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P.O. Box 320399, San Franciso, CA 94132 415-522-8959 www.ieata.org info@ieata.org

The newsletter is a forum for IEATA professional, student, and supporting members to connect, exchange ideas, network, and stay current on the latest developments in the field of Expressive

Arts. It is published bi-annually by the IEATA Publications Committee. Submissions are welcome from any current IEATA member and from those in the larger expressive arts

community upon committee approval.

The current Publications Co-Chairs are Tawnya Smith and Claire Polansky, and they can be reached by e-mail at publications@ieata.org.

Deadline for submissions:

Edition 1: March 1st Edition 2: September 1st

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Committee Reports

ECC report 02

Publications 03

REACE 05

Social Action 08

IEATA Conference Ads 09

Articles

Become an Artist of Your Life 12

A Personal Expressive Arts Practice – What, Why, How? 17

EGS in Lima – A Tinquy of the Expressive Arts with the Peruvian Reality 26

Encouraging Evidence-Based Studies on E.T.A. 31

Recent Research on The Creative Journal for Schools 33

Notes from the Field 35

Artistic Contributions

Pathway to Enlightenment 38

Treasures of Free Association 38

All the Pretty Things 39

Book Reviews

Artist, Therapist and Teacher 40

Therapeutic Noh theater 42

Book Announcements

Attunement in Expressive Arts Therapy By. M.Kossak 44

Sky above the Cloud by: W. Miller and G. Cohen 44

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COMMITTEE REPORTS

Welcome from the ECC's

Mitchell, Yousef and Lisa wish everyone all the best as spring arrives in the northern

hemisphere. We are writing this report, as storms rage on the east coast of North America where

winter doesn’t look like it will end. Some parts of the world are basking in sunshine and we wish

our members there to send some warmth towards our more chilled colleagues.

Your Executive Co-Chairs have been meeting twice a month with the Executive

Committee of IEATA that includes our interim Executive Director Lynn Holley, our Secretary,

Patricia Roja-Zambrano and our Treasurer, Yasmin Decuire. We have tended to the ongoing

concerns of IEATA and have planned for our future. Our application for 501c3 status has been

submitted to the U.S. Federal Government so that we can receive tax-deductible donations

directly. This is an arduous process that will take at least another year. Meanwhile we are

operating under an umbrella organization, Arts Without Limits that already has a tax-deductible

status. We encourage our members to go to our website and donate. One of your ECC’s greatest

concerns is for IEATA to remain financially viable. We are dependent on you and our

conferences to keep us solvent.

We have concluded our contract with Lynn Holley who has served as our interim

Executive Director for the past year. Lynn has moved on to a creative project that will demand

her time. We wish her all the best. Presently we are looking for someone who will replace her. It

is a part-time paid position. Our new Administration Assistant, Ben Kanter, has been doing a

mighty job of keeping us organized and up to date with daily inquiries and maintenance. Look for

our new and improved website coming soon thanks to the hard work and dedication of our

Website Committee Co-Chair, Mayari Hernandez.

The Hong Kong conference preparations are well under way and we expect quite a

turnout. We’d especially like to encourage our members from the U.S. and Canada to

explore ways of raising money for your airfare and conference fee so you can attend. You can

also apply for a scholarship from the Conference Committee, which will partially subsidize your

costs for this exciting international gathering. Remember the conference fee includes room and

board!

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We have openings on our Board for Co-Chairs and would be most grateful for those

interested to be in contact. We are looking for individuals interested in joining the following

committees: Public Relations, Governance, Artists, REAT, Publications, and Website. We would

like to welcome onboard, Amy Morrison (Social Action), Jesse Parks (Educational Resources),

and Terri Goslin-Jones and Susan O’Connell (REACE). You and all our members are our life

and blood – become active and help shape IEATA’s future. Our next Board Meeting will be in

Boston, March 28-29 and it will be great to see all our Board there.

Keep warm and dry or just enjoy the sun!

Mitchell, Yousef and Lisa

Publications Committee Report

Newsletter Transition

The transition from the print to electronic newsletter has occurred with only a few minor

glitches. While two members have expressed sadness that “they cannot curl up and enjoy the

newsletter with a cup of tea” the majority of feedback has been quite positive. If the recent

tripling of content for the next edition is any indication, we think that the electronic format is

quite well received!

While the electronic format does allow us to publish longer editions without adding cost,

it is important to keep the newsletter a manageable and user-friendly size. Longer editions take

more time to edit and format, and at this time the co-chairs are completing this work. The last

edition was twice the size as previous editions, and for the first time we are aware, we may be in

the position of rejecting or reducing the size of contributions in the upcoming edition. It may be

necessary for the co-chairs to create criteria for doing so if this becomes a trend.

While Claire has done an excellent job with the formatting of the past newsletters, she is

unable to continue because she is working longer hours at her job, and is writing a dissertation.

Claire is looking into template options for formatting, and is also looking into what it would cost

to hire a formatter if necessary.

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Other News

In other developments, Tawnya and Mayari worked to get the e-news and newsletter

guidelines up on the IEATA website. They can be accessed at

http://www.ieata.org/newsletter.html. We would like to thank publication committee members

Cherith Pederson, and Fran Ross for contributing book reviews for this edition. And lastly,

Tawnya has decided not to continue as the Publications Co-Chair for a second term. She shares:

Thank you to everyone! It has been a joy and honor to work with Claire Polansky,

Heather Matson, the board, and the many contributors to the e-news and newsletter. It

has been rewarding and inspiring to read about so much amazing work going on out

there! My best wishes to you all! -Tawnya

Warmly,

Tawnya Smith and Claire Polansky Co-Chairs

STAND OUT from the Crowd, Get REGISTERED with IEATA

Registered Expressive Arts Therapist (REAT) The REAT track is designed for those who use the expressive arts in therapy. To become a REAT, an IEATA member must meet rigorous criteria –

including education, experience, demonstrated competencies, personal

engagement in expressive arts therapy and letters of reference – and agree to abide by our REAT Code of Ethics. Learn more>www.ieata.org/reat.

Registered Expressive Arts Consultant/Educator (REACE)

The REACE designation includes expressive arts consultants and educators who use the expressive arts in a broad range of approaches in education,

organizational development, health fields and more. The REACE candidate may have formal training or acquired experience by applying their skills in

work situations. The applicant will choose one of two application tracks that best fits his or her education and experience. REACE applicants must

thoroughly document education, work experience, expressive arts training, and personal and professional competency as an expressive arts

consultant/educator, and agree to abide by our REACE Code of Ethics. Learn more>www.ieata.org/reace.

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Professional Standards Committee: REACE (Consultant-Educator) Report

Spring Greetings to all IEATA members!

I am thrilled to report to the IEATA membership that our committee has two new Co-

Chairs: Susan O’Connell and Terri Goslin-Jones.

Over the next several months, I will work with them and transfer the leadership of this

committee into their competent hands. I am deeply grateful to each of them for stepping forward

and I am honored to be working with them.

Susan O’Connell. M.A., REACE

“I am very honored and excited to be in the position of

Co-Chair on the Professional Standards Committee

/Reace for IEATA. I look forward to collaborative

engagement with my Co-Chair and other commmittee

members as we expand awareness of the transformational

capabilities of creative expression across a wide spectrum

of disciplines, educational, and work environments. I also

love the mentoring and service aspect of this particular

committee and hope to promote, educate, and assist new applicants in obtaining the REACE

professional designation. I aim to uphold and further the mission of IEATA.”

Susan is an associate core faculty at Sofia University in the hybrid (online/face-face)

transpersonal psychology master’s program. She teaches in the creativity and innovation focus

and the eco-psychology area. With a background in humanistic leadership in the public sector,

Susan is a life-long creative expression practitioner who has a deep connection with the natural

world. She

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seeks to nurture other’s inherent creative energy while inviting deepening awareness of our living

Earth in a way that furthers sustainable and respectful relations with the natural world and all

beings.

