Using Expressive Arts to Work with Mind, Body and Emotions


Book Description

Using Expressive Arts to Work with Mind, Body and Emotions combines theory, research and activities to produce practical suggestions for enhancing client participation in the therapy process. It surveys the literature on art therapy; somatic approaches; emotion-activating models; use of music, writing and dreamwork; and the implications of the new findings in neuroscience. The book includes step-by-step instructions for implementing expressive therapies techniques, and contains a wide range of experiential activities that integrate playful yet powerful tools that work in harmony with the client's innate ability for self-healing. The authors discuss transpersonal influences along with the practical implications of both emotion-focused and attachment theories. Using Expressive Arts to Work with Mind, Body and Emotions is an essential guide to integrating creative arts-based activities into counselling and psychotherapy and will be a useful manual for practitioners, academics and student counsellors, psychologists, psychotherapists, social workers and creative arts therapists.




Mind-Body Problems


Book Description

Science journalist John Horgan presents a radical new perspective on the mind-body problem and related issues such as consciousness, free will, morality and the meaning of life. Horgan argues that science will never discover an objectively true solution to the mind-body problem because such a solution does not exist. Horgan explores his thesis by delving into the professional and personal lives of nine mind-body experts, including neuroscientist Christof Koch, cognitive scientist Douglas Hofstadter, child psychologist Alison Gopnik, complexologist Stuart Kauffman, legal scholar and psychoanalyst Elyn Saks, philosopher Owen Flanagan, novelist Rebecca Goldstein, evolutionary biologist Robert Trivers, and economist Deirdre McCloskey.




Body Art/performing the Subject


Book Description

"With great originality and scholarship, Amelia Jones maps out an extraordinary history of body art over the last three decades and embeds it in the theoretical terrain of postmoderism. The result is a wonderful and permissive space in which the viewer...can wander"...-Moira Roth, Trefethen professor of art history, Mills College.




Dance, Mind & Body


Book Description

Make the transition from simple body movements to kinetic works of art. Dance Mind & Body features 128 exploration exercises designed to help you improve your focus, observe and explore movement systematically, and refine your techniques to create better dances. Packed with illustrations, improvisation challenges, examples, and reference material, Dance Mind & Body explores the fine line separating movement and dance. You will achieve better posture, a greater sense of movement, and heightened artistic expression. From the basics of breathing to the complexities of modern choreography and form, this definitive guide is an indispensable resource for any aspiring performer.




Aesthetics and the Embodied Mind: Beyond Art Theory and the Cartesian Mind-Body Dichotomy


Book Description

The project of naturalizing human consciousness/experience has made great technical strides (e.g., in mapping areas of brain activity), but has been hampered in many cases by its uncritical reliance on a dualistic “Cartesian” paradigm (though as some of the authors in the collection point out, assumptions drawn from Plato and from Kant also play a role). The present volume proposes a version of naturalism in aesthetics drawn from American pragmatism (above all from Dewey, but also from James and Peirce)—one primed from the start to see human beings not only as embodied, but as inseparable from the environment they interact with—and provides a forum for authors from diverse disciplines to address specific scientific and philosophical issues within the anti-dualistic framework considering aesthetic experience as a process of embodied meaning-making. Cross-disciplinary contributions come from leading researchers including Mark Johnson, Jim Garrison, Daniel D. Hutto, John T. Haworth, Luca F. Ticini, Beatriz Calvo-Merino. The volume covers pragmatist aesthetics, neuroaesthetics, enactive cognitive science, literary studies, psychology of aesthetics, art and design, sociology.




Kintsugi Wellness


Book Description

The classically trained chef and wellness author shares favorite Japanese rituals & recipes in a common-sense guide to finding balance, joy & good health. Where we come from is who we are. And Candice Kumai’s Japanese heritage has informed her journey back to health at every turn. Now, in Kintsugi Wellness, Candice shares what she’s learned and guides us through her favorite Japanese traditions and practices for cultivating inner strength and living a gracious life. Interwoven with dozens of recipes for healthy, Japanese-inspired cuisine, Kintsugi Wellness provides the tools we all need to reclaim the art of living well. “Candice has created a guide to an ancient, common-sense and approachable way of living. In a crowded wellness space, Kintsugi Wellness truly stands out.” —Sophia Amoruso, Founder and CEO, Girlboss “All aspects of our well-being are connected. And with Kintsugi Wellness, Candice Kumai uses her own journey to show how Japanese traditions can enhance not just our bodies, but our minds, our hearts and our spirits. Candice Kumai is a true new role model, showing how ancient practices can help us thrive in the modern word.” —Arianna Huffington, Founder of Thrive Global and CEO and Co-founder, Huffington Post




The Art of Mandala Meditation


Book Description

Discover the restorative power of mandala meditation Relax your body, calm your mind, and promote overall well-being with The Art of Mandala Meditation. This gorgeous collection features inspirational instruction and more than eighty colorful mandala illustrations that will help you find the comfort, healing, or inspiration you've been seeking. With these mesmerizing designs, you'll finally be able to ease your mind and free yourself from the obstacles that keep you from achieving inner peace. This book also includes customizable blank mandalas to further your meditation and guide you even deeper into tranquility. This beautiful volume is a must-have for anyone looking to live a more balanced life.




Art as an Agent for Social Change


Book Description

Art as an Agent for Social Change explores through original research, experiences, and personal narratives the role of the arts in bringing forth social change within three interconnected themes: community building, collaborations, and teaching and pedagogy.




Martial Arts


Book Description

"Martial Arts Mind & Body combines the best mental and physical training principles of various martial art forms to enhance performance. Centered on the Japanese concept of kiai, the book explains how to unite your mental, physical, and spiritual energies. As a result, you will be able to: sharpen concentration and awareness, improve your ability to learn new skills, perform better in training and competition, and remain focused under stress." "As you learn how to integrate the energy of the mind and body, you will increase your resistance to fatigue, discomfort, and distraction. You'll also learn techniques to control the body's responses to respiration, metabolism, and muscle relaxation."--Jacket.




Body and Mind in Motion


Book Description

Western contemporary dance and body-mind education have engaged in a pas de deux for more than four decades. The rich interchange of somatics and dance has altered both fields, but scholarship that substantiates these ideas through the findings of twentieth-century scientific advances has been missing. This book fills that gap and brings to light contemporary discoveries of neuroscience and somatic education as they relate to dance. Drawing from the burgeoning field of “embodiment”—itself an idea at the intersection of the sciences, humanities, arts, and technologies—Body and Mind in Motion highlights the relevance of somatic education within dance education, dance science, and body-mind studies.