How many of you… Rachael F. Brown * Why am I doing this? Creative Wellness What is Creative Wellness? How many of you… Rachael F. Brown * Why am I doing this?

Creative Wellness started with ‘CJEA’ Creative Journal Expressive Arts (CJEA) was developed by Dr. Lucia Capacchione in late 1970’s, in response to her own experience with art, illness, and clinical therapy. Scientific support has followed: 1981: Roger Sperry awarded Nobel prize for brain lateralization research, which continues 2011: James Pennebaker, PhD, UT Austin researches expressive writing techniques and recovery from illness 2016: Girija Kaimal, et al: Reduction of Cortisol Levels and Participants' Responses Following Art Making. Art Therapy 2017: Graham L. Baum, et al, Modular Segregation of Brain Networks supports the Development of Executive Function

What is Creative Wellness? Creative Wellness is a set of tools and exercises that can be used to strengthen structural brain networks between nodes and/or hemispheres. Creative Wellness also reduces cortisol levels in a majority of participants. Explore: take some time to research these terms if they are not familiar. In today’s working culture, it is acknowledged that successful and productive individuals have a high degree of ‘Executive Function’ ‘Metacognitive ability’ ‘Emotional Intelligence’ ‘soft skills’ along with ‘hard’ skills, and an ability to apply and evaluate key knowledge in their profession.

How does Creative Wellness work? This model is over-generalized: a visual from ‘pop psychology’. Everyone’s brains are unique, just like our faces. Our brains work best and most efficiently when neural networks ‘info–share’ across hemispheres. Everyone uses both hemispheres of their brain. Creative Wellness improves ‘info-share’ processes across hemispheres.

Brain Functions: Let’s identify: What do we use, and when? Where do most of the things you have to do, daily, for your job or life ‘come from’ in your brain? So: which networks are getting overworked? Which networks might seem a little ‘neglected’? After we start speaking and writing as children, what part of our brain is hard-wired for these activities? What side of our body is physiologically controlled by the left side of our brain? So, what can we do to tap directly into the other side?

Let’s experience to better understand: Dancing… on paper First : Loosen up. Use your NON-DOMINANT HAND. Listen to the music, imagine yourself moving to the music, scribble, and breathe. When the music changes ‘feelings’, write that feeling on the paper with your NDH. *Guidelines for Creative Wellness Activities* Please, no talking. Talking is left-brained and throws off the exercise for our right brain. Don’t listen to any criticism coming from inside yourself. This is not artwork for the gallery, this is a creative exercise.

What were the effects of this exercise? What emotions did you ‘hear’ in the music? How long did that experience ‘feel’? What happens to individuals when there is no emotional outlet? How can this affect us in our success and our productivity? What did you learn? Write down some notes! (with your dominant hand.) “Man is most nearly himself when he achieves the seriousness of a child at play.” Heraclitus

Activity #1: Grab Bag Select a prompt from the bag. According to the prompt, create a drawing with your NDH. Write about the drawing and the prompt with your NDH.

Grab Bag Reflection What did you learn? What were the effects of this exercise? Write down some notes! (with your dominant hand.) Quick Break!

Insight: Any Thoughts? You don’t have to share your experience unless you want to. Anything that’s said here, stays here. What insights came to you as you were doing this exercise? Evaluate: Tapping into your creative problem-solving can take time. Re-visit the issue to write any other insights or observations down as they come to you. Consider keeping a journal for your creative exercises and ideas. Any other questions?

Other uses for Creative Wellness: Develop your ability to meet everyday challenges. Practice to help you communicate with those around you, for improved relations. Alleviate stress, and can be a ‘picture window’ into your physical health. By using your non-dominant hand to doodle and write, you are developing the connections between hemispheres and networks in your brain. Why is that so important? Hint: WHOLE BRAIN WELLNESS!

Thanks for attending! Please fill out your evaluations for this session. Dr. Lucia Capacchione and Rachael Brown at CJEA Fall 2008 Intensive Training