Susan has a Master’s Degree from the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology (now Sofia

University) with a focus in Creativity and Innovation and a sub focus in Ecopsychology; a BA

from the University of California, Santa Barbara in Geography, a graduate certificate in

transpersonal psychology from the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology (Sofia University);

Non-Profit Leadership Certificate from California Lutheran College and the Ventura County

Community Foundation; and a Leadership and Mentoring Certificate from the University of

California, Santa Barbara. She will be ordained as an interfaith minister in April 2015.

Terri Goslin-Jones, Ph.D, REACE

“It is a pleasure and an honor to join the IEATA board and to work

with my Co-Chair to advance the vision for REACE. It is my desire to

collaborate with other IEATA members to expand the educational

resources, mentoring, and research in our field. Person-Centered

Expressive Arts is at the core of my life and my work. In my life

expressive arts serves as a path to create understanding, expand

potential, and contribute to society in meaningful ways. I look forward to working with my

expressive arts colleagues from all over the world to support personal and social

transformation.”

Terri teaches, with Natalie Rogers and Sue Ann Herron, in the Person Centered

Expressive Arts Certificate Program at Sofia University, combining experiential learning, theory

and practice in the person-centered philosophy of Carl Rogers and the expressive arts. She also

serves on the faculty in the School of Mind-Body Medicine and the School of Psychology and

Interdisciplinary studies at Saybrook University.

In her private practice as a workplace psychologist, Terri’s business mission is to

"Discover the Wonder of People at Work™.” Her consulting work includes several key areas:

executive/life coaching, expressive arts-based learning, leadership development, and team

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building. Terri has found that work becomes more meaningful when creativity is nurtured in the

workplace through the expression of a person's unique gifts, talents, and perspectives. In her

dissertation, The Perceived Effects of Person-Centered Expressive Arts on One’s Work, Terri

wrote, "Work can be a sacred place where people are giving birth to their deepest passions and

creative spirit."

Terri holds a Ph.D in Psychology from Saybrook University in San Francisco, an MS in

Personnel and Counseling from Miami University in Ohio, and a BS in Psychology from Western

Michigan University.

Congratulations!

I am excited to announce our most recently qualified REACEs:

Keiko Soejima from Kagawa, Japan

Wendy Phillips from Atlanta, GA, USA

It is a pleasure to welcome Keiko and Wendy to the growing community of Registered

Expressive Arts Consultant Educators.

Warm regards,

Kathleen Horne, Co-Chair (outgoing)

Professional Standards Committee, REACE (Consultant-Educator)

Spring Expressive Arts Retreats with Jena Leake, PhD, REAT

Embodying the Artist Within: A Continuum Movement & Expressive Arts Workshop

will be offered May 1 - 3, 2015 in Chapel Hill, NC (REAT personal process hours

available & CEUs for bodyworkers).

Painting from the Wild Soul: A Women's Expressive Arts Retreat will be offered June

5-6, 2015 in Charlottesville, VA (REAT personal process hours available).

For more information/registration for these events and more expressive arts

offerings, visit: jenaleake.com <http://jenaleake.com>

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Social Action Committee News

Dear IEATA Members,

On behave of the IEATA Board, I would like to give a warm welcome to Amy Morrison

who will be the second Co-Chair for the Social Action Committee. Amy brings a plethora

expertise and excitement for social action and the arts. Welcome Amy!

The Social Action Committee is moving forward with sending out the postcards for the

MailArt project. This project is meant to thank members for being a part of IEATA with a one-

of-a-kind artwork made by members, clients, students, and the Board!

As well, we have made some good movement towards having a special web page for

communicating, advertising and displaying multi-model social action projects that are currently

happening around the globe! We hope to finish the project by the end of the year.

We look forward to connecting with you during the IEATA conference in Hong Kong!

Thank you.

Cailin Turcotte-Good MA REAT LMHC

IEATA Social Action Committee Co-Chair

Painting From the Source

Now available in Chinese!

From Aviva Gold:

My dear workshop participant from Hong Kong and Mainland China, Christine Hui Yu

Jaing, devotedly expedited the Mandarin translation and E-book publication of The

Complete Painting From The Source. Christine attended a PFTS workshop at Esalen

Institute in 2014, and shares her personal experiences in the Introduction. I am every

pleased that PFTS is now available to a large and vital population with many influences

and possibilities in opening hearts to nature and peace. For more information in Chinese

go to: http://read.douban.com/ebook/8248347/?icn=index-indie-new

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The 11th International Conference of the IEATA

Conference October 8-10, 2015 Hong Kong, China

Main Conference

8-10 October, 2015 Wu Kwai Sha Youth Village, New Territories, Hong Kong

Pre-conference Workshops 6-7 October, 2015

This is the first time the International Expressive Arts Therapy Association biannual

conference will be held in Asia!

More than 500 participants and presenters from all over the world are planning their

trips to attend the conference. We are very excited to be receiving proposals

submitted from the US, Europe, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Nepal, Cambodia,

Singapore, India and China, and are expecting more from other countries. The

conference will be a unique chance to learn of the current state of the expressive

arts therapies profession, and to meet world-renowned pioneers and practitioners in

our field. (Website coming in May!)

For the tentative schedule and additional details concerning the conference fee,

accommodations, etc. please visit http://www.ieata.org/conference.html

Please share our IEATA Conference News on your website/Facebook and "Like" our

FB page: http://goo.gl/CzIQHl

Poly U Jockey Club Auditorium, Hong Kong, China

Conference Registration

The call for early bird registration will be announced in May. We hope you can come

and attend the conference

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Weaving the wisdom of east and west by joining hands across the Globe to

Inspire the Conference’s Flowing of the Tao of Expressive Arts:

An invitation to join in a global creation for the 2015 conference in Hong

Kong

The 2015 IEATA conference invites you to join the

hands of east and west members for our first

conference in Asia in Hong Kong. The conference

committee is inviting all members globally whether

attending in spirit or in person to have voice in

contributing to the conference. We invite you to infuse

the conference with your blessings, intention, or wish

for the event by creating an art or multi-arts piece that

will be woven into a mosaic of the members’ voices.

Your contribution could be a poem, mantra, visual arts piece, a video or photo of

your dance, drama, music or multi-arts creation to be woven into a mosaic that will

be shared in the next newsletter, on our Facebook page, and at the conference so

all nations will be represented at the 2015 conference.

Please join us in weaving the wisdom of east and west by creating this global arts

piece. If you have questions, please contact the conference committee at

conference@ieata.org. PLEASE SUBMIT YOUR CONTRIBUTION BY JUNE 1ST TO THE

SAME ADDRESS. Your creative support will help us make this conference an

international response inspired by the Flow of the Tao of Expressive Arts, thank you!

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Become an Artist of Your Life:

How Girls Discover, Honor and Express Themselves Through the Arts

By: Charlotte James, Tamalpa Practitioner

In working with adolescent girls I often hear them speak about the high level of stress,

pressure and overwhelm they are facing during a pivotal time in their development. Girls are

overwhelmed by the expectations of others as well as by the expectations they have internalized.

They are narrowly focused on investing in their appearance, being accepted by their peers and

achieving success. Expectations, peer pressure and the lack of a meaningful direction increase the

probability that girls will sacrifice what is personally important to them.

I have found that many girls do not have the time or the support to feel their emotions or

process their experiences. Empowering girls to connect to their internal world can help them

remain focused on what is most important to each one of them and discover their own way in the

midst all the expectations and pressures. Girls need guidance to step into the internal world in

order discover who they are at their core and to locate the inherent wisdom that is available to

them at all times. Encouraging girls to take time to explore, discover and reflect on who they are

in the present moment and who they are becoming provides them with authentic and meaningful

direction. It is also important for girls to be given the chance to get to know themselves and to

access their own internal compass, so they can navigate the challenges, transitions and many

questions that naturally arise during their adolescence.

Self exploration and expression through the arts such as movement/dance and drawing is

an effective and powerful way to express what is going on inside of us and make it visible on the

outside. Improvisational movement or the act of creating and reflecting on an image allows us to

get in touch with our inner self and helps us communicate our thoughts and feelings. Using

various art mediums that allow us to access intuition, expand self-awareness and expression is

especially important for adolescent girls. Parents often hear their daughters say “ I don’t want to

talk about it.”

