Dr. Jessica Thomas

09/23/2026

There are a few different ways to step into this work with me depending on what brings you here.

You might be a clinician wanting to deepen your work with grief, an organization looking for education or consultation, someone curious about mindful photography, or someone navigating grief in your own life.

From Within & Without™ trainings and supervision to Choosing Light, therapy, workshops and the podcast, you can explore the different ways to work with and learn alongside me through the links in my bio.

09/22/2026

We are not simply documenting the world around us. We are discovering how we see—and, perhaps, discovering ourselves in the process.

Within & Without™ invites us to pause long enough to encounter what is present, to approach ourselves with curiosity rather than certainty, and to remain open to what might emerge when we allow ourselves to truly see.

It is a practice of witnessing, encountering, and meaning-making.

A practice of seeing within.
A practice of seeing without.
And, ultimately, a practice of coming into deeper relationship with oneself and the world around us.

09/09/2026

Yes, mindful photography involves actually taking photographs but taking a technically impressive or “beautiful” image isn’t the goal.

The practice invites us to slow down, notice what draws our attention and become curious about its personal resonance. An ordinary photograph can later bring forward a memory, metaphor, feeling or meaning we hadn’t consciously been searching for.

Swipe through to explore mindful photography, what makes the practice therapeutic and how it became the foundation of Within & Without™.

Interested in experiencing the method yourself? My upcoming Within & Without™ classes begin this fall, offering an experiential introduction to mindful photography, grief, reflection and meaning-making.

Sign up through the link in my bio.

(Reminder: classes are educational and are not psychotherapy)

09/04/2026

Registration is open!
Are you inspired by or curious about the intersections of creative expression, aesthetic perception, mindful photography, symbolism, death, personal and transpersonal narratives, meaning-making, and the impactful role of aesthetic interventions in the grieving process?Join me for my Fall therapeutic mindful photography class!
Additionally, in January I will be offering an advanced class for those who have completed the Intro class. Learn more and apply on the program page.

08/31/2026

Grief is about far more than death.

The form of loss that emerged for Meital during her W&W mindful photo walk was the loss of place—of country, of culture, and of proximity

Meital explored her lived and felt experience of relocating and living in another country—the complex space of being physically here while remaining emotionally and culturally connected to somewhere else.

Physical distance does not erase cultural belonging. She described the experience of living within one society while remaining emotionally tethered to another.

Through her Within & Without™ practice and experience, mindful photography became a way to explore this *in-between*—the shifting experience of belonging, identity, distance, and grief.

“My dual position—both insider and outsider—has heightened my awareness of how grief is socially constructed and collectively processed.”

Thank you Meital for sharing your images and reflections that emerged from this exploration.

*Consider joining me for the Fall W&W intro class. Apply on the the program page in the comments*

08/30/2026

After years of studying, teaching and sitting alongside experiences of grief, I’ve learned that death education is as much about how we live as it is about how we die.

We shouldn’t have to wait until loss enters our lives before learning how to speak about death, support someone who is grieving or understand the many ways a relationship can continue after someone dies.

For National Grief Awareness Day, I’m sharing a few things I wish more people knew about death, grief and the importance of making space for both.

What do you wish more people understood?

08/28/2026

What becomes possible when grief is given a stage, a story and somewhere to be witnessed?

https://mailchi.mp/2c8daa708cca/drjessicathomas-12898686?e=039bbcb8a7&utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAdGRleAUAUu5wZG9mAmZkaWQWUNeY7xHPnjdG4bDZwU5mAk9iBRCpQ2V4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDzEyNDAyNDU3NDI4NzQxNAABp2ZaOkvqaX66zsmTjaYptK7HY13zusu9mrz46j0J14E-er3e4m0cEp9FhgP1_aem_LN1onm65bCrKc6MpJycSkA

08/26/2026

Nature can offer a quiet invitation to reconnect.
A changing sky.
The rhythm of waves.
A bird moving through the trees.
Light falling across the landscape.
The feeling of our feet on the earth.

These moments can remind us that we are part of something larger and interconnected—even when grief makes us feel profoundly alone.

This is one of the places where Within & Without™ Therapeutic Mindful Photography intersects with grief work.

W&W invites us to slow down, become present, and use photography as a way of noticing, exploring, and expressing our lived experience. Rather than simply documenting what we see, we can become curious about what we are drawn to, what we notice, what we feel, and what meaning we make from the image.

Join me in Sept/Oct for my Within & Without™ Intro training. Program page link in comments!

08/21/2026

Hi! I am excited to announce that registration is open for my Fall Intro to therapeutic mindful photography class. If you are inspired by or curious about the intersections of creative expression, aesthetic perception, symbolism, death, personal and transpersonal narratives, meaning-making, and the impactful role of aesthetic interventions in the grieving process- please consider joining! Additionally, in January I will be offering an advanced class for those who have completed the Intro class. Learn more and apply on the program page-click on my bio to find the W&W program link.

08/21/2026

Hi! I am excited to announce that registration is open for my Fall Intro to therapeutic mindful photography class. If you are inspired by or curious about the intersections of creative expression, aesthetic perception, symbolism, death, personal and transpersonal narratives, meaning-making, and the impactful role of aesthetic interventions in the grieving process- please consider joining! Additionally, in January I will be offering an advanced class for those who have completed the Intro class. Learn more and apply on the web page, and also check out my August newsletter- link in the comments. And, as always, reach out with any questions!

For professionals in the grief and death industry who are seeking to integrate a Within & Without™ therapeutic mindful photography program into their work.