Growing Tall Poppies

The Magic of Mandalas : Unlocking Healing Through Art

• Dr Natalie Green • Season 2 • Episode 61

Share episode

Send us a Message to connect

In this powerful and heart-opening episode of Growing Tall Poppies, Dr Nat Green sit down with the radiant Kathy Rausch—a mandala artist, author, and teacher—who vulnerably shares how the darkest chapter of her life cracked her open to divine transformation through creativity.  Kathy shares her powerful story of overcoming deep trauma and hitting rock bottom. After being disowned by her family and spiraling into despair, she shared how after attempting suicide she then found healing through the creation of mandalas. Kathy discovered the healing potential of mandala art—an ancient spiritual symbol of wholeness. That one moment, one circle, would go on to save her life.

Kathy walks us through:

  • 🌸 Her deeply personal story of loss, trauma, and spiritual awakening
  • 🎨 How creating mandalas helped her reconnect with her true self
  • 🌀 The neuroscience behind mandalas and why they calm the nervous system
  • ✨ The surprising connection between sacred geometry, creativity, and post-traumatic growth
  • 💡 Why art can be therapy—even if you’ve never picked up a paintbrush

Whether you're on your own healing journey or you're a therapist, coach, or health professional supporting others, this episode is a stunning reminder of the power of art, presence, and allowing the heart to lead. 

Kathy also reveals insights from her book, 'Activate Divine Creativity,' and emphasizes the importance of self-belief, community, the power of giving yourself permission to feel and heal and the innate joy within us all.

Mentioned in the Episode:

  • Kathy’s book: Activate Divine Creativity: The Life-Changing Magic of the Mandala
  • Carl Jung’s use of mandalas in therapy
  • The role of both hemispheres of the brain in healing through art
  • How mandalas are now being integrated into trauma recovery, PTSD support, and even scientific institutions

Timestamps and Episode Flow

01:24 Meet Our Guest: Kathy Rausch

02:53 Kathy's Journey with Mandalas

05:32 The Healing Power of Mandalas

16:45 Scientific Validation and Broader Impact

21:35 Introduction to the Mandala Book

22:38 Impact and Feedback from Readers

27:32 The Healing Power of Mandalas

30:40 Community and Connection

31:50 Transformative Effects of Mandalas

🎧 Tune in for a truly transformative conversation that proves healing doesn’t always come from words—it can come from the simple, sacred act of drawing within a circle.

Connect with Kathy:-

Instagram: 

Facebook:

LinkedIn: 

YouTube:

Website:

Bio:

If this episode resonates with you then I'd love for you to hit SUBSCRIBE so you can keep updated with each new episode as soon as it's released and we'd be most grateful if you would give us a RATING as well. You can also find me on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/drnatgreen/ or on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/DrNatalieGreen

Intro and Outro music: Inspired Ambient by Playsound.

Disclaimer: This podcast is intended for educational purposes only. It is not intended to be deemed or treated as psychological treatment or to replace the need for psychological treatment.

Dr Nat Green:

Welcome to the Growing Tall Poppies Podcast. I'm your host, Dr. Nat Green, and I'm so excited to have you join me as we discuss what it means to navigate your way through post-traumatic growth and not just survive, but to thrive after trauma. Through our podcast, we will explore ways for you to create a life filled with greater purpose, self-awareness, and a deep inner peace. Through integrating the many years of knowledge and professional experience, as well as the wisdom of those who have experienced trauma firsthand. We'll combine psychology accelerated approaches. Coaching and personal experience to assist you, to learn, to grow and to thrive. I hope to empower you to create deeper awareness and understanding and stronger connections with yourself and with others, whilst also paving the way for those who have experienced trauma and adversity to reduce their suffering and become the very best versions of themselves. In order to thrive. Thank you so much for joining me on today's episode. I'm really pleased and grateful today to bring you our next guest on the Growing Tall Poppies podcast. It's my absolute pleasure and privilege to welcome a lovely lady who I've met recently through an event for podcasters. She has experienced and overcome considerable trauma and adversity throughout her life. Anne has so kindly agreed to come and chat with us today about her experience. So let me start by introducing Kathy to you all. Kathy Rausch is a mandala artist, author, and teacher. She studied art at UW Madison, Wisconsin and the Milwaukee School of Arts, and studied and painted the Mandala with Merry Norris and Paul Heussenstamm I probably did not pronounce that correctly. It's okay. She discovered the power of Mandalas whilst on her own healing journey and founded I love Mandalas and has been teaching others to create theirs since 2013. So welcome Kathy. It's so great to have you here.