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This can leave them without internal or external guidance. Expressive Arts provides girls

with opportunities to express what they are often reluctant to share and what they may not even

have language for.

The Tamalpa Life/Art Process or TLAP is “a movement-based expressive arts approach

that integrates movement/dance, visual arts, performance techniques and therapeutic practices”

(Tamalpa Institute, 2011). The method was developed by Anna Halprin and her daughter Daria

Halprin. The intention of the TLAP is to develop awareness, creativity and embodied (giving

tangible, bodily or visible form to an idea, quality or feeling) expression. In my Life Coaching

practice I offer girls, individually and in groups, opportunities for personal growth, exploration

and embodied expression using the TLAP. The process helps girls bridge their internal

experiences with the external world. Girls are able to chart and reflect on their life journey as

they experience it, helping them see and understand where they have been and how far they have

come. One 14-year-old client reflected on her expressive arts coaching session and shared, “Life

is like a big, long colorful flag that flies past you all the time. This (TLAP) allows me to pin

down parts of the flag so I can see what is really happening.” My intentions for working with

adolescent girls are to assist them in increasing self-awareness and confidence, gain

communication skills, access their intuition and ultimately help them become leaders of their own

lives. In my groups and with individual clients I have witnessed that when girls express

themselves authentically and artistically they tap into their true nature and make life-enhancing

choices that are in alignment with their own inner truth. One 13 year old shared at the end of an

expressive arts group series, “As a result of participating in this group I have more value for

myself and I have made more time for myself to do things I love, like painting and taking long

walks alone. I learned that I know myself best. I see myself for who I really am and I do not care

as much about what other people think of me or what they want me to do. I see myself from a

different perspective and now I try to be completely myself.”

In the expressive arts groups and sessions I facilitate, I use a few of the methods in TLAP:

the Three Levels of Awareness and Response (Halprin, 2003, p. 104) and the Psyhcokinetic

Imagery Process (Halprin, 2003, p. 130). I use the Three Levels of

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Awareness and Response to assist girls to check-in with themselves in the present

moment on all three levels: physical, emotional, mental/imaginal. I lead girls through this check-

in by having them explore and express how they are in each level. This allows for interplay

between body, feeling and imagination. I encourage them to respond to what emerges using the

Psychokinetic Imagery Process: through movement, creative writing and or drawing. Each

medium activates one or all three levels or realms of the self- the physical, emotional and/or

mental. This allows for their subconscious or their inner knowing to respond along with the more

logical and linear part of themselves.

The foundational theme of my work with girls is self-awareness. The Three Levels of

Awareness and Response supports girls in gaining the ability to track and connect to themselves,

which leads to an expanded awareness of the self. I typically introduce the concept of self-

awareness through this process during the first session of a series. I begin by educating the girls

about awareness. I explain, “When you check-in and become more aware of yourself it helps you

better understand what is happening inside of you. When you become more aware of your body,

feelings and thoughts it can enhance your ability to track and express yourself authentically.

Awareness helps you become a confident leader of your own life. Most of the time we are not

that aware of what is happening within us …” I have the girls check into one level at a time using

the breath as a doorway into themselves. I guide them to ask themselves “How am I physically or

mentally or emotionally right now?” I give them a few minutes to allow for whatever wants to

emerge to surface into their awareness. I then ask them to reflect on what they notice and respond

to the question through drawing. I encourage them not to answer the question but to rather

explore and express the question through drawing. Once they finish their image I ask them to

give their drawing a simple title. The title can be an entry point or help further an exploration of

the image’s meaning and or message. I go through the same sequence for all three levels. At the

end of the check-in each girl has three-titled images- one for each level.

Near the end of the session we gather together in a circle on the floor and have a “group

gallery.” Each girl shares her three drawings without analyzing or interpreting them. I use The

Three Levels of Awareness and Response communication model as a structure to help them say

what they see, feel and imagine as they view their drawings. I also use this model in combination

with the Psychokinetic Imagery Model (Halprin, 2003) to invite a further exploration of the

image, and then invite each girl to do a movement response to the one image that is most potent

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for her. They take a turn standing in front of their witnesses and chosen image. As they look at

their drawing I ask them to choose a “key”: a shape, color, symbol, line or texture from their

drawing. Once they have chosen their key I invite them to move as if they were the key. They

then bring their movement response to closure with a posture or gesture, creating a sculpture with

their body. Then I ask, “If this posture could speak what would it say?” Responding to their

image through movement and voice allows them to further embody their experience.

Finally I coach the witnesses to use the communication model “I see, I feel, I imagine” to

provide aesthetic feedback to the mover (this communication model develops out of the Three

Levels of Awareness). Each girl gets a chance to be seen and heard and has the opportunity to

experience herself in different ways. When they are in the role of being a witness they have the

opportunity to practice communication that is non-judgmental, authentic and engages the heart,

mind and imagination. The feedback provides information to the mover about herself that she

may not have been aware of previously. When girls stay interested in what emerges through their

creative expression it helps them establish new ways of thinking and being that is in alignment

with their inner knowing.

Integrating the TLAP into my Life Coaching practice has assisted girls in cultivating and

developing their ability to creatively express their thoughts, feeling and dreams along with their

experiences and perception of themselves and the world. In this way girls are able to increase

their awareness, connect to themselves, develop an embodied sense of self and authentically

share their experiences with others. I witness girls discover who they are and who they are

becoming as they blossom into young women who value personal exploration, expression and

reflection. The girls who come to my practice are learning to honor themselves, stay true to what

is most important to them and become leaders of their own lives.

References

Halprin, D. (2003). The expressive body in life, art and therapy: Working with Movement,

Metaphor, and Meaning. London: Jessica Kingsley.

Tamalpa Institute, (2011). About Tamalpa. Retrieved from

http://www.tamalpa.org/about/index.html

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Ripening Seeds is a full-length edition this publication!

This edition of Ripening Seeds offers a slightly different format. Instead of having one voice, we

hear many. This is a much longer edition, therefore the column will a full-length edition outside

of this publication. Please look for the link with the newsletter.

PLEASE SUBMIT TO THE RIPENING SEEDS COLUMN

Ripening Seeds contributions have spanned the continental United States, Mexico, Argentina,

Peru, China, Japan twice in Canada and Ghana. I hope we will have more offerings from our

international community. We need to hear many more voices.

Please email me questions, ideas or your 2,500 word essay (guidelines: 500-700 words on

personal story, 500- 700 words on your philosophy and 1100-1500 words on your actual work.

My email address is kate@kate-donohue.com.

Thank you for sharing your voice!

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A Personal Expressive Arts Practice – What, Why, How?

By Expressive Arts Florida Institute

Core Faculty and Creative Partners

*Kathleen Horne, MA, LMHC, REACE

*Victoria Domenichello-Anderson, MA, REACE

*Tamara Teeter Knapp, Certified K-12 Art Teacher, Certificate in Art & Healing

One of the cornerstones of our work in the Expressive Arts is a strong belief in, and commitment

to, a personal expressive arts practice.

As partners, we came together

through personal practice, painting

together as we shared our ideas,

dreams and visions. As our business

and our training institute have been

birthed, we continue to paint together,

using an arts practice to re-connect us,

both with ourselves, with one another

and with the business that we have

created. Even in the busiest of times,

we do our best to support one another

in sustaining both our individual, and

our collaborative arts practice. It is not easy. We know that. You know that. We get so caught up

in the responsibilities of our careers, our businesses, our families, that it is a challenge to find

even a few minutes to devote to personal practice. And yet, isn’t this field built upon it?

So often, as students in Expressive Arts, we are immersed in personal art making and exploration,

as the training programs all contain such a strong experiential component. We engage in the work

from the inside out, and we learn, through our own practice. We fall in love with the work,

through our own practice.

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And, we have seen again and again, graduates who enter the field as a professional, giving

everything they have, and struggling not to lose that precious connection they have with their

own internal process. Many of us have been there, or are there now.

