Psychologlyph
An Image Library
of Relational Health
Consulting — Workshops — Guest Speaking — Training
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After the Olo workshop, I finally have the language to describe how I’ve been feeling about my trauma." Due to the clarity and visual strength of these images, this system is compassionate and highly accessible to diverse and marginalized populations, especially with the capacity to reach those who are visual learners and/or neurodiverse.” These are the tools I've been needing for years!" |
The Olo Project
Since its inception in 2018, the Olo project continues to grow and receive generous support and backing. In 2023 Anna began presenting the project, speaking to audiences at the University of Virginia Children's Hospital, The UVA Contemplative Sciences Center, and Batten school of Leadership & Public Policy. Anna uses Olos in coaching individual clients, and in group work. The Olo project currently has a team supporting the production of the Olos into flash cards and books, and a waitlist of collaborative projects.
The Olo project is not seen as a business, but a personal passion that is growing at a slow, gentle and human pace.
Since its inception in 2018, the Olo project continues to grow and receive generous support and backing. In 2023 Anna began presenting the project, speaking to audiences at the University of Virginia Children's Hospital, The UVA Contemplative Sciences Center, and Batten school of Leadership & Public Policy. Anna uses Olos in coaching individual clients, and in group work. The Olo project currently has a team supporting the production of the Olos into flash cards and books, and a waitlist of collaborative projects.
The Olo project is not seen as a business, but a personal passion that is growing at a slow, gentle and human pace.
Olos are intended to:
- Offer clarity when words are not enough, not accurate, or not safe.
- Provide a non-verbal repeatable language for shared understanding of and beyond the personal scope of experience.
- Facilitate succinct and accurate identification for those who cannot access common language to describe what happened or is happening. (Helpful for bridging language limitations, and identifying unhealthy or harmful patterns of behavior, or ongoing remnants of past impact — trauma.)
- Provide cohesive models for Psych-education and Social Emotional Learning.
- Start conversations by introducing a relational concept with a customizable template for personal exploration.
- Prompt creative and relational inquiry and experimentation across fields of the arts, sciences, and health and spirituality.
How to Use:
Olos can be viewed alone, or with their companion materials of text, and audio/video teachings.
Because this is an ongoing project and a growing library, companion materials are still being developed and refined.
Viewing images solo give the user full autonomy of exploration and meaning making. Viewing with the companion materials provides structure and guidance while still leaving room for unique responses and expressions.
These teaching materials outline the anatomy of each Olo and the details of each concept through guided lessons, exercises in critical thinking/feeling/awareness, somatic sensing, and instructions on how to write/draw psychologlyph. Companion materials even invite explorations in related fields of the arts and sciences to expand the conversation and web of interconnection.
Materials can be used for personal growth, and as support tools with clients, students, mentees, and individuals in rehabilitation programs. The Olo materials can support learning and relational environments in classrooms, therapy offices, community spaces, and at home.
Because this is an ongoing project and a growing library, companion materials are still being developed and refined.
Viewing images solo give the user full autonomy of exploration and meaning making. Viewing with the companion materials provides structure and guidance while still leaving room for unique responses and expressions.
These teaching materials outline the anatomy of each Olo and the details of each concept through guided lessons, exercises in critical thinking/feeling/awareness, somatic sensing, and instructions on how to write/draw psychologlyph. Companion materials even invite explorations in related fields of the arts and sciences to expand the conversation and web of interconnection.
Materials can be used for personal growth, and as support tools with clients, students, mentees, and individuals in rehabilitation programs. The Olo materials can support learning and relational environments in classrooms, therapy offices, community spaces, and at home.
"Anna's Psychologlyphs turn mental health concepts into usable tools. I wish I’d encountered this work when I was in graduate school. Anna has made clear to me core concepts that were not clear in text books. I’ve read many books throughout my training and career and these cards are synthesizing these concepts in a much more digestible way. This is a very powerful gift Anna is putting out into the world.”
— Lia Moran,
M.ED. Clinical Mental Health Counseling Administrator &
Maternal & Child Health Home Visiting for State of New Hampshire
Olos Build Connection
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Bridging Gaps Abstract and simple imagery allows the same visual language to be adapted across ages, languages, education levels, cultures, and gender identity. The shapes and colors offer baseline structures for facilitators and teachers to customize and build upon to best reach their unique audience. This means Psychologlyph's can adapt to meet the needs of each unique student and group. |
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In informal trials, Psychologlyph has been shown to expedite the psycho-education process in both neurotypical and neurodivergent individuals. It does so by providing visual learning, experiential learning, and movement toward curiosity and discovery rather than right vs. wrong. This bridges cognitive concepts of behavior with the learner’s embodied experiences, and practical day-to-day uses.