Kathy Rausch:

Thank you. I am, I am honored. I am honored. Thank you.

Dr Nat Green:

So I've given a very little introduction. I'm just wondering mm-hmm. And I know I won't have done your life introduction, justice. So can we start with you giving us a brief introduction in your own words of who you are and what you do in the world?

Kathy Rausch:

Oh, wow. Okay. So, I am a, sometimes I laugh. I'm a cheesehead from Wisconsin and I tend to have the accent that goes with it. However, my whole life I have, loved. Being creative in art from as long as I can remember. That was my go-to. I come from a very, a large family in, eight children. And I also am a triplet, but my triplet sisters are identical. So I was, I often felt alone in this huge, huge family. And art always, you know, just being creative in any way was my escape. I was alone a lot. I remember walking through the flowers and drawing flowers and all as whatever I could do. And I, and I always found a happy, happy place. And don't, we had a lot of, lovely times in my family, but there was a lot. Like many people, there was a lot of. Trauma, you know, a bit of a hard word, but that's true. Yeah. In the year, 2010 something happened with my family and I was basically disowned and I became suicidal and it was not pretty. I have since been in recovery and, but in that, right around that time, you know, as I said, I wanted to, I just wanted to die. I did not know how to deal with all of these feelings. I had no, no way to. Deal with them not knowing that I should just deal with them. But I've tried wanting to escape. And at that time, I met a few women and they told me they were in an art show. They had paintings in a show and I was like, oh, are you all artists? And they said, no, and I thought, well. How can that be? Whatever that is. I wanna see it. So, I, it was at the Jung Haus interestingly enough, but I really didn't, I had no idea what Mandalas were, and so I didn't even know, understand when I was looking at, but the whole show was beautiful, painted very different. Mandalas. Mm-hmm. And I read their artist statements and what, you know, each one experienced while they were painting this their own personal mandala. And I said, whatever this is, I'm in. And Merry the woman I mentioned, Merry Norris, she's, was very persistent woman. And I was very soon in my first four day Mandala class. Wow. Uh, Mandala workshop. And what I wanna say after that, what, what I realized years later was what happened in those four days is, my, it was like a, pierce of light of the divine pierced into my heart. Hmm. And I could feel again, I wasn't, the pain and the, grief parted for a while and from then on, I have been painting and drawing and teaching and I wrote a book about it also. It's become my thing. Yes.

Dr Nat Green:

So tell me then. Like life wasn't great prior to that. You were in a world of pain and trying to avoid those feelings. Right. So just seeing you as we were talking then light up as you said that. So tell me a bit about, as best as you can describe it, what you felt. You said it was like the divine coming into your heart. Tell me a bit more about that.

Kathy Rausch:

Oh that's a good question. I guess how I can describe it, how I remember it very vividly is I, first of all, I was surrounded by women who are all painting together. Merry had a studio in her basement, beautiful studio with about eight people could be in there with their own place to paint. And, like I said, I didn't know what a Mandala was. I was even, even at a moment of. Ooh, I grew up Catholic. I wonder if, is there something wrong with this? But, it very quickly went away and I got really engaged in this process of the Circle Mandala means circle. Mm-hmm. And I, like, I immediately knew I want to paint this about my family. And it's there's, it turned out as I painted it, I felt calm.

Dr Nat Green:

Okay. Yep.

Kathy Rausch:

And I felt happy and I cried, but not desperate crying. I began to feel like myself again and Wow. It was, I mean, I attributed to saving my life and yeah. Does that make, does that, does that answer?

