Chocolate in Art Therapy - Moran Yotvat Rudnik

Sensory, Emotional, Familial, and Historical Material

A sensation of cool solidity gradually yields to body heat. The texture softens, gently enveloping the palate and leaving a silky, velvety feel. The initial flavors are sharp and deep—subtle bitterness with hints of damp earth. As the chocolate melts, additional layers emerge—the delicate acidity of dark fruits, a mild nuttiness, and perhaps even a whisper of caramelized sugar.

The body's response is almost immediate. A gentle wave of warmth spreads from within, like a quiet current touching the fingertips and rolling inward. The breath deepens and slightly lengthens, as if the body recognizes that something good is happening. A subtle sharpness awakens behind the eyes, like light gradually growing stronger. The theobromine and caffeine in cocoa gently stimulate alertness—not too fast or sharp, but rather a mild gust of internal freshness balancing relaxation and focus.

Something changes—a delicate sense of satisfaction slowly seeps in. It is not an outburst, but a gentle warmth that settles comfortably, like a light blanket on a cloudy day. The brain releases dopamine, signaling that this moment is pleasant and worth lingering in a little longer. The facial muscles relax slightly, and perhaps, a small smile emerges almost unnoticed.

This deep sensory experience of chocolate is merely the beginning—it invites us to explore how this material can serve as a multidimensional therapeutic tool.

A Sensory Material in Therapeutic Work

More than just a beloved indulgence, chocolate and cocoa possess sensory and symbolic qualities that make them a fascinating medium for therapeutic work. Before becoming an art therapist, I spent over a decade as a chocolatier, where chocolate and cocoa played a significant role in my professional life. Incorporating them into the art therapy space facilitates access to the senses, memories, and emotions. Working with chocolate requires precision, attentiveness, and sensitivity to processes—qualities essential to therapeutic work—while simultaneously offering a profound sensory experience of touch, smell, and taste. The presence of chocolate and cocoa in my therapy room introduces new qualities, enriches the therapeutic encounter, and bridges emotional worlds with material work.

Chocolate and cocoa embody history and personal memories, often connected to experiences and interactions with close family members. For many, the first memory of chocolate or cocoa carries a profound emotional significance. My first memory of chocolate is a sweet and special moment, almost ritualistic.

It was during summer vacation. I stood on the tiled patio of my grandmother's house, slightly bent over, searching for something interesting on the ground. Between the cracks of the tiles, grains of sand had accumulated, with yellowish weeds peeking through. Leaves, small gravel stones, and fragments of old white shells were scattered across the floor. I found a whole shell and picked it up—it was empty. I slipped it into my pocket.

He stepped out the door into the yard—tall, with a gleaming smile—my uncle from America! He had glasses resting on his head, a gold chain around his neck, and a matching bracelet on his wrist. He wore a light-colored shirt with thin stripes that glistened in the sun.

"What are you doing over there?"

He approached and pulled a small brown bag from his pocket. The English letters meant little to me, and I quickly tore open the bag. A sweet aroma immediately filled my nose. A few pieces rolled into my palm and onto the ground, so I gathered them. They were smooth, shiny, and cool to the touch.

I selected a green one and placed it in my mouth. Initially, it felt slick, then gradually rough, followed by a gentle crunch. Suddenly, a deep and sweet flavor burst forth, accompanied by a soft warmth. I smiled.

Experiences with chocolate, stored in memory, are often tied to excitement, surprise, discovery, comfort, and a sense of home- evoking feelings of joy or longing. Beyond the personal memories that accompany us throughout life, cocoa—the raw material from which chocolate is made, carries a rich historical tradition, that adds depth to the symbolic meaning of working with chocolate.

Cocoa: A Material with Deep Historical Roots (Goren, 2003)

The chocolate we know today originates from the Theobroma cacao tree, which produces cocoa beans. The name of the tree, which means "food of the gods" in Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs, hints at its sacred and special status in ancient cultures. The cacao tree grows in the tropical regions of Central and South America. It has been an integral part of these ancient civilizations for thousands of years, serving as a cultural, spiritual, and economic power source.