Our goal is to support you, us, and all practitioners and therapists in this field to sustain a

personal practice – one that is unique enough to work for you, clear enough to hold your focus,

yet flexible enough to grow and evolve with you. During the first level of our training program,

we assist our students in exploring personal practice – finding what works and what doesn’t. So

often, we commit to more than is do-able, and then, when we fall away, we experience a sense of

failure. The key is finding something manageable and sustainable – a “place” to return to, if even

for a moment, to find center and re-connect with self, again.

In this article we are sharing the story of one of us – Tamara Teeter Knapp. We hope it

will inspire you and we expect it will move you. If you are interested in learning more about our

personal practice ideas, go to our website and look for our e-book. We also have a Facebook

group for sharing personal practice. We would love to hear from you.

Victoria, Kathleen, Tamara

www.expressiveartsflorida.com

institute@expressiveartsflorida.com

Tamara, why do you think a personal practice is important, as an expressive arts

professional?

A personal practice is the key to keeping yourself prepared internally to be present to those you

work with. It is of vital importance as an expressive arts professional to maintain a practice

because it helps you process what you are witnessing with your

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clients, which results in being clearer in mind, body, and spirit. One of the most important things

in the expressive arts is witnessing one another, being present to the other and yourself while

engaged in process. A personal practice supports your ability to do this for those you are working

with by providing a place to empty yourself of prior experiences, influences, energy and images.

What is your current personal practice?

My current practice consists of mostly small images in a journal accompanied by writing.

My practice feels a bit “shrunken” at the moment, instead of grandiose in any way and what I

realize is that even the smallest amount of time spent accessing my own images and writing about

it, engaging in movement or listening to music works well to keep me connected. As a first-time

mother of a now 2 ½ year old, I find that I dance, sing, draw, tell stories, and engage in

imaginative play all throughout the day – this is part of my practice now and I am exploring how

these playful parts of motherhood inform my practice and my work.

How has this/does this evolve over time and how do you allow it to evolve and still maintain

it?

I think of a personal practice as a spiritual practice; a way to stay connected to my higher

wisdom, to my inner knowing. It feels a lot like “lost and found” which is a concept I began

exploring in 1998 – that we sometimes feel “lost” and that there things we can do to help

ourselves feel “found.” Sometimes these things are also people, places, or grounding objects in

our lives. A personal expressive arts practice has become over the years a way for me to “find

home” within myself, to return to myself and my center. There have been times in my life when I

felt like I needed to stay very intimately connected through more strict daily practice and other

times when I felt that more time could pass between sessions without feeling lost. Right now, I

use small moments and string them together to maintain the thread that keeps me connected to

my creativity and my inner wisdom. I put my journal or sketchbook on the kitchen counter

sometimes and draw “In This Moment” quick marks or drawings. I also have a large painting that

is part of an ongoing process I began in 2009 that I now and then sit with, observe, dialogue with,

and slowly add to. It is an ongoing process and I return to it when I need to.

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Could you share a personal story about your personal practice?

I have used my personal expressive arts practice to support me through some difficult

times. One of these times was when my husband and I were hoping to become parents after two

traumatic pregnancy losses, one of which resulted in emergency surgery and hospitalization for

me. We decided to give ourselves one last opportunity to have our own biological child via

surrogacy. This was a process that affected all aspects of my being; physical, emotional, social,

and spiritual. It was a journey that consisted of so many elements that were unknown, scary,

exciting, hopeful, and sorrowful and I knew it would be a challenge for me to contain it all

without a regular practice. I chose to do a mandala journal every day because this seemed the

most fitting – the sacred circle. It was contained and manageable at a time when I felt like life

could easily become unmanageable and at times certainly felt that way. I chose the end of the

day, while sitting in my bed and all “done” with the tasks for the day to do my practice. I kept my

journal with a mandala drawn and center marked on each page along with my InkTense pencils

by the bed. Each night I centered myself and then drew something in the next circle in the book.

Sometimes I drew only a quick swirl or an outburst of fast strokes. Other nights I sank into

creating a detailed structure and filling it in. After each drawing, I wrote “I am” and

spontaneously scrolled what emerged from my drawing. This practice carried me through the

otherwise consuming process of daily hormone injections, pharmacy orders, psych evaluations,

ultrasounds, blood draws, egg retrieval, embryo transfer, etc. It was a supportive and safe place to

return to each day.

It sustained me, supported me, helped me maintain connection to my higher wisdom

through a challenging time; a time I knew I didn’t want to miss or forget. I believe that without

this practice, I would have had much greater difficulty with the ultimate outcome of another

pregnancy loss. I was able to reflect on the time spent preparing in a much different way by

having the images and writing that I accumulated throughout the journey. Over many years of

trying to become parents, my art process consisted of many elements, all of which revealed to me

what I needed to know to grieve loss, feel hope, and allow joy and it helped me be more prepared

to be a mother.

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Why do you think it is important to teach personal practice to EXA students and/or what

have you learned from advising your students?

I find that when I speak to my students about their personal practice that it seems to be

somewhat of a mystery to them – how to start, how to make room in their lives, how to sustain it.

The most important thing to remember about a practice is that it is yours – you define it and you

can change it. That means if you start out trying to do two hours a day of painting because it

sounds like it would be amazing and realize after the third day there is no way you can do that

with all of the other things in your life, stop, reassess, and adjust. It’s okay. If you find yourself

not doing your practice, missing it, sabotaging it – be kind to yourself, take a breath, and start

again. Just make marks, put some music on and move around, or decide to take notice of the

dawn each day out of your window. A practice is defined in a multitude of ways. It is the thing

you do regularly to be “found,” to reconnect, to be aware of your higher wisdom. Trust it and

allow space for it, it will become an integral part of your life.

What better way to stay present to your

life, remain conscious throughout the

shifts and changes that life brings, and

reflect on how we experience these

changes? It is my belief, our belief, that a

personal expressive arts practice is vital

to our well-being as individuals, as a

business, and as professionals in the field.

It helps us to live better lives, and that is

always a good thing.

Expressive Arts Florida Institute, 200 S. Washington Blvd. Suite 1, Sarasota FL 34236

www.expressiveartsflorida.com institute@expressiveartsflorida.com

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EGS in Lima – A Tinquy of the Expressive Arts with the Peruvian Reality

By: Stephen K. Levine

Tinquy is a Quechua word that signifies a transformative encounter between two beings. It

is also the word that José Miguel Calderon uses as the key word of his EGS dissertation, “Tinquy:

The Encounter Between the Peruvian Imaginary and the Expressive Arts.” José and his partner,

Judith Allalu, were doctoral students at EGS who took the chance of returning to their country

against parental advice to bring expressive arts therapy to Peru and to Latin America. Since their

return some ten years ago, their institute, TAE Peru (Terapia de Artes Expresivas), has flourished

and has trained a new generation of students and practitioners in the practice of expressive arts,

not only in therapy but also in the many fields of practice to which the basic principles of EXA

can be applied.

The dissertation defense took place on January 20, 2015, at the mid-point of the EGS

summer school in Peru. This was the fourth time that a session of the EGS masters program in

expressive arts therapy had been held in Peru. As in each case, the teaching was shared between

Paolo Knill, Margo Fuchs-Knill, Ellen Levine and myself. Ellen and I arrived in Lima on the

morning of January 20, after a sleepless night, having missed our plane connection in Miami due

to a five-hour traffic jam on I-95. After checking in briefly at our hotel, we met Paolo and Margo

for lunch and were briefed about the progress of the summer school up to this point.

We then rushed to TAE, where the defense was held in front of an audience of some

seventy-five members, including both José and Judith’s parents. The examining committee,

including the four of us with the addition of Paul Antze, the second reader (I had been the

primary supervisor), who participated by Skype, awarded the dissertation the qualification of

summa cum laude, the highest distinction. Afterwards, we all went out to eat together (something

that all Peruvians love to do, as their cuisine, itself a tinquy between indigenous foodstuff and

European culinary practice, is reputed to be the best in Latin America).