Dr Nat Green:

It does. It describes it beautifully. So it sounds like it really allowed you to connect to those nice feelings that you'd hidden for so long, or you'd become so disconnected from. Probably since you were a really young girl, to be honest

Kathy Rausch:

may not. Not as much. I also happened to be running a large tech company that, oh gosh, I'm also very technical and that, so I had all these employees and I was just like buried. Buried in things that thoughts and feelings that mm-hmm. Were not my own. But yeah, I mean, I had many times of feeling. Like that growing up when I was alone painting, or I was sewing, or I was mm-hmm. Creating batiks or, you know, so it wasn't, you know, it wasn't that I never felt good in my childhood, but it was, it was very stifling. And it sounds like a lot of stuff was also going on around you, within the organization, so you'd taken on other people's stuff and Yes. You're obviously someone who feels deeply and is an empath, so takes on feelings and thoughts and beliefs from other people within yourself. So it sounds like this was a way to bring you back to yourself and find an escape to release stuff that was never yours to carry. Would that be right? Yeah, and it's, not even really an escape. It was like, it like parted all that I. All of that was parted and I felt me again. It was just such a beautiful thing.

Dr Nat Green:

And I, it's quite a while ago, but I can still see as we are talking that it's lights you up and you connect to that still so deeply. Yes. Yes. How did you initially cope? So you did this workshop, you had this whole sense of. Things parting and suddenly feeling different. What were your immediate reactions then?

Kathy Rausch:

Oh, I was, I was like, look at this. I even, uh, this is embarrassing. I even brought it into work. We had a lot of very talented artists from like Carnegie Mellon, you know, just who were doing our, the artistic part of. The websites mostly we were working on, and I'm like, look what I did. I'm just skipping around like a little kid. And I, I'm pretty sure they were like, oh my god, you know? Okay. That's great. Oh dear. I was just, and I had it in a show and my kid, my two grown sons came to it and they were so happy for me and I just, it was wonderful. Now, it didn't all go away, of course. However, I mean, I did six more four day workshops with Merry over the following year and a half. And we started, you know, we became friends and then I started drawing them and, it's, today I have hundreds of I call Mandala doodles, but some of'em are quite beautiful.

Dr Nat Green:

So tell me what that led to for you, because I know that you've turned. The experiences and the trauma into your passion and you pay it forward to others now. So tell me a bit about that.

Kathy Rausch:

Yeah. It was about, let's see, so I was taking classes at the spiritual center. I. That I belong to. And I would always start in the class and I would start with the dot, and then towards the end I'd just have a mandala that I drew in. After a while, people started asking me, how did you do that? And within a month or so I got this message as I was sleeping. Like teach people how to draw them. They can do that. It's much more accessible. And here are the steps for your class. And I, you know, wrote'em down. And lo and behold, I started teaching. And that was in 2013. And the first woman I asked, she had a, a spiritual. Center, doing all kinds of reiki and mm-hmm. Cool stuff that I was actually kind of unfamiliar with, but the second I said the word Mandala, she said yes, whatever it is. Yes. And so, oh, okay. Yeah, that's when I started to teach and I just, I haven't stopped. It definitely slowed down during COVID, but I've been all over the US and in Canada I've taught. Over a thousand people, how to draw their own Mandala and it's, you know, it's just something that people have come to know me as the Mandala lady, although I will tell you, most people say Mandala or mandala yeah. Mandala is the correct way, which I was taught. Mm-hmm. It's a Sanskrit word. And in Sanskrit, a three syllable word. The first syllable is always annunciated

Dr Nat Green:

mandala. There you go, we've learned a lot today already. And yes, I know that might be my Australian accent and that might be how we tend to say it. Absolutely. And I'm not offended, but I do like to tell people. Yeah. So tell me then,'cause I know our listeners will be, everyone's seen Mandalas and, and I've always been fascinated. I have a coloring in book interestingly that Yes, yes. I enjoy coloring in and I was drawn to the mandala and, oh, I'll get that. And it's quite time consuming, but I always find it calming. So tell me a bit about Mandala and what it means and what it's about.