The Mayans prepared hot cocoa-based drinks for religious rituals, royalty, and nobility. These drinks were often flavored with chili pepper and sometimes thickened with corn flour. The Aztecs used cocoa beans in sacrificial rituals to deepen their connection to the spiritual world. Aztec warriors consumed cocoa-based drinks before battle, believing they enhanced strength, endurance, and alertness. Cocoa also held economic value, as the Aztecs used cocoa beans as currency, highlighting their significance in the financial systems of the time.

With the arrival of Europeans in the region, cocoa transformed from a sacred ritualistic beverage to a widely consumed, sweetened product with added sugar and spices. This transition helped establish chocolate as a luxury and later a global commodity, shifting from artisanal and traditional production to mass industrial production.

Despite these changes, cocoa still holds its historical heritage, connecting us to the rich traditions of the Mayans and Aztecs—a fusion of complex flavors, sensory experiences, cultural memories, and rituals passed down through generations.

Chocolate as a Therapeutic Medium: A Link Between Senses, Memory, and Emotion

As therapists engaging in mental health, particularly in art therapy, we recognize the crucial role of the senses in psychological development. Beyond being a familiar and edible raw material, chocolate and cocoa offer a profound sensory experience that evokes emotions and memories.

Chocolate and cocoa are exceptional materials in art therapy, primarily because they are edible. Unlike non-edible materials, they provide a multisensory experience that engages touch, taste, and smell.

Food holds transformative significance—it provides physical nourishment alongside emotional and spiritual sustenance (Netzer, 2015). The edibility of cocoa and chocolate ignites patient curiosity, inviting direct interaction with the material and stimulating engagement of all the senses. Chocolate, in its complete sensory essence, offers profound experiences of texture, aroma, and taste, connecting us directly to memories and emotions. Its texture alternates between liquid and solid, its deep and warm scent evokes comfort, nostalgia, and pleasure, while its flavor oscillates between sweet, sour, and bitter, fostering relaxation, security, and harmony. Occasionally, it even helps us reconnect with early, simple childhood moments.

The sense of smell is directly linked to the memory-related areas of the brain, which is why working with chocolate can quickly evoke hidden emotions and recollections. The rich aroma of chocolate may bring back childhood memories, feelings of home, or even ceremonial moments like holidays and family gatherings. Sometimes, the scent alone is enough to trigger memories and emotions—experiences that can facilitate gentle emotional processing and encourage encounters with past recollections.

Throughout my years as a chocolatier, I have led numerous chocolate workshops for women. Many participants shared the origins of their connection and love for chocolate, and almost always, an early childhood memory surfaced. Often, these memories were linked to a significant figure in their lives or a unique chocolate experience they had received from abroad.

"When my mother baked a cake, she always melted the chocolate in a small pot on the stove for the glaze. My favorite part was sticking my fingers into the pot and licking the leftovers."

"My grandmother always hid the fancy chocolate boxes she received in her cupboard. She would excitedly tell me she had something special but would only give me one piece so she wouldn't run out."

"When I was a little girl, my parents would bring out the expensive chocolate only when guests arrived—not the ordinary baking chocolate they usually used. I remember sitting quietly to the side, hoping for a leftover piece, once the guests had gone."

Chocolate and cocoa take us back to meaningful moments from the past—like the first time we tasted chocolate as children, received it as a gift, or enjoyed the warm cocoa our parents made for us before bedtime. These experiences often leave a positive emotional imprint; however, this is not always the case. Sometimes, the scent of chocolate may trigger painful or complex memories. This strong reaction can serve as a gateway to exploring sensitive topics, such as personal boundaries or trauma, within a therapeutic setting.

Unlike standard materials commonly found in an art therapist studio, such as markers, gouache, or pencils, chocolate and cocoa carry deep cultural and emotional significance.

