War takes away not only homes and a sense of security but also the ability to feel life's simple joys. Constant tension is exhausting, leaving behind emptiness and fatigue. How can one regain a taste for life when surrounded by pain and loss? How can one find the strength to move forward when all support seems to have been destroyed? Participants sought answers to these questions during the warm and cosy art therapy meeting, “Chocolate for the Soul”, held on July 29, 2025, within the walls of Poltava Polytechnic (room 311-C).
This art therapy session was organised and conducted by Lesia Klevaka, Ph.D. in Pedagogy, Associate Professor, and Acting Head of the Department of Psychology and Pedagogy, and Viktoriia Shevchuk, Ph.D. in Psychology and Associate Professor at the Department of Psychology and Pedagogy. This event took place within the framework of the large-scale international Erasmus+ KA220-ADU project “TRUST” – Trauma of refugees in Europe: An approach through art therapy as a solidarity program for Ukraine war victims (Grant No. 2024-BE01-KA220-ADU-000257527).
The project title is decoded as follows:
TRUST
T – Trauma
R – Refugees
U – Ukraine
S – Solidarity
T – Therapy
The project is co-funded by the EU and led by the Centre Neuro Psychiatrique St-Martin from Belgium, in partnership with the National University “Yuri Kondratyuk Poltava Polytechnic” (Ukraine), Greek Carers Network EPIONI (Greece), Fondazione Don Luigi Di Liegro (Italy), Lekama Foundation (Luxembourg), EuroPlural Project (Portugal).
This time, the tool for deep work on emotional states was chocolate – a material that speaks directly to our senses and memories. In art therapy, working with such sensory materials is extremely valuable as it allows one to bypass rational defences and connect with deep-seated experiences. The event took place in an atmosphere of trust and warmth, where chocolate, associated by many with childhood, celebration, care, and safety, became a symbolic “key” to forgotten resource states and a “gentle bridge” to restoring inner balance.
The meeting began with a mini-lecture where the psychologists explained the therapeutic power of chocolate. Its ability not only to stimulate the production of endorphins – the “happiness hormones” – but also to evoke powerful positive associations makes it an excellent tool in combating anxiety and emotional burnout.
Afterwards, participants moved to the central part of the session: exercises in mindful consumption. This is a grounding practice that helps bring attention back to the body and the “here and now” moment. Participants learned to slow down: to feel the texture of the chocolate, to identify the subtlest notes of its aroma, and to allow the taste to unfold slowly. Such a process helps to break free from a state of constant tension and anxious thoughts, restoring a sense of control over one's sensations.
“This is not just a tasting. It's about mindfulness, about slowing down, about acceptance and self-care. Through interaction with such a simple and familiar product as chocolate, we gain access to our inner resources, which we might have forgotten in the turmoil of events”, – noted Lesia Klevaka.
The most creative and key stage of the session was the “Chocolate Resource Map” exercise. This is a classic projective technique where participants used melted chocolate as paint or a sculpting material to create art objects. They created compositions symbolising their sources of strength, dreams, safe places, and pleasant moments. The very process of working with a warm, pliable, and aromatic material has a therapeutic effect, soothing the nervous system. Furthermore, creating a physical object that embodies an internal support makes this resource more tangible, real, and accessible in daily life.
To deepen the understanding of the created images, the work was accompanied by the use of metaphorical associative cards. They served as a bridge between the unconscious creative process and conscious understanding. The cards helped participants find words for their feelings and verbalise the emotions and insights that arose during the creation of their “chocolate maps”. This combination of creativity and reflection allows for the integration of the experience on a deeper level.
“We are impressed by the sincerity and openness of the participants. Many admitted that they hadn't felt such calm and pleasant emotions in a long time. For people who have gone through a traumatic experience, the opportunity to relax and create something beautiful with their own hands is extremely healing”, – shared Viktoriia Shevchuk.
The meeting concluded in an atmosphere of quiet joy and gratitude. Participants shared their “chocolate maps”, spoke about their discoveries, and expressed thanks for the safe space that was created. Such events within the TRUST project prove that psychological support can be not only practical but also enjoyable. Poltava Polytechnic, with the support of its partners, continues to be a centre of healing where Ukrainians affected by the war can find support, restore their strength, and once again feel the taste of life.
As a reminder, the faculty of Poltava Polytechnic can participate in academic mobility and internship programs. Students can study abroad through Erasmus+ credit academic mobility grant programs for a semester or a full academic year at leading universities in Austria, Greenland, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, and the Czech Republic.
For more detailed information on current internship, teaching, and academic mobility programs abroad, please get in touch with the International Relations Office (office 213-C, interoffice@nupp.edu.ua) or the coordinator of international activities at the National University “Yuri Kondratyuk Poltava Polytechnic” – Anna Pavelieva, Ph.D. in Philology, Associate Professor of the Department of Germanic Philology and Translation (email: kunsite.zi@gmail.com, phone: +38-(095)-91-08-192).
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National University “Yuri Kondratyuk Poltava Polytechnic”