Kathy Rausch:

Okay. So yeah, the, definition, as I said of it's a Sanskrit word and it means circle. Mm-hmm. And, the art, it basically did originate from as far as the word goes from eastern art religions. And it is so. Powerful because it's a circle. And circles are, you know, now all the science is coming in about how, this stuff has all been proven scientifically, but our brains are very familiar with circles and we, you know, we engage with circles all the time. I mean, we're looking into each other's circle eyes, you know? Mm-hmm. Yep. So then when you create a mandala it's typically, and not always, but typically, in the way I teach it, is divided into equal sections. So it's, it gets very, basic geometry. Mm-hmm. And so both sides of your brain fire up and it's the same when you're coloring them. Mm. Both sides of your brain fire up together and you become. A very centered, it, produces neurons and, things to be fired. That gives us dopamine and, you know, all these wonderful feelings. It's just a very familiar thing to do, and the way I teach it is I have them start, have people start with the same with a process that divides it in. Four and then six, and then eight. And then I have them start all the same in the middle. And then as they go out, I say, okay, now I want you to think of your own symbols. Okay. And I always get pushback. Oh, interesting. Some pushback. And, but it is inevitable. Everybody I've had like maybe. Less than five people say, I can't do this. But they just, all of a sudden the room becomes quiet. And they've gone as long as four hours where I'm like, okay, my goodness. Gotta you got end now.

Dr Nat Green:

When you say you get pushback, what do you think that, that pushback is about?

Kathy Rausch:

Oh, good question. They don't trust that they could. draw something, most of them. Mm-hmm. Of course there are some artistic people who just go to town. But yeah, they're like, what? What do you mean a symbol? And I'm like, everyone knows what a symbol is. I kind of, you know, I, I'm very lighthearted about it. And I, it does not have to be a sacred symbol or something religious or benevolent. It can be whatever you want it to be. And then, so, and when people get stuck, I say, all right, let's start with the little circle. And so you draw it in the same, in one part of the mandala like here. Mm-hmm. And then. You draw seven more in the same place and you suddenly circles are starting and pretty quickly the pushback ends. And then after a while. I will break out little stencils that I have of birds and hearts and the ohm symbol and things like that. But it's just amazing to watch. And at the end, they're all, just so you know, 99% of'em are just so delighted with what they've done. And I, you know, I've, have you heard of this book, your Brain on Art? No. Only from when you mentioned it recently. Yeah. Oh, it's just, it's just amazing. It's full of, proof, scientific proof. These women, two, women from Google and johns Hopkins, mm-hmm. Have done all kinds of research in the arts and in and how it. They use it for PSDD. PSTD, PTSD. PTSD. So it's there. It's what I'm so happy about is that it's now being scientifically proven that being an artist in any manner, expressing art in any way or looking at art. Does that to your brain, it starts to calm you down

Dr Nat Green:

really fascinating, isn't it? And as you said, it really engages both hemispheres, left brain and right brain, so Right. The over analyzing and the over critical part of us. Yes. Working. With the other side and the creative part. So connecting together, they're communicating in ways that we tend not to when we're stuck in Right. Trauma or hurt and pain. Yes. I love that so much.

Kathy Rausch:

And it, you know, you, I can see, or if it's over Zoom, I can sense when it happens sometime individually sometimes. I did a few workshops for, a government agency here when they hired me, I didn't know what they, their name is Sandhia. I was like, sure, I'll and it turns out to be a government agency of 16,000 scientists, and I was Oh. Oh my God, what have I gotten myself into? And wow, they loved it. They had to cap it at a hundred people and I did it a few times and. And it was men and women. It's not just for women by any means, sounds very

Dr Nat Green:

powerful and yes, and the fact that it's appealing to scientists. Yes. And getting more traction in that neuroscience and evidence base is. You were way ahead of your time, weren't you? By bringing this? Well, Carl Jung was the first one.

Kathy Rausch:

Yes. Carl Jung wrote a huge, he had a huge book. It's called The Red Book, and it's like this big, and it's his, all of the Mandalas that he created, but he talks about his patients and how he just had them start with a circle and it just helps people just to. Let everything else go and just become one with this circle, and they make it their own and it's so delightful.

Dr Nat Green:

Powerful. Oh, very powerful. And it must be fabulous to see that every one of them is different. Unique to that person. So there's no two Mandalas that are the same? No.

