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Discover the happiness benefits of putting brush to paper with a guide that puts judgment aside and “encourages simple enjoyment of painting” (Library Journal). Meditative, peaceful, and calming, watercolour painting offers a sense of control and self-worth to everyone, with no judgment or goal beyond the joy of painting itself. This book shows you how to calm and enhance your outlook through the movement of brush on paper. Master artist Jean Haines leads you through the journey, putting the emphasis on the joy of play rather than on pressure to perform or produce—and showing you how to wipe away your worries with the soothing, gentle strokes of watercolour paint. “Starting from the premise that everyone can paint, Haines frees readers of the goals and expectations of end results, and encourages simple enjoyment of painting. Open-ended, detailed exercises guide readers through experimenting with paint to gain a sense of control; to relieve stress; to escape; or to be in a better mood. The emotional and psychological properties of color are discussed as are obstacles to creativity and happiness. . . . [a] unique blend of self-care and expression.” —Library Journal
Mindfulness is the ancient practice of noticing without judgment. The medical and psychological professions cannot help but notice the mounting evidence of its efficacy in improving health and overall wellness. Whether mindfulness is used as a gateway to higher spiritual growth or as a path to more balanced living, the applications of mindfulness are various...as are the ways to achieve it. In this book, you will learn 20 practical ways to put mindfulness to work for you, even if you don't consider yourself to be meditative or spiritual. In addition to the 20 core skills covered here, you will obtain numerous tips on how to be creative with the skills or modify for your own needs. Ideal for all audiences, whether you are seeking pathways to improving your own wellness or helping others along their journey! · Easy to learn· Multisensory· Practical· Applicable to daily life· Learn to "retrain" your brain· Ideal for stress management· Complements many recovery approaches
Take time to breathe. Take time to create. Take time to reflect, take time to let go. A book that’s unique in the way it mixes reading and doing, A Book That Takes Its Time is like a mindfulness retreat between two covers. Created in partnership with Flow, the groundbreaking international magazine that celebrates creativity, beautiful illustration, a love of paper, and life’s little pleasures, A Book That Takes Its Time mixes articles, inspiring quotes, and what the editors call “goodies”—bound-in cards, mini-journals, stickers, posters, blank papers for collaging, and more—giving it a distinctly handcrafted, collectible feeling. Read about the benefits of not multitasking, then turn to “The Joy of One Thing at a Time Notebook” tucked into the pages. After a short piece on the power of slowing down, fill in the designed notecards for a Beautiful Moments jar. Make a personal timeline. Learn the art of hand-lettering. Dig into your Beginner’s Mind. Embrace the art of quitting. Take the writing cure. And always smile. Move slowly and with intention through A Book That Takes Its Time, and discover that sweet place where life can be both thoughtful and playful.
This workbook offers diverse strengths-based tools to incorporate the Creative Mindfulness Technique (CMT) into clinical practice. It provides an essential understanding of the ethical scope of practice, ensuring that clinicians consider the depth of their own training in the implementation of the CMT art directives. Chapters explore aspects such as attachment and art therapy, multicultural considerations when using art with clients, mindfulness, the eight dimensions of wellness, and the application of CMT techniques with clients affected by PTSD, anxiety, and low self-esteem. The creative activities, mindfulness approaches, and arts-based exercises provided support the healing process of clients in ways that are accessible, practical, and easy to execute. Examples of activities include guided imageries with art-making, art journaling directives, and mixed media prompts. Through these exercises, clients will learn to draw upon their strengths and feel empowered in their daily lives. People with PTSD/clinical trauma, stress, addiction, and anxiety, and clinicians and mental health practitioners working with them will find this book to be an essential tool. Readers may also be interested in Creative Mindfulness Techniques for Clinical Trauma Work: Insights and Applications for Mental Health Practitioners, which can be used on its own or as a companion to this book.
Dissociation, Mindfulness, and Creative Meditations explores the potential of mindfulness and explains why this level of developmental human achievement is so precarious within traumatic stress, especially traumatic dissociation. Chapters discuss the connection and disconnection between mindfulness and dissociative disorders and highlight the importance of gently creating a mindfulness practice for traumatized individuals. Readers will learn how to exercise the part of the brain that is responsible for mindfulness and how to regulate the part that is responsible for dissociation, and they’ll come away from the book with tips that will help even the most dissociative client to reap the benefits of mindfulness practices.
Using evidence-based creative mindfulness techniques (CMT), this book acts as a useful guide for clinical mental health practitioners seeking to build resilience levels in clients recovering from trauma. It examines the effectiveness of the CMT approach, providing applicable art therapy techniques to enhance the therapist’s toolbox for clinical effectiveness. Combining a psychodynamic and neurobiological clinical lens, this book helps practitioners recognize and utilize creativity in dealing with trauma exposure, its cultural considerations, and its consequences on the individual, family, and the system. It also provides insights into the neurophysiological impact of mindfulness techniques on the brain. Chapters explore the clinician’s role in the treatment of trauma, wellness, and the building of resiliency, creativity, and alternative approaches to changing neural pathways, positive psychology, and more. A collection of narrative case studies and guidance for specific activities to be used with diverse clients ensures easy practical usage of the theories explored. Clinical mental health practitioners who work with clients suffering from PTSD, clinical trauma, stress, and anxiety will find this book essential. Readers may also be interested in Healing from Clinical Trauma Using Creative Mindfulness Techniques: A Workbook of Tools and Applications, which can be used on its own or as a companion to this book.
Exploring meaningful ways we can appreciate each of life's precious moments, this enchanting guide helps us to notice and note, embrace play and focus again on breathing and simply being.
'An essential guide to mindfulness, filled with tools and practices that can enhance our well-being.' Arianna Huffington I am here now will inspire you to explore your world with greater curiosity and find moments of mindfulness in everyday life while unleashing your creativity along the way. Be here now with exercises to challenge your powers of observation, investigation and cultivation and bring new awareness to your senses, thoughts and emotions. Practise meditation with the I am here now audio track, guided by internationally renowned mindfulness teacher Tara Brach. Use the field notes pages to record your findings and capture your insights. 'Mindfulness is a simple and very powerful practice of training our attention. It's simple in that it's really just about paying attention to what's happening here and now (i.e. sensations, thoughts, and emotions) in a non-judgemental way. It's powerful because it can interrupt the habit of getting lost in thoughts, mostly about the future or past, which often generates more stress on top of the real pressures of everyday life.' The Mindfulness Project