The dissertation itself showed a sophisticated understanding of the need for adapting the

theory and practice of expressive arts to the particular mentality of Peru, shaped as it has been by

the social and historical conditions of an indigenous country that has undergone generations of

colonial domination. The “Peruvian imaginary” is the totality of myths, images and practices that

distinguishes Peruvian culture from others. Sometimes expressive arts, which originated in

Europe and North America, has been imported into other cultures without modification, a good

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example of the legacy of colonialism. Often this takes place with an idealization of the

indigenous culture and a rejection of the cultural specificity of the European heritage from which

expressive arts, in its most recent form, has derived. In this case, however, José Miguel took

seriously the need to have a genuine encounter between the tradition of expressive arts and the

particular reality of Peru, a tinquy in which both cultural mentalities participate as equals.

The medium of this encounter is itself a journey into the imaginary, as the dissertation not

only analyses the basic concept frameworks involved but also takes a creative form in which

historical and mythical figures from the ancient and recent Peruvian past are allowed to speak in

their own voices. Moreover, José himself underwent a transformative tinquy in his research

practice, by an arts-based performance in which his personal history was transformed by

embodying certain imaginary figures from the Peruvian imaginary, the puma, the condor and the

snake, resulting in a new being: the trickster condor. We had witnessed the performance

ourselves two years ago during our previous Peruvian summer school and now we saw in José

himself a sense of presence strengthened through this personal tinquy with his own cultural

heritage.

On the following evening, after Ellen and I had taught all day, we participated with Paolo,

Margo and all the faculty of TAE Peru in a conference on “Expressive Arts and the Challenges of

the World.” The title itself demonstrates the way in which expressive arts has extended its reach,

as we have come to realize that the basic principles and practice of the field has a wider social

significance than its original basis in psychotherapy. Since the conference, attended by some 150

people, was held in the Bnai Brith house, a Jewish community center, I chose to describe the

ways in which my own practice had been shaped by an encounter between my Jewish heritage

and the expressive arts. I was later to learn that only about five members of the audience,

including Judith’s parents, were from the Jewish community. Nevertheless, I felt that perhaps my

experience, so different from the Peruvian norm, was worth taking into consideration as an

example of how expressive arts always stems from a particular history and exhibits a personal

style, in the same way as artistic practice in general. We never encounter the universal directly,

except in abstract thought, and perhaps not even then.

After the conference, Ellen and I taught for the rest of our eleven-day stint, following

Paolo and Margo’s half of the summer school. They were a hard act to follow, having made a

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strong impact on the students, Paolo introducing Kabuki theatre into his arts-based teaching and

Margo showing how poetry could be a particularly effective way to reflect on and transform

experience. Years of poetic practice at EGS, by Margo, Sally Atkins and myself, but especially

by Elizabeth McKim, the EGS poet laureate, has shown us that language is not destined to take

us away from our sensuous being but on the contrary can be a way to articulate and crystallize

our existence into new and effective forms. Paolo’s teaching, as always, was an inspiration to the

students, as it challenged them to meet a foreign tradition in a genuine encounter rooted in artistic

practice. The Performance Night, traditionally held by students at the end of the summer school,

showed how much the students had transformed both poetry and this hitherto alien tradition of

physical theatre and had been able to incorporate them into their own performative practice.

The transition to the new style of teaching which Ellen and I exhibited was itself

facilitated by a strenuous encounter with the student group, after an arts-based exercise designed

to exhibit two basic principles of expressive arts, “holding” and “shaping.” The concept of

“holding,” stems from D. W. Winnicott’s account of the ways in which psychotherapeutic

practice is similar to the original experience of maternal care. A good-enough therapist must

“hold” her clients in the way that a good-enough mother (or other care-taker) learns to hold her

baby. Expressive arts adds to this framework by underlining the experience of “shaping” as an

essential part of artistic practice as well as of human experience in general. We shape our world

and, in doing so, shape ourselves as well. I think of holding as receiving, and shaping as

responding. The concept of poiesis, which I conceive of as fundamental to expressive arts in all

its forms, expresses both “holding” and “shaping,” since it signifies that we encounter a world

already made which we must receive as given to us, but also that we can respond to this world

and attempt to shape it in new ways.

In the arts-based exercise that I mention above, the students began by working silently in

pairs with their eyes closed, as they manipulated the same piece of clay together. After some

time, they worked together with their eyes open. The clay then became the “third” that held their

relationship, and it also gave them an opportunity to shape it in new ways.

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The encounter with the material and with each other seemed to us to be quite effective, as

new sculptural forms emerged with care and sensitivity. At that point, we asked them to bring the

clay pieces together and, after they had done so, to tell a story that inspired by the new image that

had formed. All went well at first, but then some of the men in the group began to take over in

their enthusiasm for what was emerging. I noticed most of the women becoming silent, and

responded by giving a final instruction that for the last minute only the women could touch the

clay and shape it into new forms. We then ended the class, as time had run out.

The next day we invited the students to reflect on their experience. We were met with anger

on the part of some of the female students, who felt that we had not “held” them adequately.

(There was another complaint as well, since we had changed the time of the course without

anyone having told them or consulted them beforehand.) Of course, my initial reaction was to

feel defensive, but I have learned that in such situations the most important thing is to listen and

take in the truth of what is being said. I believe Ellen and I were both able to do so. Afterwards

we helped the students reflect on what had happened and how we all might benefit from this mis-

shaped encounter.

We had indeed not intervened in the structure in an effective way during the group shaping,

but those students who were upset had also not voiced or acted upon their needs. Rather they had

withdrawn into silence and inactivity. However, by bringing up their discontent the next day,

they were able to transform their passive response into an active shaping of the group and of our

own work as group leaders as well. We also reflected on how this whole experience was typical

of the usual relationship between men and women, especially (but not exclusively) in the

generally macho culture of Latin America.

After this encounter or tinquy between group members, and between the group and

ourselves, the teaching and learning relationship became much stronger. The students had felt

“dropped,” and consequently demanded that we hold them sensitively. When we responded to

this demand as best we could, they were all able to engage whole-heartedly in the learning

experiences, which we then offered. We ourselves felt more “tuned in” to the group and were

able to use our resources more effectively. Holding is necessary, I believe, for shaping to occur in

a creative way. Moreover, a strong encounter can transform both participants, if they are able to

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let themselves be affected by it without holding too tightly to their own positions, whether this be

in education, therapy or social change.

The rest of the summer school was heaven for us, and I think for the group as well, as the

students showed by being able to creatively participate and to integrate their experiences into

their learning through reflection as well. At the end of the session, we designed a ritual together

that took all the experiences and learning they had gone through together and also held and

shaped further the transformation that they had experienced in their education as expressive arts

practitioners. The ritual process that resulted from our mutual shaping had moments of group

ecstasy through drumming, singing and moving, as well as moments of silent meditation and the

sensitive sharing of gifts that symbolized what they were taking away from their learning

experiences. There was a great deal of literal “holding” and hugging afterwards, and also the

taking of pictures to remember each other and what we had all done together. The Performance

Night that evening took the group a step further in a final shaping of the whole experience into a

new encounter with the audience of TAE faculty, family and friends.

Ah, Peru! Ah, our tinquy with all of you! We have been affected by our encounter with

you, as I believe you have been by your encounter with us. Let us take what we have been given

and shape it creatively for all those who come after us. May the ensuing tinquy be as loving and

as transformative as ours has been with you, and may we all continue to do this marvelous work

in which everyone has a voice in holding and shaping both themselves and the world in which

they live together.

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Encouraging Evidence-Based Studies on Expressive Art Therapy

for Adult Depression and Anxiety

By: Liza D. Molina, ScD, MPH

Expressive Art Therapy is generally described as the use of expressive or creative arts as

a form of therapy. The assumption is that healing can occur through the use of various forms of

creative expression such as drawing, dancing, music, drama, writing, and poetry. A search for

publications on Expressive Art Therapy revealed only 46 in peer reviewed journals publications

in the National Library of Medicine data base. Numerous papers reported findings for the benefits

of Expressive Art Therapy for treating mental health conditions for related to a number of health

conditions such as autism to AIDS. The few studies on the therapeutic value of Expressive Arts

for treating depression and anxiety focused mostly on children (Druker et al, 1997).i

As a Behavioral Epidemiologist and academician, I work with graduate students in the

health sciences on an ongoing basis. Recently, I had the opportunity to work with a student who

sought to measure differences in perceived effectiveness of Expressive Art Therapy versus

conventional pharmaceutical treatment among adults diagnosed with anxiety and depression. A

sample of patients received conventional (pharmaceutical) and/or Expressive Art Therapy to treat

their condition and were asked to rate their perception of the effectiveness of both treatment

modalities on a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being the lowest score and 10 being the highest.

