The Art of Emotions Protocol: Embodied Art Engagement and Autonomic Regulation Findings from a Trauma-Informed Psychoeducational Intervention with Ukrainian Mental Health Professionals

This manuscript is shared as a working paper / preprint to establish authorship, document early empirical findings, and support scholarly discussion. It has not undergone peer review. A revised and expanded version is intended for submission to a peer-reviewed academic journal. The paper reports quantitative and qualitative findings from a trauma-informed psychoeducational intervention involving Ukrainian mental health professionals working during active conflict. The intervention used a structured spontaneous painting task developed by the author, known as the Art of Emotions protocol, to examine short-term changes in autonomic regulation, interoceptive awareness, and vitality. Results suggest that a single session of embodied art engagement is associated with reductions in bodily tension and anxiety, alongside increases in inner energy and self-contact, with medium to large effect sizes. Qualitative analysis indicates that physiological regulation typically precedes emotional processing and symbolic integration, supporting a bottom-up model of nervous system regulation. This work is positioned as trauma-informed psychoeducation, not psychotherapy or art therapy. The manuscript reports task parameters and outcome measures for scientific transparency but does not disclose the full training curriculum, safety procedures, instructional decision rules, or sequencing protocols that constitute the complete method. The Art of Emotions protocol is an original, proprietary method developed and owned by Dr. Irina Valentin. Institutional affiliations, including Kinergia International Institute of Resilience and Human Development, reflect the educational and research context in which the work was conducted but do not constitute ownership or authorship of the method. Use of the Art of Emotions name or protocol requires authorized training and certification by the author.