Kathy Rausch:

There are no, and I have hundreds and hundreds of examples of my students mandalas. I think there's, there are some, I have a couple of websites. But yeah, there, every one of them is different. And I'll tell this, story. I, I started to do it. I did it for my daughter-in-law, for her art. Class. She's a high school advanced art teacher. And so the art they do is just amazing. And so I went in and did it for her class, and she now teaches it every year and incorporates it with other art methods like painting or shading. Mm-hmm. But when I was there, you know, I'm looking around and just like, always, I'm like, oh my God, this is so wonderful. Or, oh, I love your mushrooms. And she says, those aren't mushrooms. Those are penises. This. You do you basically, she was a senior in high school, but Wow. Yeah, so I just never know.

Dr Nat Green:

Yeah. Oh, fascinating. And to think that you are not restricted to having to do this in person, that you now teach this on Zoom.

Kathy Rausch:

Yes. Which is it's just amazing to do that. I wrote the book that also was downloaded to me, oh. I know a woman who is a, professor at Harvard PhD in Harvard, two degrees mm-hmm. In Eastern Religion and goddesses. And she endorsed my book. Wow. Oh, wow. Amazing. She said, I cannot tell people in real life vernacular. I. What a mandala is because she will go to the extreme.'cause she so has so much knowledge. Mm. And she's like, thank you for writing this book so regular people like you, like me. Mm-hmm. Understand what it is and the power of it.

Dr Nat Green:

So tell me about your book. I know our listeners will be thinking, Ooh, there's a book about this. So how do we do this?

Kathy Rausch:

It is called activate divine creativity, the life changing magic of the Mandala and during this process, it's eight chapters, like there's eight sections in a Mandala. I decided I should draw, hand draw mandala for each chapter. So here's one. Okay. Yep. And so I drew them. And then I also have a workbook that goes with it that, an, that you can, do for each Mandala'cause each one has meaning. The first one is the seed is planted, the second one is, and so it grows expansion and creation and it goes on in the, from through our lifetimes self-actualization.

Dr Nat Green:

Yeah. So the book will help people be able to understand the role of the mandalas and how to create their own.

Kathy Rausch:

Yes. So at the end of each chapter, I have one step that you start with, and then at the end, by the end you have your own little Mandala that you've drawn.

Dr Nat Green:

Excellent.

Kathy Rausch:

I had a woman contact me, and she said, I took your class a year ago, and I thought you should know that I have a hundred of my. Mandalas on display at the Westerville Library. You should go see them.

Dr Nat Green:

What's that like for you, knowing that you've written this book, you've produced it, created it, and it's out there in the world and you're getting that sort of feedback,

Kathy Rausch:

um, mean it's amazing. It, you know, when that happens. I haven't sold a ton of'em, but I've gotten a lot of really good reviews. It's just, oh my God. It's just like so affirming and I feel, honored to be able to help people like that. Another woman tracked me down on Facebook and sent me this long message and said, I, you know, my name is, her name and I'm from India, and your book saved my life and my daughter's life as we're going through a very difficult divorce. I wanna thank you. Oh, and I was just like, you know what, what I mean, and I was showing my husband and he says, if that's all that happens from your book. It's worth it Exactly. Oh, I got goosebumps. And she's now an art therapist and has her own practice and I wish she was closer. I'd love to visit her. So very,

Dr Nat Green:

very powerful. And what a gift that you. Experience that gift of being able to reconnect to yourself. Yes. Heal, start that healing journey to heal from your trauma. Mm-hmm. And now you are paying it forward. So I'll make sure we put a link to your book in the show notes. And, and yes. The other book, was it the Your Brain on Art, because I know that there's a lot of Yes. Therapists and coaches that listen to the podcast. Yeah. Yeah. There's a lot of people that will listen to the podcast that are on their own healing journeys, but also work with clients. Yes, I've

Kathy Rausch:

noticed that. I've been listening to your podcast and it's just so wonderful.

Dr Nat Green:

Oh, thank you.

Kathy Rausch:

You are welcome.

Dr Nat Green:

So when you look at how far you've come from where you were with everything you'd been through growing up and where you were, and then your turning point, what do you feel have been some of your greatest challenges that you've now overcome?