A total of 54 patients who received conventional pharmaceutical therapy provided an

average rating of (M = 6.39, SD =2.54) compared to 25 patients who received Expressive Art

Therapy (M = 7.26, SD = 1.89). While Expressive Art Therapy did receive a higher average score

than conventional pharmaceutical therapy, even more revealing were the perceptions of patients

who received both forms of treatment and able to make comparisons. Among this smaller group

of respondents (N=13), Expressive Art Therapy received an average rating of (M=7.62, SD=1.98)

which was considerably higher than conventional pharmaceutical treatment (M=5.08, SD=2.81).

Although the sample size was small, (N=13), differences were still statistically significant

(t=2.23, p=.045).

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A number of limitations can be pointed out in this small study. Of equal value would be to

know “why” Expressive Art might be a preferred therapeutic modality among adults

experiencing anxiety and depression, as the outcomes suggest. Findings are based on one sample

of patients at one clinic offering alternative and complementary treatments. Larger and

randomized studies are needed to permit generalizability to the general population. Regardless,

results affirm the perceived value of Expressive Art as a therapeutic alternative or complement to

the pharmaceutical drugs prescribed for treating depression and anxiety in approximately one in

five American adults. Practitioners and graduate students must band their collective intellectual

capacity for gathering and sharing evidence-based information essential for supporting the

mission of Expressive Art Therapy.

5.08

7.62

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

Conventional Rx Expressive Art

Percieved Efficacy of Therapeutic Modality

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Recent Research on The Creative Journal for Schools

By: Lucia Capacchione, Ph.D., A.T.R., R.E.A.T., Cambria, CA

Lucia is the originator of The Creative Journal Method, and the author of 18 books

including, The Creative Journal for Children, and The Creative Journal for Teens.

The results are in from recent research conducted in south Texas on the Creative Journal,

an art and writing method I first shared in 1980 in The Creative Journal (Ohio

University/Swallow Press). Creative Journal for Schools research was done in 2013-2014 at the

Edinburg Consolidated School District (ECISD) located in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas

near the border of Mexico. At that time, the district had a population of approximately 33,000

students, the majority of which were Hispanic. The school district had seen a significant rise in

bullying among students and had a recent incidence of teacher suicide (three in one year). With

growing concerns over changing school climates, ECISD decided to take action with a Creative

Journal pilot program at Jefferson Elementary School (2013-14). Researchers Dr. John

Lowdermilk and Mrs. Julie Pecina, both from the University of Texas-Pan American in Mc Allen

Texas, studied the effects of The Creative Journal Program on school climate.

The Creative Journal for Schools program was implemented during the second half of the

school year. The materials used were felt markers and 8 1/2 X 11 inch workbooks that included

journal prompts that were based upon those I presented in my book, The Creative Journal for

Children (Shambhala Publications, 1989). Each spiral-bound journal had a double-page spreads

per prompt. On the left side there was a blank page with a journal drawing prompt and space to

draw at the top, and a writing prompt near the bottom of the page. On the right side there was a

blank space to journal. The journal prompts are designed to develop emotional literacy through

expression of feelings, experiences, wishes and dreams. Teachers joined the students in doing

their own journaling during fifteen-minute Creative Journal periods. A few minutes were

included for voluntary sharing. Dr. Marsha Nelson, the supervisor of my Creative Journal

Expressive Arts Certification training program, gave the teachers training. A team of

specialists including local Creative Journal instructors who had also received training and were

certified in the program assisted her. Dr. Nelson was also in charge of the Edinburg Schools

project.

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After the program was implemented, school officials saw a significant decrease in

behavior referrals and school nurse visits. At the same time they observed an overall positive

improvement in campus climate. The school nurse observed one of the first changes. On days

when standardized Texas tests were administered, her office had always been filled with students

who had headaches, stomachaches and other ailments, which she attributed to the stress from

pressure to perform well on these tests. After the Creative Journal program was introduced,

much to the school nurse's surprise, her office was empty on testing days. Based on testing

results, Jefferson Elementary also received six academic distinctions at the end of the school

year. Research team, Dr. Lowdermilk and Mrs. Pecina along with Dr. Marsha Nelson, presented

the Jefferson Elementary School Creative Journal For Schools Program results at the National

Social Science Annual Professional Development Conference in San Francisco (October 5-7,

2014).

The Edinburg Project was the second Creative Journal Program offered in the Rio Grande

Valley of south Texas. The first was a school wide two-year program (K - 12) ten years ago in

the nearby Mission School District. Although formal research was not undertaken in the Mission

Schools, according to the Superintendent, Jackie Dyer, results on all levels of evaluation were

outstanding: reduced tardiness and absenteeism, fewer behavioral problems, academic gains

The Edinburg School project is the second scientifically researched project showing

positive results with The Creative Journal in elementary schools. The first scientific research was

done under an ESEA Title 2B Grant, Basic Skills Using Arts, which was a program I

implemented and supervised in the Garvey School District (1981-82), a primarily Asian-Hispanic

population east of East Los Angeles. Many students had recently arrived from war-torn Asian

countries under traumatic circumstances. A team from California State University School of

Education conducted the research component in two pilot schools, Marshall and Fern

Elementary. Reading and math scores increased as much as twenty percentile points in one year

in some classrooms. The pilot schools broke records in the district regarding scores on the

California Achievement Profile (CAP) and California Test for Basic Skills (CTBS).

Inquiries about The Creative Journal Method can be directed to Lucia Capacchione at

cjea@charter.net (For more information visit luciac.com <http://luciac.com> )

YouTube videos are also posted. For more details Contact Dr. Marsha Nelson at

marshanelson@rgv.rr.com

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Notes from the Field

By: Wendy Phillips, Ph.D. LMFT

Expressive Arts Emphasis Faculty Member and Internship Coordinator, Goddard College

Five years ago when I began teaching at Goddard College, we began exploring ways of

incorporating more of the Arts into the Psychology and Counseling Program. My second

semester there, we mounted an Art Opening and Exhibition in the Haybarn Theater Gallery

during our Residency. The only requirement was that the works students created had some

relation to coursework, or that they were inspired by the experience of being a student in the

Psychology and Counseling Department at Goddard.

I remember my amazement at what students shared. Some of the work was very personal.

For example, self-portraits were made in a ritual process by which a student photographed her

torso and abdomen revealing cesarean section scars. She described the photographic act as

facilitating healing and helping her come to terms with the changes in her body and the kind of

birth she experienced which was different from what she expected and had hoped for. Another

student created a complex collage of elements she related to the theory she had studied during the

semester. She told us that the process of creating the collage and working with the symbols

actually enhanced her understanding of the theory.

In subsequent exhibitions students shared work made with their clients. A student who did

her internship work in a school for children with disabilities and visual impairments made black

light fluorescent drawings with her students. At our Art Opening she created an installation using

a black light bulb in the gallery bathroom and hanging the works on the wall so that we could

have the experience the students had.

We resurrected our Creative Thesis option as a final product option, and students did

amazing work using art a source material and incorporating personal Expressive Arts elements.

(For more on art as source material in research see the book, The Handbook of the Arts in

Qualitative Research edited by Knowles and Cole). As I write this essay, I am reflecting on

students with whom I have worked on their thesis committees. One student’s work focused on

discourse on Mindfulness and Positive Psychology that juxtaposed the student’s poetry and the

photographic images she made with paragraphs of literature review and critical analysis. Another

student who had personally struggled with mental illness and who had found help and healing

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through Complementary and Alternative resources such a exercise and attention to sleep-waking

cycles created a screenplay in the form of a fairytale in which she told the story of the life of the

protagonist who in the process of her heroine’s journey discovered some of the same

interventions. We staged a reading of the work at our Art Opening and one student remarked that

in a scene about childhood, “I really felt like a middle schooler again!” As we developed the

Capstone process as an option for a culminating project, we made space for expressive content as

a component of the final product.

