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NSGP Experiential Group June 8, 2012

2012-02-08T08:35:00.000-08:00

This group meets for three sessions, morning, afternoon, and early evening on June 8, 2012 at Simmons College. There is a maximum of 12 participants.

Traditional group therapy addresses cognitive and emotional processingand focuses on understanding and meaning making. Sensory experience is a third domain that canbe utilized in group therapy. In thisexperiential process group we will learn to access present experience from allthree domains (cognition, emotion, and somatic experiences), and will see how contributions from these three domains deepen self-awareness,interpersonal connection, and group cohesiveness.

See www.nsgp.com to see brochure and register

I will also be one of three discussants for the special presentation at the conference.

Workshop in NYC March 8, 2012

2012-02-08T08:30:00.000-08:00

I will be giving a workshop on March 8 from 2:30 to 5 pm at the Sheraton Hotel, Midtown Manhattan. Please see www.agpa.org to register. Here is the detailed schedule:

Your Body is Your Supervisor: Using body awareness andexpressive movement (The Nia Technique) to explore therapeutic dilemmas ingroups

I. Introduction (20 mins) objective #1

A. Names, your interestin mind/body integration. Reviewschedule of workshop.

B. Didacticpresentation of somatic psychology

II. Guidingparticipants in sensation focused body awareness and discussion:(15 Minutes) objective #1, 3

A. Discussion toinclude: word or phrase to describe whatyou are experiencing in your body, what you notice or noticed.

B. Each person writedown, from place of body awareness, a group issue or problem that comes tomind, a dilemma, an experience that is interesting, puzzling, that causes youto feel unsettled, which youï¿½d like to explore today.

II. Movement to Music(15 mins) Objective #2

Experiential movement to music with three levels ofintensity: easy and calm music andmovement, more intense rhythms, andquiet and relaxed music.

III. Meditation (10 minutes) Objective #2

Focus on bodysensations, emotions, energy in and out of the body; where energy flows andwhere it gets stuck; access felt sense, whole body experience

IV. Focus on the issueor problem that participants wrote down earlier. (20 mins) objective # 1, 2, 3

Focus on the body’s way of experiencing the problem. Notice any sensations and emotions, images,thoughts, etc., that connect with the whole of it. Any emotions. In pairs, participants discuss their dilemma and listen with body awarenessfor insights and discoveries.

V. Discussion,including principles of somatic psychology and application to therapy groupsand leadership. Wrap Up with questions and answers; reviewing referencematerial for further study (30 mins) Objectives 1, 2, 3

VII. Evaluations (10mins)

Ongoing Consultation Group for Psychotherapists 2012

2012-02-08T08:20:00.000-08:00

CONSULTATION GROUP FOR PSYCHOTHERAPISTS:

SensationFocused Experiential Psychotherapy

I am offering an ongoing consultation group forpsychotherapists that focuses on integrating the body into the therapy process,Sensation Focused Experiential Psychotherapy. Traditional psychotherapy relies on verbal expression almostexclusively. This consultation group incorporates movement, body awareness, andverbal communication in a group format. Group members meet for 90 minutes. The focus of the first segment of themeeting will be sensory based awareness and movement. The group will transition into presentation of case materialand self-study so that members candevelop their own ways of integrating the body into their psychotherapy practices. The goal is for participants to developembodied attunement. There will bereadings and homework assignments to supplement our work together.

By participating in this group, you will learn to assistyourself and your clients in individual, couples and group psychotherapy:

to approach life and relationship issues in new ways, when traditional talking-only psychotherapy has been of limited value for desired changes
to explore relationship difficulties with the added information from the body
to access emotions and facilitate emotional expression
to enhance body attunement and awareness of sensations
to relieve symptoms of anxiety and depression at a physiological and emotional level and develop somatic resources

The group will meet every other Wednesday, from 3:30-5 pm inmy Wellesley office. There is a limit of6 members.

Winter/Spring 2012 dates: Feb 15, 29; March 14, 28; April 11, 25; May 9, 23; June 6, 20.

Membership requirements: all master’s and doctoral levelprofessionals: nurses, social workers, psychiatrists, alcoholism counselors, schoolcounselors and school psychologists, marriage and family therapists, expressivearts therapists, and psychologists; students in advanced trainingprograms. An individual session is required beforejoining at no additional charge.

About the group leader: I am a psychologist and have beenin private practice for over 30 years, working with individuals, couples andgroups. I am a Certified GroupPsychotherapist and a Fellow of the American Group PsychotherapyAssociation. I have supervised andconsulted for the Northeastern Societyfor Group Psychotherapy Training Program, Massachusetts Mental Health Centerand Harvard Medical School Residency Program; and faculty of both AGPA and NSGPinstitutes and conferences, leading workshops on somatic psychotherapy. I authored a paper entitled “Coming to our Senses: the application of somatic psychology togroup psychotherapy” which was published in the International Journal of GroupPsychotherapy, July, 2011.

