I named this space Olive & Oil Studio because my healing hasn’t looked like a phoenix rising or a butterfly emerging.
It has looked more like an olive — pressed, malaxed, and crushed through a long and painful process that somehow produces something sacred, lasting, and nourishing.
After being diagnosed with PTSD, I entered a season of unmaking. I had so many words — from Scripture, from therapy, from well-meaning people — but little capacity to feel any of them.
I knew truth in my head, yet it could not reach my heart.
In those early months, I searched everywhere for help: books, sermons, even small groups that promised “biblical healing.” What I found were fragments — advice without understanding, theology without tenderness. No one seemed to know what to do with someone whose faith had been shaken by the very places that once felt safe.
I remember sitting in my car outside a church I used to love, unable to walk in.
I wasn’t angry; I was just empty.
That’s when Psalm 34:18 began to whisper differently:
“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” (NIV)
I didn’t feel saved, but I wanted to believe closeness was still possible — that God could meet me even here, in the crushing. What finally opened something in me wasn’t striving to understand. It was creating from the heart.
Poetry.
Art. Cooking.
Music.
Making space for my body and emotions to speak when words failed.
I began to realize that true healing doesn’t come from forcing clarity.
It comes from honoring the wholeness of how we were made.
Through studying art therapy and grief work, I learned that restoration begins in the body. When I practiced embodied healing, Scripture came alive again — inviting me to love the Lord with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength.
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”
— Mark 12:30 (NIV)
Not just our thoughts.
Not just our theology.
But our whole being.
That is the heart behind this space.
Olive & Oil Studio is a creative sanctuary for those seeking gentle, faith-rooted healing and inspiration.
Here you’ll find:
Original poetry, art, and photography to spark reflection and hope
Creative journaling prompts to process pain or rekindle play
Simple, nourishing meal ideas, because when food is used as medicine, cooking becomes a healing art
Faithful reflections grounded in Scripture and historical biblical truth
My aim is not to lead with feelings,
but to make space for truth to be received fully —
heart, mind, soul, and body —
just as we were created to.
King David modeled this wholeness in the Psalms:
raw emotion anchored in God’s unshakable truth.
His creativity was not a detour from faith
but a vessel that helped him encounter it more deeply.
That is what I hope this space becomes for you.
I am certified in grief education and relationship coaching, with a focus on conflict repair,and I studied psychology and art therapy at a private university.
While this background informs my work, I am not a licensed therapist,
and the content here is not a substitute for professional mental-health care.
Everything shared is offered freely and meant to be supportive, not clinical.
My goal is to provide a grounded environment for those navigating the in-between spaces of healing —
between therapy and daily life,
between grief and growth,
between trauma and trust.
If you need deeper care, please connect with a licensed professional.
Here are a few trusted resources:
beEmboldened: Support for those harmed by religious experiences
REBOOT Recovery: 12-week, peer-led, faith-based trauma-healing course
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Call or text 988 (TTY 711 then 988) for 24/7 confidential support
You deserve care, safety, and companionship on your journey.
I hope Olive & Oil Therapy feels like a sacred pause —
a place to rest, be honest, and reconnect.
Whether you are grieving, rebuilding,
or simply remembering how to create, play, and worship again...
Welcome.
Brukhim Haba’im.