Those working with Olos have shown a range of positive results, including:
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Success Spanning Generations
The visual language of the Olos can be intuitively understood by people of nearly any age. A real-world example involves a mother who attended a Psychololglyph presentation at the University of Virginia's Children's Hospital. Her five-year-old son had spent much of his life in and out of the hospital due to a chronic illness. To cope with the pain of his illness and treatments, he’d begun dissociating. This means that when things were unpleasant, his awareness would drift away from the moment and away from his body. Although dissociating can lessen suffering on occasion, repeated or longterm dissociation can have lasting harmful effects. Based on what the child's mother learned at the presentation, she was able to show her son the Psychologlyph that illustrates dissociation, along with another visual guide for centering in the body, the Centering & Homing Beacon. Together, the mother and son drew their own versions of the psychologlyphs and talked about what they meant. By using these tools, her son was able to understand the concept of dissociation and what dissociation felt like in his body. He also had a better understanding of what it felt like to feel grounded in his body. Afterwards, his mother reported that her 5 year old son began to recognize when his awareness was drifting out of his body during treatment. Between the two of them, they were able to call him back into his body and the moment with care, compassion and practices for grounding back in. |
Responses From
Mental Health Professionals
& Students
After twenty-five years as a senior manager with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and for several years more recently as a somatic psychotherapist in private practice, I discovered Anna Fox Ryan and her development of Psychologlyphs. She displays the same kind of gap-bridging entrepreneurship that DARPA has always supported in advanced technologies.
— Brian S, MA, CCEP, Former Senior Manager with DARPA
“Yesterday’s community webinar was incredible. I can already see how useful it will be in different parts of my life. It would be amazing to have a Part 2 of this topic with Anna in the future to dive deeper!”
“It was epic!”
“I learned so much!”
— Attendees from the Dalai Lama Fellowship Program, at the University of Virginia, Contemplative Sciences Center
I attended most of the program presentations for the UVA Children's Hospital Mental Health Awareness Month, and Anna's presentation was the most impactful by far!
— Member of UVA Children's Hospital Board of Directors
This is very helpful. I am a therapist and I find Anna's work very essential and connecting.
— Jaclyn Scott, Family Therapist & Mother
This is groundbreaking.
I've never seen anything like this.
I want to use these with my clients.
When can I buy a deck?
— Top 4 most common responses from clinicians
Psychologlyph Presentations & Related Workshops Have Been Hosted By:
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Etymology of Psychologlyph
Psychologlyph is a word coined specifically for this body of work. It arose out of accuracy, as described below.
The later abbreviation of Olo arose for ease and joy of pronunciation. In the Finnish language, the word Olo means the feeling of being. Anna's sister moved to Finland in her twenties and now lives there permanently with her family. This synchronistically accurate word, Olo, also serves as a nod to Anna's familial love across the miles, inherently connected by the feeling of being.
PSYchologlyph
"psy-" originates from the Greek word "psyche" (ψυχή), which means "soul, mind, spirit, or life". It signifies the study or consideration of these aspects of the human experience and is found in words like "psychology," "psychedelic," and "psychic"
PsychOLOglyph
In Finnish, "olo" is derived from the verb "olla," meaning "to be," and can refer to the feeling of being. Additionally, "olo" appears in New Testament Greek as the word "olos," meaning "whole" or "complete".
Additionally
"-ology" originates from the Greek word "-λογία" (-logia), meaning "the study of" or "the science of". It is derived from "logos," which can mean "word," "speech," "account," or "reason". Essentially, "-ology" indicates a field of study or a branch of knowledge.
PsycholoGLYPH
"glyph" originates from the Ancient Greek word "glyphein", meaning "to carve" or "to engrave". In Psychologlyph, we refer to carving new neural pathways, new alignment pathways, and the new relational pathways that are carved through life.
Glyph also references Hieroglyph, referring to ancient image based Egyptian language that was originally carved into stone.
The later abbreviation of Olo arose for ease and joy of pronunciation. In the Finnish language, the word Olo means the feeling of being. Anna's sister moved to Finland in her twenties and now lives there permanently with her family. This synchronistically accurate word, Olo, also serves as a nod to Anna's familial love across the miles, inherently connected by the feeling of being.
PSYchologlyph
"psy-" originates from the Greek word "psyche" (ψυχή), which means "soul, mind, spirit, or life". It signifies the study or consideration of these aspects of the human experience and is found in words like "psychology," "psychedelic," and "psychic"
PsychOLOglyph
In Finnish, "olo" is derived from the verb "olla," meaning "to be," and can refer to the feeling of being. Additionally, "olo" appears in New Testament Greek as the word "olos," meaning "whole" or "complete".
Additionally
"-ology" originates from the Greek word "-λογία" (-logia), meaning "the study of" or "the science of". It is derived from "logos," which can mean "word," "speech," "account," or "reason". Essentially, "-ology" indicates a field of study or a branch of knowledge.
PsycholoGLYPH
"glyph" originates from the Ancient Greek word "glyphein", meaning "to carve" or "to engrave". In Psychologlyph, we refer to carving new neural pathways, new alignment pathways, and the new relational pathways that are carved through life.
Glyph also references Hieroglyph, referring to ancient image based Egyptian language that was originally carved into stone.