For the past twelve years I have taught classes and ledworkshops in The Nia Technique. I haveled therapy groups that integrate body awareness and expressive movement withdynamic psychotherapy.

For fees and more information, please feel free to contactme by phone or e-mail.

Fall and Winter Health

2011-09-06T09:46:00.001-07:00

As we approach the fall and winter in New England we noticechanges in the weather, light, and temperature. Our bodies respond to these changes.

There are several things we can do to stay healthy duringthe fall and winter to avoid colds, sleep better, and have more stable moods.

LIGHT

Start using a light box for 10-20 minutes each morning atthe beginning of September. The light ischanging. Not only are the days growingshorter, but also the sun is lower in the sky. We are preparing for daylight savings time to be over. For some of us, light boxes help the mostduring these months of transition, from September to December. For others theyhelp most during the short days of December through March. I have found thebest light box to be the Verilux Happy Light at www.verilux.com

Vitamin D

We get Vitamin D from sunlight. Most of us in the Northern Hemisphere havelow levels of vitamin D. It isrecommended that we take 1,000 mg vitamin D per day, for both men andwomen.

Nasal Dryness

Our noses are exposed to much dryer air in fall andwinter. Nasal irrigation daily with amild saline solution can help with nasal congestion and can help preventcolds. A neti pot works well, as do similar products you will find at CVS andWalgreens. Use distilled water only.

Skin

Dry skin, itchiness, and reactions to dry skin can beprevented by using a light moisturizer after you shower or bathe. Feels good and your skin will be happy.

Feet

Wearing shoes that have a good heavy sole will help inslippery weather. Keep your feet happywith moisturizing and using a foot file on rough heals.

Keeping Active

There are many ways to be active during fall andwinter. Physical activity has beenassociated with reduced depression and anxiety, as well as improved cognitivefunctioning and mood.

Walking outdoors except in extremeweather can be continued throughout the winter. Yak Trax, sold at EMS and REI, are great for walking in icy streets andsidewalks. Trekking poles with tips forcity walking will help with balance and also will give you an upper bodyworkout.

The MagneTrainer is a mini-bicyclethat can be used indoors in bad weather for both legs and upper body; aninexpensive alternative to bigger and more cumbersome exercise equipment.

Nia is a great, fun, indooractivity that will keep you active and energized. See www.niaboston.comfor classes, teachers, and locations. There are classes at Laughing Dog Yoga www.ldyoga.com right next door to my office on Linden Streetand at Fitness Club for Women across the street.

Join a gym. I have also referred people to FitnessTogether for one to one personal training.

Hydration

8 glasses of hot orcold water, herbal tea, or diluted fruit juices each day will keep you wellhydrated and will help with energy, skin, digestion, reducing cold symptoms, andwill prevent headaches. I drink a glassof Emergen-C with 12 ozs of water—it gives me my daily vitamin C and electrolytes each day. I also drink diluted apple cider vinegar (the unfiltered kind, Bragg's, can be found at Whole Foods. This is a refreshing drink and is a tried and true folk remedy for overall health.

Coming into Sensation

2011-09-06T08:39:00.001-07:00

Introduction to Coming into Sensation for therapy(individual, couples, and group)

Somatic sensationsare physical experiences arising from our nervous systems through our muscles,joints, skin, viscera, and our bodies as a whole. Sensations are messages from the body. We can develop awareness by paying close andsustained attention to our sensory experiences without judging them. Once we are able to pay attention, we listen, hear, and trust thesemessages. We can rely on them forinsights about ourselves, for guidance in making wise choices, and in caring for ourselves. In ourrelationships, we can empathize with others more effectively as we imagine whatsomeone else is feeling without judgment.