Kathy Rausch:

Oh, well, believing in myself as a real artist. Mm. That has always, that's when I went to the Milwaukee School of the Arts. One of the first things the. Ah, what is he? The director of said You should never paint again. Oh, really? And I've heard that from quite a few other people. I had the opportunity last summer to go to Europe in Venice, to the, European Cultural Arts Academy and studied for two weeks with artists from all over the world. Amazing. And there, I was not the only person who heard that from their dean of art or of their school or college. It's, it can be a very. Cutthroat place to be in that really, I mean, I was 18 when that happened and but it, you know, it didn't stop me from painting, thank goodness.

Dr Nat Green:

Right So when you look, do you think there's any specific qualities or personal attributes that you see as being key to moving from trauma into post-traumatic growth?

Kathy Rausch:

Oh boy. When you say attribute, do you Mean

Dr Nat Green:

anything like within yourself as a person or that you see in other people that you've worked with throughout the mandala trainings. What do you notice? Any specific things in common?

Kathy Rausch:

Yeah. I would say the biggest, what comes to mind is that they gave their self permission to do something that they didn't think they would like nor be successful at. Hmm. I have heard that from so many that they, you know, they've heard of Mandalas, and they were curious, but they never, they didn't think they could really do it, and at the end they're just blown away. Like, I did not think I was gonna do this. So what I see is there's like a process. They start and they're like, okay, okay. And then they get a little bit engaged and then they're just gone. They're gone. It's them and their art. Mm-hmm.

Dr Nat Green:

Yeah. Does that answer? Yeah, it does. So they gave themselves permission, and I know that you said before that one of the key things was that you have learned to believe in yourself. Yes.

Kathy Rausch:

Yes. And if you know, in trauma gosh, just allowing yourself to get out of it. Even though like it's gonna, my experience, it can follow you around like a cloud. Of

Dr Nat Green:

course.

Kathy Rausch:

However if I get out, if I do this, I mean, I draw a lot of mandalas when I'm in the process of, you know, doing something mentally difficult. Mm-hmm. Or challenging or fun and, just allowing myself to do that. For a while I was kind of hiding'cause I was drawing so many of it and, didn't want really want people to see what I was doing, but Okay. Yeah, just, give yourself permission even, it doesn't have to be artistic, but to get on a bike or go for a ride. Mm-hmm. Or go to the store and buy yourself some flowers, or plant some flowers. Even when it doesn't feel good. Yes. Not always gonna feel good, and that's one of the biggest things I have learned is to. Not be so afraid of those feelings and to accept them. I mean, even to, you know, now after this many years, I still, you know, it's like, oh, no, not this again. Here we go. And I've got, it's taken me a while to still be like, it's okay. I love you. You know, all that stuff that I, for a long time thought was just so silly to say, I love you little child. Mm-hmm. It's not, I even Google, Meditation for to love your young child and Yes, there are. There

Dr Nat Green:

are, yes. Yeah. And like you said, it's about giving yourself permission and one of the big keys of that is to feel, because we spend so much time avoiding those feelings,'cause they're painful, they're awful. Mm-hmm. We don't wanna stay stuck in that discomfort and that pain, but it sounds like you're able to use the Mandalas to really help peel back the layers and allow ourselves to feel, and you can do a little bit at a time by the sound of it. You don't have to do it all in one go. Yep. You just allow yourself to do it, to feel and give yourself permission to create. Yeah. To create

Kathy Rausch:

to just step out of it and to know that those feelings are not gonna kill you. It's how, how you react to those feelings.

Dr Nat Green:

And when you are using Mandalas, you can continue to be in charge and in control and allow yourself to sit with that and produce. And that creativity can allow things to be processed and released. I'm gathering Yeah.

Kathy Rausch:

A funny story. During the pandemic. I was miserable for, you know, like many of us and just so angry and I heard a voice and, um, I won't say the swear but word, but I heard very loudly draw a effing Mandala. And I was like, whoa. And I started off, And then I, I got over that and it, it turned into a really, you know, beautiful little Mandala that I drew. So, yeah, it's hard, you know, life is hard and, and for me too, also realizing I'm not the only one who's experienced bad stuff by any means, you know? No. And I think

Dr Nat Green:

when we've experienced trauma or something really awful, we do feel isolated and alone. One thing that I also noticed that you said back in that very first workshop, you were there with other women. Yeah. It didn't have to be women, but other women. So you had a community, right? Community. So community was really, really important. And that's what you continue to create in your workshops is that sense of not being alone.

