practice-led exploration of the Persephone myth utilising the arts and creative writing as the language of the investigation.
This paper is the third part of an autoethnographic, transpersonal and practice-led exploration of the Persephone myth utilising the arts and creative writing as the language of the investigation.
As part of a practice led, embodied and auto-ethnographic exploration of the Persephone myth, I have explored its link with individual stories of illness, societal stories of ill-being and collective stories of suffering and hope.
Reflecting on the personal and cultural influences of the masculine and feminine principals.
Postmodern theory indicates that a self-reflexive voice is a valid expression of cultural and temporal influences on language and meaning making. Transpersonal theories propose that ‘self’ is multiple and layered, some aspects of... more
This article explores the merit of using Organic Inquiry, a qualitative research approach that is most effectively applied to areas of psychological and spiritual growth. Organic Inquiry is a research approach where the psyche of the... more
An interview by Dr Larisa Bardsley on what it means to have the trait of High Sensitvity, a form of neurodiversity. Larisa is a Clinical and Counselling Psychologist, Supervisor of therapists, a published writer, academic and a... more
Ecologies are explored by a woman, artist and transpersonal psychologist as she narrates her intimate relationship with the psyche as an internal landscape, while also reflecting on the environments in which she lives. Ecologies include... more