HEart HEALS

What You Are Feeling Matters

heartheals — Sun, 15 Feb 2015 08:00:17 +0000

I saw some troubling statistics from a study that said that 44% of moms reported abusing prescription drugs, and 88% had reported abusing alcohol in their own homes. I’m struck by the thought that these are people like you and me. We are all just desperately trying to find a way to manage the demands of our homes and to relieve our stress.

What people need more than ever is to have a place where someone says

I see you
I hear you
What you are feeling matters

HEart HEALS is committed to providing a safe community where people can become aware of their feelings, express them creatively and share them if they wish. It is not necessarily a place to solve problems. Some situations can’t be changed. But the simple act of being heard can change how we experience life’s challenges.

The calendar for upcoming workshops held at Mariners Church can be found online at www.heart-heals.com.

As James Baldwin, American novelist, essayist wrote, “Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.”

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Gratitude

heartheals — Thu, 15 Jan 2015 08:00:24 +0000

“The essence of all beautiful art, all great art, is gratitude” -Nietzsche

In January I like to take a moment and look back at the last year’s blessings. October marked HEart HEALS third year of business! I’m amazed and humbled by the support and participation. We held 35 workshops and impacted 383 people. Together we have explored such topics as Expressing Feelings In Color, Broken Promises, Living With Illness, Compassion Fatigue, Processing Feelings from Divorce, Experiencing Grief, and Expressions of Hope. We have enjoyed a wide range of participants, men and women, from 19 to 80 years of age! With each workshop I have been struck by everyone’s willingness to trust the process, and be vulnerable with the group.

We’ve had a busy 3 years. I gave a presentation at the Addiction Treatment Centers & Professionals Consortium of California, held monthly workshops at Mariners Church including 3 Anger Management workshops, and participated in a People of the Second Chance worship event at Mariners Church. Cindy Christeson’s story in the Newport Beach Independent helped to introduce us to the community. Several clinical directors and therapists have been able to experience HEart HEALS workshops to explore possible partnership opportunities. 3 workshops at the Union Rescue Mission in Los Angeles, 2 workshops with Global Girls Rising in Santa Ana, 3 workshops for middle school girls at Powerhouse Church in Watts. This past year HEart HEALS became part of the Healing Path Recovery IOP team.

How is all this possible, you might ask? Because HEart HEALS has a great support team. A huge thank you to Terry Smith, Jim Ward, Morgan Smith, Tami Moore, Laura Hubbard, Alycia DeLucio and Tony Mathews. Finally, I’m grateful to Mariners Church Care and Recovery for their support and partnership. I believe we have been blessed to be a blessing.

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The Healing Power of Art

heartheals — Mon, 15 Dec 2014 08:00:08 +0000

Being an artist, not a writer, it has been hard for me to embrace the ‘blog’ part of my website. I would much rather just paint a picture of what I want to say than have to write it down. Honestly. But recently a friend, who has been with me on this journey, asked me what it was that thrust me into the world of therapeutic art. It made me think, and I want to share it with those who visit here and are kind enough to click on the ‘blog’ link to see what I have to say. In short, this is my story……

I began in graphic arts, working in that field after receiving my BFA in Graphic Arts from UCLA. After taking several years off to raise my 3 sons, I began to study oil painting and I now exhibit my work in a gallery – the fulfillment of a lifelong dream. I also teach private painting classes.

Meanwhile, a member of my family was struggling with drug and alcohol addiction. Through this, I was introduced to a whole world of amazing & courageous people who were actively fighting for their lives in recovery. I became absorbed with learning all I could about addiction in its many forms, and the paths to recovery, especially my own path of recovery from codependency.

Art and Recovery – these were two separate worlds for me at the time. Yet, especially as I observed the paintings of my art students, I began to consider the relationship between the two and wonder how I could use my art background to help others, especially those in recovery. As I was exploring this connection, I was introduced to the Art4Healing® program. Through the completion of my certificate in this program, I watched how creativity, spirituality and loving people intersected and found a way to use what I had personally experienced as an artist and teacher to share the transformational power of art. HEart HEALS was born. HEart HEALS workshops combine these interests, helping people dealing with trauma, fear, grief, stress or addiction to process their feelings through abstract painting.

My journey with therapeutic art has been very rewarding and I plan to use this blog to share my discoveries. Have you experienced a powerful connection with art?

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