Puppy Love….

Cupcake   Georgia

Today my creative care practice is about my two amigos, my partners in crime…my furry companions!

That’s right! Georgia (GA) and Cupcake (Cuppy). I am talking about my dogs. It is amazing how loyal these animals are, but what is more astonishing to me is how, in a short period of time, they become such a big part of your life. Cuppy has been with our family for 9 years now. I got her when my mom was dying and I think it just had some innate thing to do with needing to help someone or something in a helpless situation. I rescued her from the Hillsborough Animal Shelter. She was only 6 months old and had Kennel Cough. I nursed her back to health while at the same time I could do nothing to help my mother who was dying a slow death from MS. Cupcake helped me to overcome grief by giving me something to focus on after my mom passed away. Not that focusing on my son and husband wasn’t helpful enough, they were my rocks. But, cupcake was just like having another baby, she chewed my shoes and pee’d in the house and liked to play with things that were not meant for her to play with like my glasses and countless socks and she would even mountain climb to the top of my vanity in the bathroom and take my toothbrushes! BUT, she has given us countless hours of stress free days and nights by letting us pet her and by being my jogging partner and by sleeping at the foot of the bed to prove her loyalty and devotion to our family.

We got GA from Florida Little Dog Rescue in Orlando. She is a little dog with a BIG personality! We got GA so that Cuppy would have someone to play with, you know, we got a dog for our dog. Unfortunately, Ga is not the “playing” kind. She would rather sit as close to you on your lap as she can get and demand that you pet her by snooting your arm until you give in. GA is a character. She has given us 4 great years so far of big belly laughs as she is always trying to move in on Cuppy’s belly rub time or by the way she jumps into bed and snoots and snorts and wiggles her way under the blankets and under your arms until you are fully cradling her like a baby. She demands our attention and we are trained not to disappoint. Georgia fallows Cupcake everywhere, just like a little sister would fallow a big sister and Cupcake is quick to set GA up in situations that are not in Georgia’s best interest and GA falls for it every time. They are the Laurel and Hardy of the dog world and they bring our family hours of fun, exercise, stress relief and unbelievable loyalty. 

I fully understand why dogs are used in hospitals, nursing homes, day care centers and other healing facilities. I have watched as cancer patients, Alzheimer’s patients and mental health patients have embraced visiting pets and what it does to their demeanor and physical as well as mental status. It is amazing and our family has witnessed first hand the love and happiness that one small dog x 2 can bring into your life.   

 

Making Art for a Friend

I have found that when someone I call a friend asks me to paint for them I get very happy. There are several reasons for this, one, sometimes us artists want to paint but are at a loss for WHAT to paint, so when a friend brings you a subject, it is a gift. Two, I like to paint. It is fun, relaxing, it recharges my battery and takes me out of this world and into another and three, sometimes giving a person whether a friend or acquaintance, something that you created is just the right thing to do. Recently a veteran asked me if I would do a painting for him of he and his grandson. I was brought up to respect our military so saying no was not an option, however, I love to paint anyway and in this case, I had to paint a horse and people, two of my more challenging subject matter, so I thought of it as more practice and a chance to play as well as a gift to someone who most certainly deserves it. I have been having more fun, experimenting with loosening up my brush strokes and creating marks that represent an eye or a nose or an arm than actually trying to paint an exact replica of those subjects. This is where art meets creative self care or complementary care. when I paint I lower my stress levels, I heighten my awareness of my need for play, and I lower my blood pressure and respiration levels. When I give the art away, I notice, in most cases, it does the same thing for those who are receiving the art work. Creating a work of art, a piece of music a poem or a play for another person is cathartic. As children we create drawings and clay ash trays and paper mache animals for our loved ones. It gives us a sense of pride and brings a smile to the face of the one who receives it. How sad it is that we get away from this practice as we get older. This is what Art in Healthcare is all about. Bringing back into ones life a sense of control, balance, community and peace. I encourage everyone to get back to their hobby, whatever that may be. Take a photography class, paint, keep a journal, join a theatre group or just doodle on a piece of paper while you are having your morning coffee.This will go a long way into bringing your life back to a more balanced place. When you are done creating, always remember to give your creation away! There will always be someone around that needs to smile or just needs to know that you were thinking about them!