Unconventional materials, like chocolate, offer a medium for exploration and creativity, free from the aesthetic constraints of traditional artistic materials (Aldridge, 2005). For most patients, chocolate is a familiar and enjoyable substance, making it an accessible and less intimidating medium for creative expression. The way chocolate responds to body heat offers an opportunity to explore sensations of control and surrender. Its unique qualities spark curiosity and engagement, opening the door to profound sensory and emotional exploration.

Using Chocolate and Cocoa in Art Therapy

Chocolate and cocoa engage all five senses. Touch, smell, and taste are the most obvious, but vision also plays a role as we observe color changes when chocolate transitions between solid and liquid states or when cocoa is mixed with water or oil. Even hearing is involved to some extent—who doesn’t recognize the distinct sound of breaking a piece of chocolate?

Sculpting with Chocolate

Chocolate can be carved in solid form, utilized as a sculpting material when mixed with glucose, or transformed into a surface for engraving. When combined with glucose, it becomes a moldable material with clay-like properties, which enables movement, three-dimensional construction, and deconstruction (Schulte & Gavron, 2006; Orbach & Galkin, 1997). Working with chocolate in this manner allows patients to experience control, precision, and sense of surrender. Sculpting and carving inherently require planning.

When using chocolate, an additional layer of boundary and process exploration is involved. How much pressure can be applied before the chocolate breaks? And what can be done when it does? Engaging with such challenges can help patients explore personal boundaries versus external limitations and develop problem-solving strategies in moments of crisis or surprise.

Painting with a Brush or Fingers

Mixing cocoa powder with water or oil creates a deeply scented substance with earthy brown tones. The type of cocoa and its ratio to the liquid influence the texture, which can range from fluid to thick paste, as well as the color variations. Working with cocoa in this way resembles finger painting, sparking curiosity and potentially evoking discomfort or aversion (Snir & Regev, 2013), mainly due to its brown hue, which may remind some body secretions.

A key advantage of chocolate over traditional finger paints is its edibility, which makes exploring “messiness” more enjoyable and less off-putting for most people. Compared to finger painting, using a brush with chocolate or cocoa provides a sense of control and precision, encouraging focus, a slower pace, and deeper engagement with the material and personal sensations.

Exploring Sensations and Emotions

Working with melted chocolate or liquid cocoa provides direct tactile interaction with the hands and mouth. It has the qualities of a "pre-material" substance (Lakh & Madzini, 2018)—fluid, shape-shifting, and sensory-stimulating—encouraging non-directed, open-ended exploration. This facilitates access to early sensory experiences through touch, smell, and taste, potentially triggering deep-seated memories associated with these sensations.

Chocolate, as a raw material, reacts uniquely to body heat, transforming upon contact—it starts as a solid and gradually softens and melts. The transition between states (solid to liquid) and the interplay of heat and cold create a rich sensory experience. Liquid chocolate combines the characteristics of acrylic and gouache paints—it is playful, flexible, messy, and sensually engaging (Orbach, 2019). Its response to body temperature fosters internal awareness and a direct connection to the body and emotions, promoting mindfulness of changing sensations throughout the creative process.

Engaging with chocolate in this manner can symbolize transformation, adaptation to change, and the dual experiences of losing control while embracing softness, acceptance, and surrender.

In the paragraphs above, I have suggested several ways to work with cocoa and chocolate based on my personal and professional experiences in the therapy room. Since this raw material is less common in art therapy settings, I propose approaching it from a phenomenological perspective (Betensky, 1977)—a mindful, open, and curious observation of how our patients engage with chocolate and cocoa. This includes noticing their initial reactions to the presence of these materials, observing how they interact with them, and paying attention to the sensations and emotions that arise in both the client and the therapist during and after the creative process. It is also beneficial to reflect on additional aspects of the work: Were any other materials incorporated with the chocolate or cocoa? What kinds of materials were used? What tools were utilized?