Kathy Rausch:

Yeah. And there's, a lot of these retreats I went to, I've had this idea one night to, there were all these big round tables and I happened to have paper with me and tape and I. Created a big, it was a six foot round table and I covered it with white and very meticulously. I stayed up all night. Mm-hmm. Wow. And I started doodling a mandala. I started in the middle and by the time they all got in, there was this big mandala for them all to color. And so I've done quite a few of those at retreats. I don't do them by hand anymore. I do use the computer, but, um, be

Dr Nat Green:

a bit easier.

Kathy Rausch:

Yeah. It's just a way to, community art is so powerful. Oh, definitely. Yeah.

Dr Nat Green:

Yeah. So you've talked about the journey you were on and then how, you know, you were at absolute rock bottom, tried to kill yourself, and how this has helped save you. Mm-hmm. How else has. The experience of the Mandalas, how has that transformed your perspective on life, on relationships and your personal values?

Kathy Rausch:

Ooh, on life. What I realized, you know, and it wasn't like an aha moment. No. Well, and also the process of writing this book, I'm not a writer, but I did it. Mm-hmm. Is that life is hard and it's hard for everyone. I am not alone. It's also beautiful and wonderful and fun, and to be able to balance that. And understand that is so freeing. Mm. Still isn't easy. And I don't, I still fall into it and I'm getting better and better at just accepting me as who I am. And what were the other

Dr Nat Green:

questions? You, how it's transformed your perspective on relationships as well. I know you had quite challenging interwoven relationships with siblings and being a triplet and the challenges that that's brought. So how has it transformed that perspective on relationships?

Kathy Rausch:

The biggest change for me is that I am okay. I don't need to rely on Those relationships, I miss them. I miss them a lot. And that's okay too. It's, you know, it's for whatever reason, karma, God's will, whatever I, this is the life that I have. Mm-hmm. And as I walk through relationships with my husband, which has not always been easy, and my sons and getting through. The feelings of being betrayed and sad and angry is part of the process. And. I've heard so much about journaling, it doesn't always help you immediately. Let's just, no, it doesn't. It's not like I journal. It's like, woo, don't skip out of the, it's like, oh, well I got that out and then I like to draw a mandala which just, it just makes me feel better. Yeah. It's releasing those chemicals the neural pathways, making new neural pathways and cortisone. And is that the. I am no scientist,

Dr Nat Green:

but you're doing a really good job explaining it and blending the arts with the science, and I think yes, you've shared a lot of powerful information today. So yeah. If you could share one thing with our listeners that would help them as they navigate their post-trauma or adversity experiences and move into post-traumatic growth, what would it be?

Kathy Rausch:

One message. You can have more than one if you like I believe that all of us have this core real essence that is joy. That is love. That is expansion. That I believe that that's the core. Mm-hmm. Of who we are. And you know, I believe that because I've felt it and I know it. I felt it often when I was growing up. I could feel it. Yeah. It was when I started to babysit it, it just like blossomed. I was like, whoa. So that is never gone. I don't believe anything can take that away. It's just, it gets lost and the more you can just, I can tap into that and breathe into it. And that I finally realized, I've been meditating for a long time and it took me a while to realize why it's so powerful.'cause even for a few minutes or a few seconds sometimes mm-hmm. I can feel that, that it's it your true, real self. The beauty of who you are, the essence of who you are never goes away. It is not gone. It is not ruined.

Dr Nat Green:

Oh, I love that so much. Very powerful message that even though it can feel like things are being taken away or we've lost, it's always there. And it's about working out how to tap back into that.

Kathy Rausch:

Yeah. Tapping back into it and at first just. Knowing it's there took me a long time to even realize that's what happened as I started to do art again. It's like it tapped into that, that like that light, I just saw it like pierced right into that little creative girl. Like you're still there. You are still there. You know, I will tell you it's made me into a pretty incredible grandmother because I'm, we're constantly being creative and I let them get dirty and I let them mess up the house to a degree. It's, you know,'cause I don't want them to ever have it be buried like I did. Yay.