(These are works in progress and not finished pieces)

Link

Shands Arts In Medicine Program

I am looking forward to the UF Arts In Medicine Professional Intensive Next week.

I am honored to be working with the best AIM Directors in the country at a State of the Art facility.

 

Link

I actually love these creative practice blogs because they force me to focus on my own self~care when it comes to the creative process! It also helps me to come up with ideas for my Art in Healthcare groups and in some cases, allows me to participate along side the great groups of individuals that I am working with! BUT, for today, my creative practice was all about me (sort of). I made a conscious effort today to snuff the domestic duties and take advantage of the Open Painting session at the Beach Art Center. I actually had to drive an hour away to paint in a fun environment with people that I enjoy creating with. When I walked in the room I was given a 5×7 canvas. This canvas was to be used to create a painting that will be auctioned off by the local Rotary Club  to help school children and art programs. The only requirement…….no glitter. For an hour and a half I enjoyed putting brush to canvas. I didn’t really care about what the subject matter was, I just had a great time enjoying the company of other artists, manipulating the paint and creating something that will benefit someone else in the community. I forgot how much fun it is to paint in a group for no other reason than to “make special” (Dissanayake,1988). Art is really about the journey and today the journey was well worth it.

On a side note, it must be the rebel artist in me, but I really want to paint something with glitter now!

The Rooster 5×7 acrylic on canvas

Walking in a Winter Wonderland

Merry Christmas!

This past week I had the pleasure of working with my friends at the Neighborly Care Network Day Care Center and we explored Christmases past, why it is so darn hot in Florida and shared many memories, wether we remembered them or made them up, of family and friends. Working with our senior community is a huge blessing! If you are ever looking for a great place to volunteer, please consider working with our seniors. You, as am I, will be richly rewarded with history lessons about our great nation, how to make a perfect pie crust and what it was like to be a fighter pilot or nurse in a past war. The learning never stops!

This week we went walking in a winter wonderland! I am always amazed at how wonderful my students are and how talented they have become in the visual arts. It is remarkable that over the past 7 years, most of these individuals never held a paint brush in their hand let alone painted a winter scene. They have become real artists, mixing paint, developing their own style and working feverishly from beginning to end with personal goals for their finished work. I am proud to be able to work with them.

Below is their finished work with a big surprise from one of the students who also painted a second still life. (He was holding out on me!) Enjoy the holiday season and the beautiful artwork from the Neighborly Care Network “Artist Guild”.

Addiction and Art

http://www.ted.com/talks/mihaly_csikszentmihalyi_on_flow.html&g

Alcohol addiction as well as other forms of addiction can be considered chronic illnesses or chronic disease. Addictions effect 17.6 million or 1 in every 12 adults according to NCADD. (NCADD, 2013)

According to Nora D. Volkow, M.D., Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).t“Groundbreaking discoveries about the brain have revolutionized our understanding of addiction, enabling us to respond effectively to the problem,” she says. “We now know that addiction is a disease that affects both brain and behavior. We have identified many of the biological and environmental factors and are beginning to search for the genetic variations that contribute to the development and progression of the disease.” (Volkow, 2007)  More and more scientists are discovering that addictions are diseases of the brain. MRI’s of an addict’s brain have shown that use of all forms of drugs and alcohol, over time; change the make-up of the brain and its function. Although there is still much to be learned on why one person will get addicted to a substance and another will not, it is a fact that addiction tears families apart, ruins lives, relationships and sometimes ends in catastrophic circumstances such as severe illness and death. One thing is for sure, those that are addicted struggle with peace of mind and how to achieve sobriety when they are facing a chemical, mind, body altered state of being.

Despite the ongoing chemical and physical changes that happen in an addict, there is research that shows how the Arts are being used to help in the mental and physical healing of these individuals. In Diane Walle’s book Group Interactive Art Therapy: Its Use in Training and Treatment, Diane gives a brief history of how all art forms have helped to calm anxiety and bring stress relief to patients of all kinds, whether mental, physical or addicts. (Walle, 1993). In the book Matching Therapy and Patients: The Cafeteria Plan, John A. Ewing MD., talks about how different art forms can be used in conjunction with other medicines and therapies to create and individualize programs for overcoming addictions. (Ewing, 2006).