Eastern Group Psychotherapy Plenary and Workshop

2011-08-18T13:34:00.000-07:00

Groups of the Body, Groups of the Mind: Neuroscience and Attachment Theory Come to Life
Eastern Group Psychotherapy Society Plenary: November 18 and 19, 2011
Group psychotherapy continues to evolve and group leaders continue to develop. Their interventions are guided by professional training, the latest research in neuroscience and attachment theory, and their own lived experiences. This plenary will explore how each of us develops a way of working that is both personally comfortable and clinically effective, and how we keep learning even after we have found the theory and practice that is the best fit for us.
Two expert clinicians will demonstrate their answers to these questions, each taking a demonstration group from the same moment of crisis, offering a snapshot of the same moment developing in different ways. Their approaches—Mentalization-Based Treatment (grounded in the work of Peter Fonagy and Anthony Bateman) and Somatic Psychology as applied to group psychotherapy—are psychodynamic approaches that focus attention in ways that may be quite new for many of us. Quite different from one another, each approach offers clinical understandings and interventions that are accessible and readily incorporated into our ongoing clinical work.
The leaders, the group members, and the audience will have the opportunity to notice the similarities and differences in the two experiences. The group leaders will share with us how the development of their treatment approaches evolved from the matrix of theory, education, life experience, creativity, mentorship, practice setting, personal treatment, and perhaps even pure serendipity.
Demonstration group leaders:
Suzanne L. Cohen, EdD, CGP, FAGPA, Private Practice, Wellesley, MA, and
Steven Krugman, PhD, CGP, Private Practice, Boston and Newton, MA.
Discussion facilitator: Barbara R. Cohn, PhD, ABPP, LFAGPA, Associate Professor of Medical Psychology, Columbia University, College of Physicians and Surgeons.

Plenary co-chairs: Sherry Breslau, PhD, CGP, Private Practice, and Peter J. Taylor, PhD, SEP, CGP, FAGPA, Past-President, EGPS.

Contact www.egps.org

Nia Poetry

2007-09-16T10:51:00.000-07:00

Joy for No Reason
By Danna Faulds

I am filled with quiet
joy for no reason save
the fact that I'm alive.
The message I receive
is clear--there's no time
to lose from loving, no
place but here to offer
kindness, no day but this
to be my true, unfettered
self and pass the flame
from heart to heart. This
is the only moment that
exists--so simple, so
exquisite, and so real.

My Summer Vacation Nia Diary

2007-09-11T19:07:00.000-07:00

July 11, 2007

What I Am Doing on my Summer Vacation

I am a convert. I have crossed over from the life of the mind to the life of the bodymind. I am now a true believer.

During my July vacation I hiked familiar trails in Maine, in the Camden Hills. Every trail felt new to me, every step I took was grounded and efficient. Going up, going down, finding my way through rocks and tree roots, climbing onto and over slabs of granite, sensing the slippery, wet stones after a rain shower, everything was easy, like floating. What accounted for my delight? My ability to connect to the earth through my base, my feet, legs, and pelvis. My own tree trunk. My experience with The Nia Technique over the past 8 years has brought me to this place of dynamic ease, dancing through life.

Yesterday, a day at home: my stomach is in a knot and I feel stuck in this state. I’m not really trying to distract myself from it, knowing it is necessary for me to be feelings these feelings. I’m here for some reason I do not understand as yet. I decided to watch a DVD of a new Nia routine which I wanted to learn. I spent a few minutes moving along with the class as I watched. One of the moves was from tae kwon do, pushing the heal of my right hand forward as I stepped back with the right foot into a bow stance. I exhaled with a loud “heeeett” as I pushed the breath out of my lungs. That simple gesture and sound changed my mood. All the fear and anxiety that I had been internalizing had a place to go. I repeated the movement a few times, totally engaged, feeling my energy return. My mood shifted, as did my thoughts, from depressive and dark to optimistic and joyful.

This simple transformation has sparked an idea. How habitual is it for me to internalize my feelings? Wasn’t that what I was taught growing up? I was the little girl who was told to sit with her hands folded in school. I so wanted to move and express myself that I resorted to singing to myself, at a low whisper. Of course, my mother got a call from the school that I was singing when I was supposed to be quiet. Because I was a good little girl, I stopped. Internalizing, keeping quiet about what was going on inside of me was taught at home, too. My mother told her friends, “Suzy never gives me any trouble.” Internalizing and containing was taught to me when I became a therapist. Listen, don’t laugh or cry or show your fear or horror over what you hear. Be a transference object. Keep yourself out of it.

Today I taught a Nia class. I chose to focus on the base, the feet, legs, and pelvis. I felt such joy this morning as I prepared. I chose music by Candy Dulfer, a female saxophonist with her own brand of funky music called “Girls’ Night Out:” expression of joy, fun, playfulness, aggression, sexuality, sensuality. “Sultry” was the pearl, the word on this hot and humid day that embodied the movements. My students, who are all middle-aged like me, come to class to express, to feel their bodies move, to bring outside what is locked inside. In the process we become fit, we sweat, we are spontaneous.

Come dance with me sometime. Give yourself the opportunity of a lifetime, to express, to ex-ternalize, to bring what is inside out, to breathe, to be funny, sad, angry, afraid, and let yourself and everyone see. Let your face shine, be wholly yourself, all of you, body, mind, emotions, spirit, energy.

Signing on

2006-12-29T17:03:00.000-08:00

I am initiating a blog in order to post articles, update classes, and communicate about my Nia classes, workshops, and NiaPsychotherapy.