Guided Exercises Using Chocolate and Cocoa

Chocolate and cocoa can be utilized in directive approach, including guided exercises, in both individual and group therapy. While I generally prefer non-directive approaches, I encourage therapists to assess whether guided exercises align with their patients' needs and treatment goals.

In my experience, chocolate and cocoa have a unique ability to foster connection and intimacy, often leading to the sharing of personal stories. For this reason, exercises in a directive approach may be particularly suitable for groups with prior familiarity or when the goal is to deepen relationships in individual therapy.

One possible guided exercise is blind tasting a chocolate cube, which encourages participants to engage all their senses and describe their experience through words, rhythm, movement, or creative expression. Another option incorporates a short mindfulness practice, guiding patients to recall their earliest memory of chocolate. The session could conclude with an open-ended creative exploration, using a rich buffet of chocolate and cocoa-based materials.

How to Integrate chocolate and cocoa in the Art Therapy Studio

I recommend incorporating chocolate and cocoa as additional materials in the therapy space, integrating them naturally among other art supplies instead of setting them apart in a designated area. A block of chocolate can be placed among sculpting materials- in its natural chunk form, as a chocolate bar, or a chocolate-glucose mix. Cocoa nibs, chocolate shavings, or chocolate chips can be displayed in clear jars alongside natural materials like stones and wood.

Images of chocolate or cacao trees can also be included in a collage or inspiration board. The cocoa tree often evokes a sense of wonder due to the way its fruit grows and the striking colors of its pods. Additionally, kitchen tools, such as metal spatulas and small cheese knives, can enrich the studio by offering new ways to manipulate and engage with chocolate.

More than just a material, chocolate is a sensory experience- its texture, scent, and taste can unlock deeper therapeutic pathways. I invite you to rediscover chocolate as a therapeutic raw material and reflect on your experiences with it. Perhaps, like me, you will find new ways to touch, feel, remember, and process emotions from the past or present.

I invite you to discover chocolate and cocoa:

What emotions, memories, or insights do they bring to mind for you?

What have you learned about yourself or these materials while working with them?

Please share your experiences in the comments.

Bibliography:

Aldridge, F. (2005). Chocolate or Crap: Aesthetic and Cultural Poverty in Art Therapy with Children. International Journal of Art Therapy, 10(1), 3–13.

Betensky, M. (1977). The Phenomenological Approach to Art Expression. Art Psychotherapy, pp. 173–177.

Goren, K. (Ed.). (2003). Chocolate. Al HaShulchan (pp. 15–21). (In Hebrew)

Lakh, E., & Madzini, S. (2018). "Give us some of that liquid liquid": Developmental viscosity and traumatic viscosity—Two perspectives on working with liquid and slimy materials in art therapy. Between the Words, 15. Seminar Hakibbutzim (In Hebrew)

Netzer, R. (2015). From Totem Feasts to Eternal Peaches – Food Symbols from the Kitchen of the Soul in a Jungian Perspective. Hebrew Psychology. Retrieved on March 25 from https://www.hebpsy.net/articles.asp?id=3266 (In Hebrew)

Orbach, N. (2019). A Good Enough Studio: Material, Action, and Space in Art Therapy and Education. Tel Aviv: Resling. (pp. 57–71). (In Hebrew)

Orbach, N., & Galkin, L. (1990). The Spirit of Material: Art Therapy: Processes and Experiences. Kiryat Bialik: Ach Publishing. (In Hebrew)

Snir, S., & Regev, D. (2013). Dialogue with Materials: Creators Share Experiences with Creative Materials. Arts Therapy: Research and Creation in Therapeutic Practice, 3(1), pp. 294–302. (In Hebrew)

* I affirm that all images are either free to use or owned by me. It is important to note that the pictures featured are not of patients, but rather of myself and colleagues who have granted permission for their use in this text.

Moran Yotvat Rudnik, Visual Art Therapist

therapyart.moran@gmail.com

https://www.yahat.org/therapists/info.aspx?id=4730