As we began our exploration of a framework for the melding the Arts with Psychology

and Counseling in general and Clinical Mental Health Counseling specifically, we considered Art

Therapy or perhaps some yet to be determined genre or circumscribed practice whose boundaries

were yet to be defined. As we continued seeking and exploring, it became evident that the

Expressive Arts were a good fit for us in relation to of our philosophy of Individualized

Education for adult learners which is informed by theorist John Dewey’s perspectives on

education, social justice, and living in community.

Having determined that our Expressive Arts Emphasis would be informed by Multimodal

Expressive Arts Theory, I realized the need for further study. I learned via reading and study in

consultation with a REAT who helped me understand ways that my teaching and client

experiences can be informed by Multimodal and Rogerian based practices and ways of working. I

participated in workshops at Expressive Arts Florida and at the IEATA Regional Conference in

Guatemala. I also became more aware of my interest in traditional Mexican Popular Art and

Ritual Practices and the way they may be used as means for the expression of emotion and inner

experiences. I began collaborating again with my Mexican Artist friends Marco Razo and Jesus

Pastor. We are planning a workshop together for our students and others who are interested in

Multimodal practice and Mexican Arts in Mexico City in July of 2015

(www.diasporacitizen.com).

At Goddard, our faculty continues to grow. Deborah Armstrong Hickey joined us in 2011.

Other members of our faculty have opened themselves to the integration of their ways of working

with clients to include the Expressive Arts in their mentoring of student work. It has been quite a

journey….

Here I share links to some of my blog posts about our experiences in the Expressive Arts

Emphasis at Goddard.

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http://www.goddard.edu/goddard-blogs/ma-psychology-counseling-blog/multimodal-

expressive-arts-seminars

http://www.goddard.edu/goddard-blogs/ma-psychology-counseling-blog/sharing-

expressive-arts-work-academic-and-professional

http://www.goddard.edu/goddard-blogs/ma-psychology-counseling-blog/student-tamara-

liaschenkos-expressive-movement-creation

http://www.goddard.edu/goddard-blogs/ma-psychology-counseling-blog/glimpse-

experience-expressive-arts-emphasis-residency

http://www.goddard.edu/goddard-blogs/ma-psychology-counseling-blog/grief-work-and-

expressive-arts-student-matt-mulligan

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ARTISTIC CONTRIBUTIONS

Pathway to Enlightment

Artist: Shahin Jones

A personal art practice showing the symbols of

the Five Pillars of Islam in order to reflect

spiritual beliefs from the Islamic perspective.

“Pathway to Enlightment” was created as a

sample to show a group of children between ages

6-11 how to develop a spiritual art piece. The

children created their own art pieces to hang it up

in their homes and were encouraged to look at

them if they felt distressed.

The five symbols remind the Islamic children of

rituals to practice that can help with grounding

techniques, increase meditation skills, become

mindful and eventually lead them to peace,

contentment, and happiness in their daily life.

Treasures of Free Association

To access the mixed media pieces, go to this link.

"El Tesoro de la Asociacion Libre"

<http://www.diasporacitizen.com/images/show/El%20Tesoro%20de%20la%20Asociacion%20Li

bre.jpg> " Poster presented at the South American Psychoanalytic Association Conference in

Buenos Aires

In this series of mixed media pieces, I have created assemblages in cigar boxes. Tobacco

is a material that is important to rituals, and also is the container for the objects that were Freud’s

vices. Using a process that was informed by Freud’s Free Association, I began with images of the

hands of various people that I made with my experimental camera. I prepared the printed the

photographs using the silver gelatin process and afterward, bathed them in metal-based toners in

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an atmosphere infused with alchemy. Afterward, I introduced the objects and pieces of vintage

clothing to the boxes placing them where they felt they belonged using my intuition. When I

finished, I worked to understand the pieces I had made using a process similar to dream

interpretation during my sessions with my Jungian Analyst.

Wendy Phillips, Artist

DreamsandPsychotherapy@gmail.com <mailto:DreamsandPsychotherapy@gmail.com>

and www.diasporacitizen.com <http://www.diasporacitizen.com/>

ALL THE PRETTY THINGS

By: Star Blue

all the pretty things

are enticing us

inviting us

to have and to hold

to possess and caress

all the pretty things

are enrapturing us

and capturing us

as we covet and collect

we are put in their pocket

all the pretty things

are derailing us

distracting us

from our problems

but also from our potential

how can we discover

what is infinite and invisible

when our eyes are glued to

and our hearts are set on

all the pretty things

how can we save

our planet and our people

when we are caught in the cycle

of demanding and supplying

desiring and acquiring

amassing and arraying

producing and promoting

depreciating and discarding

all the pretty things

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BOOK REVIEWS

Artist, Therapist and Teacher: Selected Writings by Bruce L. Moon: 2014.

Bruce Moon, PhD, and Christopher Belkofer, PhD

Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas

By: Fran Ross

Why in our culture is art so misunderstood, so devalued, so relegated to the back burner?

This book explores these questions and provides multiple musings and possible answers. It is

filled with anecdotes about the field of art therapy, case studies, and most of all, stories about the

author’s experiences as an art therapist.

A series of articles arranged chronologically make up the volume, explaining what it is

that art therapists (at least Moon) does. Transitioning in and out of the world of metaphor has

always been major challenge for all of us, a difficult path to communicate, particularly in a

dominant culture that stubbornly refuses to understand its basic nature and profound value.

Challenging the medical model at least as early as 1983, Moon writes, “Within the modern

psychiatric hospital, collegial conversations are often focused on clients’ symptoms, diagnoses,

or the demands of third-party payers. Seldom is there mention of the dignity and personhood of

clients, their existential concerns, or the symbolic meaning of behaviors. I have misgivings about

this….” The settings of Moon’s writings include the hospital, the classroom, and academic

conferences; all writings are presented from an intensely personal point of view. Even after Moon

has reached the pinnacle of teaching graduate students, he longs to return to the hospital where he

has helped mental patients make human connections that were beyond them before. (And return

he does.)

His own doubts and triumphs are related with bracing humility. Particularly powerful are

the chapters written in free verse, truly the “soul language” that Moon aspires to, showing rather

than telling. “How will we know that what we will do will be enough?” he asks in one

particularly

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poignant line. In another chapter, he relates a dramatic performance that includes the periodic

pouring of a red liquid symbolizing blood: He himself is dressed in scrubs, and art therapy is the

patient. “For me,” he adds, “the process of poeticizing the DSM is a way to enhance my empathic

understanding of clients.”

Moon considers art therapists as “metaphoricians,” a term we can easily apply to all

creative therapies. “Staying with the metaphor is a practice that is true of all our work,” he says,

“skillfully avoiding jargon and, more important, unabashedly emphasizing the importance of

love.”

Moon combines visual art forms, music, performance art, storytelling, poetry, sports

activities, and song lyrics to cultivate relationships with clients. He includes compelling vignettes

of groups he has worked with and of his own development in the field, complete with articulate

irreverence and self-doubt. This all goes to strengthen his case for the healing power of the arts,

for the self and especially in group settings.

Moon’s vision of art therapy is existential, focusing on the ultimate concerns of human

existence, and intimately connected to creativity, artistic self-expression, and exploration of

meaning. This compilation of writings is taken from Moon’s 40 years as an art therapist. These

chapters are accompanied by commentary by Chris Belkofer.

Fran Ross, franiji@charter.net, PhD, REAT, has been a member of IEATA since 1996. She

practices expressive arts therapy and education in Asheville, North Carolina, where she has

taught most recently at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, at UNC Asheville.

Masters & Doctorate Programs

in Expressive Arts Therapy

meet the requirements established by the International Expressive Arts Therapy Association to apply for

REAT/REACE.

