We have all had times when we are feeling stuck or sad, like you just don’t know what to do next to move yourself forward. Sometimes the best way to move forward is by letting go and just doing something fun and creative! In today’s episode we will be discussing how to use the expressive arts and play to make change in your life.

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In today's episode we explore how the use of creativity and improvisation can enhance your journey to mastery, no matter what your craft, by helping us to move through the blocks and plateaus that often frustrate when working to improve our skills.

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In today's episode we explore the two little words "no" and "yes" and how saying one can protect boundaries but how never saying the other can inhibit growth. We also talk about the character benefits of saying yes to play.

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In today’s episode, we explore the amazing power of play, flow, and expressive arts and how they can help us grow in our minds, emotions, and spirit. We’ll talk about why play makes us feel safe, why flow feels so good, and how you can train yourself to use play and flow to improve focus, creativity, and happiness. Using fun metaphors, we’ll make it simple to understand and show you how to tap into flow on purpose! Join us as we discover how play and flow can make us smarter, more creative, and more connected to ourselves.

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In today's episode we are exploring the potency of mistakes: those unexpected, surprising, and uncontrollable circumstances that can either be seen as failures or opportunities. We look at examples of some mistakes of the past to see how they were actually opportunities for innovation and growth.

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In this episode, we explore the profound power of play and creativity as tools for healing and transformation. When faced with pain, whether physical, emotional, or spiritual, play can shift our perspective, bringing us back to the present moment and opening new possibilities for growth. We discuss how play allows us to express emotions in a safe, non-threatening way and connect with deeper parts of ourselves. By engaging in creative activities like art and movement, we can find relief from pain, foster a sense of aliveness, and even experience moments of transcendence and connection to the sacred. Join us as we uncover how play and creativity can serve as gentle yet powerful pathways to emotional and spiritual healing. Discover how embracing play can help us reclaim a sense of agency, find peace, and transform even the most challenging experiences into opportunities for renewal.

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Sources/Resources

Here is a list of sources where you can find more information about the work and ideas of Stephen Levine, Paolo Knill, Stephen K. Levine, Pat Allen, Cathy Malchiodi, and Daria Halprin:

Stephen Levine

• "Who Dies?: An Investigation of Conscious Living and Conscious Dying" by Stephen Levine. This book explores the themes of conscious living and dying, and the role of compassion in facing pain and grief.
• "Healing into Life and Death" by Stephen Levine. Discusses how to approach pain, suffering, and the end of life with mindfulness and openheartedness.

Paolo Knill

• "Principles and Practice of Expressive Arts Therapy: Toward a Therapeutic Aesthetics" by Paolo Knill, Ellen Levine, and Stephen Levine. This book outlines the foundations of expressive arts therapy and its use in healing.
• "Minstrels of Soul: Intermodal Expressive Therapy" by Paolo Knill, Helen J. Barba, and Margo Fuchs Knill. This book provides an indepth exploration of the philosophy and methods of intermodal expressive therapy.

Stephen K. Levine

• "Poiesis: The Language of Psychology and the Speech of the Soul" This book explores the concept of poiesis, or the act of creating, as central to expressive arts therapy. Levine argues that creativity is vital for psychological healing.
• "Foundations of Expressive Arts Therapy: Theoretical and Clinical Perspectives" Co-edited with Paolo J. Knill and Ellen Levine, this book lays the theoretical groundwork for expressive arts therapy, blending psychological, artistic, and philosophical perspectives.
• "Trauma, Tragedy, Therapy: The Arts and Human Suffering" This book discusses how expressive arts therapy can address trauma and tragedy, offering healing and transformation through creative expression.

Pat Allen

• "Art Is a Way of Knowing: A Guide to SelfKnowledge and Spiritual Fulfillment through Creativity" This book explores the spiritual and transpersonal dimensions of artmaking.
• "Art Is a Spiritual Path: Engaging the Sacred through the Practice of Art and Writing" Focuses on the ways that art can serve as a path to personal and spiritual growth.

Cathy Malchiodi

• "The Art Therapy Sourcebook" An introductory guide to the principles and practices of art therapy.
• "Trauma and Expressive Arts Therapy: Brain, Body, and Imagination in the Healing Process" Focuses on how the arts can help in trauma recovery and the healing process.

Daria Halprin

• "The Expressive Body in Life, Art, and Therapy: Working with Movement, Metaphor, and Meaning" This book explores the use of movement and expressive arts for personal and collective healing.

The value of community play and the social benefits that go along with it.

In today's episode, we talk about a recent personal experience and the many benefits of communal play, including satisfying a deep human need for social bonding, trust, and communal joy which has contributed significantly to our evolution. 

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Being original by embracing the resources of courage, vulnerability, and playfulness.

In today’s episode, we talk about being original, using courage, vulnerability, and playfulness. These all help us be our authentic selves so that we can create original work. Being playful and courageous and vulnerable move us forward through any doubt or fear that we may have about what we want to put out of the world. It also helps us to be true to our vision, regardless of what others might think, allowing us to put our unique stamp on whatever we do. 

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You are being challenged to create an aesthetic response to a given story.

In today's episode, we have story time so that you can practice creating an aesthetic response. Listen to the story, notice your aesthetic response (bodily sensations, emotions, immediate thoughts, spiritual connection), and create some thing (drawing, movement, melody, etc.) that represents your response. Do three takes of this creation, making adjustments with each take to do more of what works and less of what does not until you are satisfied with it.  

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How aesthetic response can deepen connection and meaning within play and art making.

In today's episode, we talk about how to begin to use aesthetic response when we are either witness to or engaged in creative play. We look at the four domains of aesthetic response and the various levels of meaning they can provide. A brief exercise is provided to help you begin to apply aesthetic response to your own experiences.  

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