Dr Nat Green:

Yeah. So as we move to wrapping this conversation up, where can our listeners find out more about you and find you online?

Kathy Rausch:

They can go to Ilovemandalas.com. I. That's easy that's good to remember. I love, and it's M-A-N-A-D-A-L-A-S. That's why we say Mandalas or mandalas. I love mandalas.com. KathyRausch.com also will point to it,

Dr Nat Green:

Yeah, so I'll put that in the show notes with a link and Yeah. Yes. And then, and also on Instagram it's, I_ love mandalas_ and on Facebook it's just Kathy Rausch. Excellent. I'll put all that in there and, and they can get on and connect with you and, and look at your book and yes. We can all explore this whole new world of Mandalas. Yeah, we

Kathy Rausch:

should, we should. I would love to coordinate a workshop in Australia so that, I'm not trying to get people from all over doing different time zones, but that would be. Lovely.

Dr Nat Green:

Oh, maybe we could get people to reach out. Yeah, reach out and connect with us, and we could look at getting a Mandala workshop up online through growing tall poppies. That would be amazing. Oh my gosh. That would be so great.

Kathy Rausch:

Yes. I mean, look at the poppies. They're just, they're just mother nature's Mandalas. I love it. And just like flowers. No flowers are the same. No, Nope. Two poppies are the same, but they're poppies. Mandalas are just like

Dr Nat Green:

that. Snowflakes, also snowflakes. Yes, So one thing I like to always finish with my guests on is what do you think your youngest self would think of everything you've done in your life now?

Kathy Rausch:

Wow, that's a beautiful question. I think she would be like way to go. You did it. I knew you could do this when you were Oh, when I was very five, my best friend died as she was coming to my house, she was hit by a car and died. You know, that kind of thing. It happened and, but it didn't take away, you know, she would say. I am so happy we connected again. I'm so happy. I am a big part of this life. You are leading while you're trying to be an adult. Wow.

Dr Nat Green:

You just gave me absolute chills and goosebumps that really Oh,

Kathy Rausch:

yay.

Dr Nat Green:

Hit home that it's never

Kathy Rausch:

gone. Your true essence is never gone. Even if you have to fake it, it's not hard. Fake it till you make, it's not easy, but. And I've learned that there's a wonderful website called the Joy within.org. Mm-hmm. Um, and it's just a, a wonderful teacher that I found who, who really helped me through the, just know it's always there. It is. Always there.

Dr Nat Green:

Beautiful. What a wonderful note to finish on. So thank you so much for joining us today.

Kathy Rausch:

Oh my gosh. You're welcome. It's been, I'm just honored and so pleased to be doing this with you, and I love your podcast and you, you have some really, really helpful, funny, beautiful people on your podcast. It's, it's really great.

Dr Nat Green:

Thank you and, and your one that we can add to the list. You've been an absolute delight. Thank you so much and I look forward to talking with you again soon. Alright. Bye-bye. Have a good night Thanks Kathy. Bye for now. Thank you for joining me in this episode of Growing Tall Poppies. It is my deepest hope that today's episode may have inspired and empowered you to step fully into your post-traumatic growth, so that you can have absolute clarity around who you are, what matters the most to you, and to assist you to release your negative emotions. And regulate your nervous system so you can fully thrive. New episodes are published every Tuesday, and I hope you'll continue to join us as we explore both the strategies and the personal qualities required to fully live a life of post-traumatic growth and to thrive. So if it feels aligned to you and really resonates, then I invite you to hit subscribe and it would mean the world to us. If you could share this episode with others who you feel may benefit too, you may also find me on Instagram at Growing Tall Poppies and Facebook, Dr. Natalie Green. Remember, every moment is an opportunity to look for the lessons and to learn and increase your ability to live the life you desire and deserve. So for now, stay connected. Stay inspired. Stand tall like the tall poppy you are, and keep shining your light brightly in the world. Bye for.

People on this episode

Head Shot

Dr Natalie Green

Host