It is no surprise that an addict, suffering from a chemical malfunction of the brain would benefit from achieving the “flow state” through some kind of chosen art form. (Csikszentmihalyi, 2008) The flow state is in fact the very state that an addict tries to recreate through drugs, alcohol, gambling, pornography and in some cases, food.

There is more research being conducted every day on the effects of creating Art and the roll that it plays in rehabilitation of an addicted person. In Complimentary Therapy for Addiction; Drumming Out Drugs, research on the use of drum circles produced the following results: Research reviews indicate that drumming enhances recovery through inducing relaxation and enhancing theta-wave production and brain-wave synchronization. Drumming produces pleasurable experiences, enhanced awareness of preconscious dynamics, release of emotional trauma, and reintegration of self. Drumming alleviates self-centeredness, isolation, and alienation, creating a sense of connectedness with self and others. Drumming provides a secular approach to accessing a higher power and applying spiritual perspectives. (Winkelman, 2003). People with gambling addictions are not being left out of the creative process in the form of recovery by any stretch of the imagination. At Windsor Regional Hospital Problem Gambling Services, problem gamblers admitted to Windsor’s 6-bed residential facility learn how to reduce stress, recognize irrational thinking and manage anger. They discuss the effects gambling has on families. They also attend morning and evening group therapy sessions and, once a week, an art therapy class.  (Collier, 2008)

The creative process whether it is in the form of dancing, drumming, writing, painting, drawing, sculpture or even cooking or gardening has time and again proven to be a very important complementary health care practice. The brain and body work together to heal and to overcome obstacles such as illness and addiction. This is a scientific fact proven time and again. It makes perfect sense that entering the creative process and achieving that restful, meditative state would also prove to be the perfect complementary form of medicine for persons suffering from addiction.

References

Collier, R.. “Gambling Treatment Options: A Roll Of The Dice.” Canadian Medical Association Journal 179.2 (2008): 127-128. Print.

Ewing, John A.. “Matching Therapy And Patients: The Cafeteria Plan*.” Addiction72.1 (1977): 13-18. Print.

“Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi: Flow, the secret to happiness | Video on TED.com.” TED: Ideas worth spreading. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Oct. 2013. <http://www.ted.com/talks/mihaly_csikszentmihalyi_on_flow.html&gt;.

Volow, Nora. “The Science of Addiction: Drugs, Brains, and Behavior.” National Library of Medicine – National Institutes of Health. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Oct. 2013. <http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/magazine/issues/spring07/articles/spring07pg14-17.html&gt;.

Waller, Diane. Group interactive art therapy: its use in training and treatment. London: Routledge, 1993. Print.

“Welcome to NCADD.” Welcome to NCADD. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Oct. 2013. <http://www.ncadd.org/&gt;.

Arts in Medicine and PTSD

Arts in Medicine and PTSD

 

I recently attended the grand opening of the Helping Hospitalized Veterans new facility in St. Petersburg, FL. This is an organization that provides Art Kits to not just hospitalized Vets, but to any Vet that feels the need to engage in an activity that brings them a sense of community, helps them to overcome physical as well as mental challenges and gives them a sense of healing from within. Most of their issues come about by Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD. The United States Government estimates place the number of torture survivors in the United States at over 400,000 (The Federal Register, 2004). The Department of Veterans Affairs Website lists the statistics below.

• About 7-8% of the population will have PTSD at some point in their lives.
• About 5.2 million adults have PTSD during a given year. This is only a small portion of those who have gone through a trauma.
• Women are more likely than men to develop PTSD. About 10% of women develop PTSD sometime in their lives compared with 5% of men.
• In about 11-20% of Veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars (Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom), or in 11-20 Veterans out of 100.
• In as many as 10% of Gulf War (Desert Storm) Veterans, or in 10 Veterans out of 100.
• In about 30% of Vietnam Veterans, or about 30 out of 100 Vietnam Veterans.

