In my early days learning transformational movement practices, I came across a wonderful practice called Authentic Movement.  The idea is that you move without music from an inner impulse while being observed by a witness.  After many years of being both mover and witness in different situations, I noticed a very curious thing.   The witness, while seemingly inert and unmoving, played a major role in how the dance played itself out.  For example, as a mover, I noticed my movement was highly influenced by my relationship by my witness.  if it was a witness who kn ..read more

As an expressive therapist, I often hear the phrase, “coping skills” to refer to an action one can take to feel better when we’re feeling some kind of emotional distress. Here are some different categories of actions that can be helpful in different situations using the creative arts.  Coping by Distraction  Sometimes an uncomfortable feeling will pass if we give ourselves some thing else to focus on. Good distractions fully engage us so that we don’t have extra space to continue to ruminate on unpleasant thoughts or feed negative emotions. Typical distractions can include organizi ..read more

I wanted to share with you my wonderful experience recently at a Soul Collage workshop with friend and colleague, Connie Banta, LPC at Saranam Retreat Center.  If you haven't come across Soul Collage yet in your expressive therapies explorations, I strongly recommend it!  It is a creative medium that uses collage materials to invoke meaningful images in your life. During this wonderful workshop, I was guided on a visualization in which I encountered a character I will call the Laughing Alchemist.  In the visualization, I was seeking guidance about my feelings of overwhelm, frustration ..read more

Here are some some guided dance practices that I developed to help us to reconnect with nature and empower ourselves to become more effective change agents for a more peaceful world.  I hope you enjoy them! Clarity Meditative movement that embodies intention for personal and cultural transformation Civilization Detox Sensual movement in nature to build mental and physical resilience and to re-adapt ourselves to the wild Nature Mimicry Movement practice to dissolve the human-nature boundary and gain strength from an enlarged ecological identity Courage A shaking pra ..read more