November newsletter: Sand tray training on Friday, plus Health & Gift Fest, mindfulness

Sand Tray Theatre is Friday's next training.

The use of a sand tray and miniatures offers an engaging way to work with children, teens, adults, couples and groups. Sand tray can be used to clarify and resolve the conflicting energies, motivations, values, and voices that often contribute to a sense of “stuckness.” 

The process also engages people who may have difficulty in talking about their problems or life issues. In Friday's training with Karen Carnabucci, MSS, LCSW, TEP, you will learn:

What is needed to add sand tray to your work repertoire.

 How to introduce sand tray processes to the people you work with.

  

The use of sand tray for self disclosure, identifying problems and problems solving.

Options for the use of sand tray with other creative arts

From 9 a.m. to noon Friday, Nov. 12, with three continuing education hours and psychodrama hours. Tuition is $35. Handouts and beverages will be provided; in addition, participants will have the opportunity to purchase “starter” miniatures for a nominal fee of $5.

Here's a picture of a sand tray creation with one of my clients, who was addressing personal and professional growth in embodying leadership and power. She was given the opportunity to express her vision of embodying power. At the beginning of the process, the items were spaced far apart; by the end of the process, she pulled them together in this arrangement.

She gave permission to share this picture-- take a look:

The arrangement of items looks like a mandala, doesn't it? The maker used a variety of images of women's bodies, plus ritual items such as a bundle of sage and a smudging feather.

As always, Karen's trainings offer continuing education credits for social workers, licensed professional counselors and addiction counselors, plus psychodrama credits.

Register by calling Karen at (262) 633-2645.

Join us for Saturday's Health & Gift Fest

I'm so excited present at our Health & Gift Fest on Saturday, Nov. 13, at Lake House. We have a great group with great wares and offerings, plus a tiny sampling of how I've adapted Jungian principles with the Tarot cards for self development and persona growth.  Here's the link that tells all the details of all the vendors and health professionals, plus a chance to meet Jamie Jacobs, editor and publisher of The Guide To Health, Wellness & Creative Living and get a 10 per cent discount on your ad.

Mindfulness really helps with depression

There is a body of research that shows that mindfulness meditation does significantly reduce the relapse rate of depression. This research is now being embraced by many practitioners of Western medicine – even some quite conservative ones!

With more of my clients seeking non-medication resources for depression, here's a book for laypersons that I like to recommend:

The Mindful Way Through Depression: Freeing Yourself From Chronic Unhappiness by J. Mark G. Williams, John D. Teasdale, Zindel V. Segal, Jon Kabat-Zinn. Guilford Press,  Through simple lessons drawn from Eastern meditative traditions and cognitive-behavioral therapy, this book demonstrates how to sidestep old habits such as rumination and self-blame that inevitably lead to despair, so people can face life’s challenges with greater resilience. Jon Kabat-Zinn gently and encouragingly narrates the accompanying CD of guided meditations.

E-books available


Check out Karen's e-books for sale at Lake House Health & Learning Center's store.

The Psychodrama Notebook (formerly Practical Psychodrama) is a great review for psychodrama certification candidates and anyone who wants an overview of the magical action method of psychodrama. Whole Person Marketing gives practical and creative ideas for building and marketing holistic practices.

It's true - depression can break your heart

It’s true. Depression can break your heart.

Depression almost doubles the risk of developing heart disease over 12 years, according to a long-term study of twins. The findings are to be reported today at the American Psychosomatic Society meeting in Chicago. Mounting evidence has found that depression makes people more vulnerable to heart trouble. Recent studies, though, find that some genes that increase the risk of heart disease also may make people more prone to depression, which has raised the question of whether the depression-heart disease link is genetic. Read more at USA Today link.

Hope for stopping addictions...

Here’s a question that I frequently get:

“I (or someone I love) has an addiction. I wish that I there were something easy that I could do or say to change this fact. I get depressed about this. I don’t have health insurance either (or a health plan that isn’t very good) so help seems out of the question.

Addictions are devastating to families. Whether the addiction is booze, drugs, cigarettes – or gambling, sex or spending – all deeply affect the person who is addicted as well as the family. And the community too, but that is another blog entry at another time.

I don’t know there is an easy answer. However, after more than I can tell you that recovery and change are truly possible. Just by asking this question, you are already beginning a journey of change and growth.

There may be a tendency to give up in circumstances like these. However, these unfortunate situations also allow us to use our creativity.

I suggest you begin by reading. You can gain a lot of information by learning about alcohol and how it affects families and individuals. One of the classics is “It Can’t Happen To Me” by Claudia Black who dramatically shows how children of alcoholics repeat patterns of their family of origin, even when they don’t want to. My personal favorite – one that I use regularly with clients – is “Another Chance: Hope and Health For the Alcoholic Family” by Sharon Wegscheider-Cruse. She discusses how alcoholism is a disease that penetrates the whole person and the whole family. She describes the five roles that people act out in an alcoholic family (enabler, hero, scapegoat, lost child and mascot) and how each supports the addictive behavior of the alcoholic rather than the health and well being of the family. This book and others will give you practical ways to begin to heal and recover from this pain and trauma to the soul. Find more info at http://www.amazon.com/Another-Chance-Sharon-Wegscheider-Cruse/dp/0831400595.

Many people have found 12-step programs very helpful in making long-term changes. If you are not already familiar with these self-help groups, these groups can provide valuable sources of support to change these habitual behaviors of family members, such as caretaking, controlling and isolating. Al-Anon is designed for family members and friends of alcoholics and addicts who want to learn how to change their place in the family system; Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous are open to any person who wants to stop using alcohol or other drugs, legal and illegal. You can check out http://www.racinecentraloffice.com/ to learn about meeting schedules, and the RACO office, located behind Elmwood Plaza on Durand Avenue, has a book store with an excellent selection of books and pamphlets that is open to the public. Shop around for meetings, as different meetings have different personalities.

If a person is depressed and that person drinks alcohol, I say: stop drinking alcohol. Alcohol is a depressant, flattening the body’s central nervous system. Many people have found out that a change in diet eases depression. Take a look at the book, “Food and Mood” by Elizabeth Somer, a registered dietitian who shows how what we eat can amazingly and dramatically affect our mood. See: http://www.elizabethsomer.com/foodmood.php. Many people also find that the supplement, Omega-3 fish oil, can ease depression, and you can find a product of a fairly quality decent quality at your local drug store or supermarket or health food store. The psychiatrist I work with suggests experimenting with 6,000 to 10,000 milligrams per day.

If you don’t have health insurance, you may want to take a look at where you are spending your money. It turns out that many people spend quite a bit of money on “stuff” that ultimately isn’t satisfying but rather just a distraction from making changes. If funds are a real issue, please know that there are many psychotherapists who do offer reduced fees for highly motivated people.