Although we always associate PTSD with our veterans of war, this disorder can strike victims of abuse, children of war torn nations and anyone in general who have been subject to a highly stressful event or situation in their life. PTSD is becoming so common that there is a plethora of studies being conducted on the role that the Arts play in the healing process of the individuals who suffer from this disorder. One of the cases I read was “Dance/movement therapy approaches to fostering resilience and recovery among African adolescent torture survivors”. In his abstract Harris talks about two initiatives that were undertaken by enlisting South Sudanese refugee youths, resettled to the U.S and with youths in Sierra Leone. Dance/Music therapy was introduced in the forms of drumming and acting out war scenes through expressive dance. The findings were that “ DMT approaches are shown to embody revitalizing psychosocial support in the aftermath of massive violence.” (Harris, 2007). There are many art forms that are being used in the treatment of PTSD. In my research I found Scrapbooking and Journaling, Photography, Sculpture, Drawing and just about every art form that exists. It is very clear that by the many years of extensive research in all art forms that the Arts have truly found a home in the treatment and healing of PTSD.

References:

“How Common is PTSD? – NATIONAL CENTER for PTSD.” NATIONAL CENTER for PTSD Harris, David Allan. “Dance/movement therapy approaches to fostering resilience and recovery among African adolescent torture survivors…” Torcher 17.2 (2007): 134-55. Print.

Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Oct. 2013. <http://www.ptsd.va.gov/public/pages/how-common-is-ptsd.asp&gt;.

http://www.ptsd.va.gov/public/pages/how-common-is-ptsd.asp

Uploaded October 2,2013

The Federal Register, 2004; 69(55):13308

Other researched sites

Advocates for Survivors of Torture and Trauma

Founded in 1994, Advocates for Survivors of

Torture and Trauma (ASTT), a non-profit

Organization in Baltimore, Maryland, has as

Its mission “to alleviate the suffering of those

Who have experienced the trauma of torture?

To educate the local, national, and world

Community about the needs of torture survivors,

And to advocate on their behalf.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19289895

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16537321

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8926145

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8229911

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1602434

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18524339

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17728491

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8070995

http://www.postindependent.com/news/grandjunction/8110432-113/veterans-center-smith-arts

Ancient Christian Wisdom/relaxation http://ancientchristianwisdom.wordpress.com/2013/09/24/chronic-pain-relaxation-training-and-a-place-of-rest/

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/07421656.2006.10129335#.UkDcs9Ksim4

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0197455608001081

Music Therapy,Healing and Relaxation:

Music Therapy,Healing and Relaxation:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGCXn-svShw

If you have ever been in the hospital or visited a doctor’s office or been put on hold while you are trying to fix a major problem with your computer, you may have noticed that rather annoying music playing in the background. You know, you sit there listening and can’t for the life of you figure out how they slowed down Metallica that much that it sounds like a cross between lounge music and contemporary soft rock? Disturbing? Yes, but isn’t it amazing that a few notes of a rock tune can be tweaked enough to cause an emotion of disdain and utter vexation? Why is it, or what is it about music that has the ability to stir up so many different emotions and in so many different ways in so many different people and personalities? Music, since the beginning of time has always been a form of communication or language.  It has been used not only as a means of language through rituals and battle cries, but it has also been a great source of comfort and healing.  Take for instance the use of music in 1 Samuel 16:23, NKV; Whenever the spirit from God came on Saul, David would take up his lyre and play. Then relief would come to Saul; he would feel better, and the evil spirit would leave him. Even in Biblical times, they knew music had healing properties. Today we are finding Science to back up these ideas that music can in fact heal. In a Coronary Care Unit 80 patients were randomly assigned to a relaxation, music therapy, or control group. “The patients that received the MT (music therapy) revealed that lowering apical heart rates and raising peripheral temperatures were more successful in the relaxation and music therapy groups than in the control group.” (Guzzetta, 1989). There are medical journals filled with clinical information about how music is used in the neurological sciences to speed up recovery and induce healing. (Baker & Roth, 2004). In the medical journal Active Music Therapy in Parkinson’s Disease: An Integrative Method for Motor and Emotional Rehabilitation, the findings are very clear, “MT is effective on motor, affective, and behavioral functions. We propose active MT as a new method for inclusion in PD rehabilitation programs.”( Pacchetti, Mancini, Aglieri, Cira, Martignoni, Nappi, 1999).  Music is in fact a great tool for healing and relaxation, and in the words of Olivea Dewhurst-Maddock, Sound Therapy ” Healing relies on an openness to the whole; a willingness to relinquish whatever frustrates or delays — mistaken ideas, negative feelings, poor diet, inadvisable lifestyle — and to accept a wider spectrum of responses with new ideas, experience, and priorities. Healing is communication; and music, in its universal nature, is total communication. In the deepest mysteries of music are the inspirations, the pathways, and the healing which lead to one-ness and unity.” 