IUPS honors the work and training you have already undertaken by granting course credits

towards your degree, thereby reducing the time and tuition costs. IUPS mission is to provide students with a mentor-based, individualized, non-resident and self-

paced alternative learning system, with a primary goal to produce competent professionals rooted in deep self-awareness, sensitive to multi-cultural and global issues, and committed to

serving humanity. IUPS is an approved CE provider with BBS; however, IUPS is not accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education.

International University of Professional Studies ~ www.IUPS.edu

P.O. Box 236 ~ Makawao, Maui, HI 96768 Tel.: 800.806.0317 ~ university@iups.edu

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Therapeutic Noh Theater:

SohkiDo Pathway VII of the Seven Pathways of Transpersonal Creativity: 2014.

Dr. Sky

Minneapolis, MN: Two Harbors Press

By: Cherith Pedersen

Readers of Therapeutic Noh theater: SohkiDo pathway VII of the seven pathways of

transpersonal creativity are exposed to a well documented collection of Dr. Sky's

autobiographical experiences with ancient Japanese Noh theater. Evolving from these

experiences is the framework for her own Therapeutic Noh theater, used successfully to empower

individuals with differing abilities. Dr. Sky also draws from her Finnish heritage of Kalevala as

part of her transpersonal journey towards development of therapeutic Noh theater.

As the only type of theater in the world performing the same repertoire of two hundred

plays, Noh stays true to the tradition created by its founders over 600 years ago. Unlike the ever-

changing Western theater, Noh retains its ancient meditative and spiritual qualities through

rigorous training in dance, music and chanting. Its performance is highly stylized with emphasis

on the highly symbolic, poetic, meditative music and dance kata (an abstract and meditative

movement form). To witness Noh theater, is to be transformed through its visual, sacred,

transpersonal and universal aspects.

It is for this reason that Dr. Sky's efforts must be commended. She has masterfully fused

eastern and western influences, to develop a therapeutic form that has skillfully distilled the most

powerful transpersonal qualities of Noh theater. Her framework involves the performance, stage,

costumes, masks, props, fans, kihon-no-kata and other kata, musical instruments, chanting, and

non-Noh plays. As a hybrid, Therapeutic Noh does not falter in its ability to reach its performers

nor audience on a deeply personal level. Its message is equally profound and rings true with

contemplation, hope and vibrancy. We get a glimpse of its effects when she utilizes it with

individuals with differing abilities.

Dr. Sky speaks passionately of her work with individuals with differing abilities. She uses

the story: Good Angel's tears as a metaphor to refer to these individuals who she believes came to

Earth to teach patience, unconditional acceptance and love. She advances that Therapeutic Noh

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theater was especially created to offer the world a different view of them by showing their gifts

and talents, not to mention offering the audience a point of reflection to dispel their own

prejudice.

The Improvisational vignette, can be seen as one of the more applicable drama therapeutic

forms of Therapeutic Noh. It is where the actor is asked to create a poem and select a mask for it,

followed by an improvised dance utilizing traditional Noh dance Kata as well as free

contemporary dance techniques. The witnessing ensemble chorus is also asked to improvise with

singing, chanting and musical instruments. A stage assistant or Kooken guides the performers

onto the stage. It is said that the staging as well as the content of the self-exploratory dictated

poetry enhance the therapeutic context for the effectiveness of the vignettes. Although it is

generally felt that the audience's appreciation, acceptance and admiration also play a therapeutic

role in boosting the self-acceptance and self worth of the performers.

The book thoroughly documents through words and images the work of Dr Sky, as she

has sought to carve an unorthodox approach to drama therapy; one that combines, transpersonal

psychology, psychoanalysis, developmental psychology and behavioral psychology with her

intuitive knowing, theatrical training, as well as the writings of Noh founder Zeami. It

emphasizes a framework that transcends language and ego to reach the psyche through images.

This is not a handbook but a journey. It will not offer a well-chiseled methodology for its

readers, but promises pearls of insight and an alternative to the westernized approach to drama

therapy with the intellectually disabled.

Journey to Your Soul: An Expressive Arts Retreat

There are still spaces available. Journey to Your Soul: An Expressive Arts Retreat

April 16-19, Angel Valley Retreat Center, Sedona, AZ

http://www.eventbrite.com/e/journey-to-the-soul-retreat-a-retreat-to-nourish-the-mind-body-and-

spirit-tickets-11596510475?aff=es2

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BOOK ANNOUNCEMENTS

Attunement in Expressive Arts Therapy:

Toward an Understanding of Embodied Empathy

Mitchell Kossak

Charles C Thomas Pub Ltd.

This book addresses how the arts in practice and in therapeutic contexts offer expanded

ways of being attuned to emotional states and life conditions with individuals, relationships,

groups, and communities. Each chapter clearly articulates how to utilize the arts in order to tune

in to self, other and a larger mystical, sacred or spiritual presence. This book allows the reader to

intimately enter into the core essence of what artists and arts based therapists experience in their

studios and in the practice of expressive arts therapy.

http://www.amazon.com/Attunement-Expressive-Arts-Therapy-

Understanding/dp/0398081360/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1423929924&sr=1-

1&keywords=Attunement+in+Expressive+Arts+Therapy

Sky Above Clouds: Finding Our Way Through Creativity, Aging, and Illness Time

Wendy L. Miller, PhD and Gene D. Cohen, MD, PhD

Oxford University Press

Through their scientific research, clinical practice, and life together, this husband and wife

team, uncover new clues about how the aging mind can expand awareness, build resilience, and

grow, even during times of grave illness upending long-held assumptions about the aging brain.

What happens when the expert on aging is confronted with his own in the context of a

grave illness? What happens when the therapist who helps others cope with illness and loss is

forced to confront her own responses to these experiences? Sky Above Clouds shows how

attitude, community, creativity, and love shape a life through health, illness, and death.

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HEALING SHAME WORKSHOPS

With Sheila Rubin, Drama Therapist and Bret Lyon, PhD

Help clients recognize shame, work through it and move on!

BERKELEY, CA

Healing Shame in Couples

April 18 & 19

Advanced Experiential

May 2 & 3

Melting the Shame Freeze: Using Somatic Techniques to Create Safety and Build Attunement

May 16 & 17

Healing Shame - The Core Workshop

September 26 & 27

LOS ANGELES

Melting the Shame Freeze: Using Somatic Techniques to Create Safety and Build Attunement

April 11 & 12

PORTLAND, OR

Healing Shame in Couples

May 23 & 24

NEW YORK

Sex and Shame

October 9 & 10

REGISTRATION

For information, contact Bret Lyon: 510-420-1441

Bret@HealingShame www.HealingShame.com

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Tamalpa Institute’s News

Stay Tuned - Dances For Anna: A Worldwide Celebration in

Honor of Anna Halprin's 95th year!

The Body Dances w/Daria Halprin

International School of Interdisciplinary Studies

April 25-26|9:30am-4:30pm

Toronto, Canada

isis-canada.org

Tamalpa Experience Workshop w/Rosario Sammartino

May 30-31|10am–5pm

$150-200

Kentfield, CA

**Free Open House May 29!

Planetary Dance

June 7|Marin County, CA

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Empowering Creativity through Movement, Metaphor &

Dance

w/Anna Halprin

June 22-26|10am-5pm

$900

Kentfield, CA

Esalen Summer Workshop

w/Anna & Daria Halprin

August 2-7

Big Sur, CA

esalen.org

Accepting Applications

Level 1 Training Program: Personal Embodiment –

Immersion Format

September-December 2015

Calendar: http://tamalpa.org/calendar

Tamalpa Institute

www.tamalpa.org

info@tamalpa.org

415-457-8555

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International Expressive Arts Therapy Association

Post office Box 320399

San Francisco, California

94132 - 0399

www. ieata.org

MISSION STATEMENT

The International Expressive Arts Therapy Association exists to support the professional use of

integrative, multi-modal arts processes for personal and community transformation. Expressive

Arts are those activities in which creative expression fosters psychological, physical and spiritual

wellness. We strive to establish recognition and growth of the field of expressive arts. We

provide a global forum for professional dialogue and promote guiding principles for professional

practice among expressive artists, educators, consultants and therapists.