References:

Baker, Falicity, and Edward A. Roth. “Neuroplasticity and Functional Recovery: Training Models and Compensatory Strategies in Music Therapy Neuroplasticity and Functional Recovery: Training Models and Compensatory Strategies in Music Therapy.” Nordic Journal of Music Therapy 13.1 (2004): 20-32. Print.

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/08098130409478095#.UkNUY9Ksim4

Guzetta, CE. “Effects of relaxation and music therapy on patients in a coronary care unit with presumptive acute myocardial infarction..” Heart & lung : the journal of critical care 18 (1989): 6. Print.http://europepmc.org/abstract/MED/2684920/reload=0;jsessionid=POGwDEZE9U9qgpTIVqR8.14

Pacchetti, Claudio , Francesca Mancini, Roberto Aglieri, Cira Fundarò, Emilia Martignoni, and Giuseppe Nappi. “Active Music Therapy in Parkinson’s Disease: An Integrative Method for Motor and Emotional Rehabilitation.” Guzetta, CE. “Effects of relaxation and music therapy on patients in a coronary care unit with presumptive acute myocardial infarction..” Heart & lung : the journal of critical care 18 (1989): 6. Print. 62 (2000): 3. Print.http://www.psychosomaticmedicine.org/content/62/3/386.short

Collage Self Portrait/Creative Practice

This started off as a self portrait collage….It still is, but with a little bit of a “vision board” thrown in. I began the exercise with wanting to go with a theme of fall colors, it’s my favorite season and brings with it most of my favorite colors, but as I printed off photos and cut out magazine clippings it turned into a trip down memory lane with a small glimpse into my future…
I enjoyed the exercise but I was a bit tired after I was done. This would lead me to believe that while it may be a good creative practice for someone confined to a bed, it may have to be done over a few days or in stages. I have done a creative practice like this with my adult day care clients at Neighborly and it was well received. I did break it down into a few days when I was working with them.

first stage

second stage

finished product

Art and Migraines, It’s All In Your Head

We have all had them, we get that slight pounding over one eye or we start to feel a twinge of pain smack dab in the middle of our forehead.We can feel the headache coming on and run for the ibuprofen. In today’s stress-filled society, headaches are a very normal part of life but according to www.womenshealth.gov migraine pain and symptoms effect 29.5 million Americans and only %1 of the population have NEVER had any kind of headache at all. Migraines can be very debilitating. Sufferers quite often turn to medication,alternative therapies and even Emergency Room visits. But there is an alternative therapy that is working for some. Art Therapy. In July of 2003 the National Headache Foundation put out a press release about their Fourth Migraine Masterpieces National Art Contest and Exhibition to raise awareness about this disease. More than 400 entries were received depicting that year’s theme, “My Life with Migraine.” In this press release a migraine sufferer Marion Pruitt talks about how painting helps her to manage her pain and work through her migraine. Pruitt states in the release,“You don’t have to be a professional artist to express the pain and suffering that is induced by migraine headaches,” “Using art therapy is a great relaxer for me and temporarily puts my migraines on the back-burner.” Other agencies have also witnessed the value of painting for migraine pain control.Throughout the 80’s according to blogger Eric Reber The British Migraine Association ran Migraine Art Competitions. Eric has referenced a book by Klause Podoll and Derek Robinson entitled Migraine Art: The Migraine Experience From Within that covers art work done by migraine sufferers.There were some 300 artists that entered these competitions all in the name of sharing their pain on canvas in exchange for a little relief. There is no doubt that those who suffer from this painful disease need to find relief, but maybe for some it does not come in the form of a pill, but in the form of a canvas and a few tubes of paint.

http://www.headaches.org/press/NHF_Press_Kits/Press_Kits_-_Art_Therapy_Release

http://library.scad.edu/record=b1272838~S0

http://www.womenshealth.gov/publications/our-publications/fact-sheet/migraine.cfm#b

below is a link to a great Migraine Art Video

http://headacheandmigrainenews.com/migraine-art-video-take-2/comment-page-1/#comment-360312