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Grief Doesn't Take a Vacation
A summer Series July 3, 10, 24 Aug 7, 14, 21, 28
Welcome here!
We grieve for many reasons.. Grief is a natural response to any type of significant loss or life change such as:
loss of a loved one, relationship changes, health-related loss, loss of identity or role, loss of safety or security, loss of dreams or expectations, spiritual loss, life transitions, community/collective grief...
This summer series will aim to help you move through the experience of grief by offering a safe non-judgemental space for processing and exploring various art/music-related coping tools to support long-term healing. We will also be dipping into Internal Family Systems, a beautiful psychological approach that teaches us there are No Bad Parts; all aspects of self- *'especially the fearful, fault-finding, falling apart, unfinished parts ' are with us bc they serve us by caring for and protecting us. All feelings are valid and need to be heard for self-compassion and healing. * quote from Julia Fehrenbachers's 'The Most Important Thing'.
I hope you can join me for this summer series...
During the 7 sessions we will be covering topics such as:
*A Gentle Introduction (to IFS and the Expressive Arts)
*Living in the Moment- How do we slow it all down and not jump to the 'ifs, if onlys, the shoulds and should haves.'
* One Foot in Front of the Other- Grief can be paralyzing. What do we do when feeling overwhelmed?
*'Response Ability'- How do we deal with those extreme emotions such as anger, rage and resentment?
*Guilt/shame- How and where do we lay it down?
*Celebrating Amongst the Chaos- finding our way through what has been lost, has changed and/or the loss of dreams we once held so dear, and allowing ourselves to embrace the small moments.
*Wrapping it up
This is a loose itinerary that may change according to what the needs of the group are. It may be adjusted, sometimes moment by moment, as needs arise.
NO art or music experience is necessary. I cannot stress this enough. I use art, music and Internal Family Services (IFS) to help people understand what is going on inside of their mind/body/spirit and these approaches provide outlets to move trapped feelings out of the body, bring clarity to a situation and help process emotions. We may use strokes of paint, writing, poetry, movement, music, gestures... or a combination. As stated in the pamphlet "Art can when words cannot.' This is all about process, not final product (although the final product can sometimes be pretty cool!)
I encourage you to attend all the sessions, if possible, but I realize this is a big commitment over the summer months.
Do what you can. It's all any of us can do.
Please try to register the day of the session by 10 am. This helps me prepare materials we will need. BUT remember! Drop- ins are most welcome! If you decide last minute you want to attend, please JUST SHOW UP. It is in no way inconvenient.
Hope to see you there!
In Caring,
Shon
The Brave Space Invitation
Currently, I am looking for 4-6 families
who have a member/person with dementia- at any stage- (for ease, referred to in the rest of this document as the PWD)
to join me in a year’s long journey of navigating life with dementia using
the Expressive Arts and Music Care as a therapeutic tool.
This has NOTHING to do with producing artwork (although sometimes it will produce beautiful things)
This has NOTHING to do with being an ‘artist’ (although embracing this title can feel really good)
This is about using the arts/music to:
*Tap into different parts of the brain
*Find ways to communicate feelings when words are unavailable or words are not enough
*Create/discover new neural pathways
*Discover new ways of ‘being’ while living with brain changes
*Learn how to have a new type of relationship with those who have lost their words and memory
and connecting has become difficult
*Work through fear, anger, frustration, grief, powerlessness and despair
*Find joy in all this (mess)
This work is person-centred; designed to fit the needs of the PWD and will take into consideration
the needs of the individual family.
The program will be designed to fit the needs and dynamics of the families, not geared to force the
families to fit into an already established format.
The program will be:
flexible and thoughtful
supportive and encouraging
patient and non-judgemental
kind and loving
The PWD will have opportunity for one-on-one sessions with me once a week, up to 4xs a month.
Sessions can be held at the PWD’s home or, if appropriate, the PWD can be dropped off at my office or my home where we have a lovely bright space to work in. When it’s warm, we could spend the session time in our
colourful, cozy garden.
A family member or caregiver would need to join a session at least once a month but could
attend 2-3xs a month.
If they wish, a family member will have the opportunity to process emotions with me
(using the arts) one-on-one, once a month.
The program will run 10 months over the course of 1 year.
(Depending on funding, a fee of $100/month might apply. If a family cannot afford this,
I will look for subsidization).
Before I apply for funding, I need commitment from the 4-6 families:
*A willingness to show up when they can
*An openness to trying new things
*Easeful access to the person living with dementia
*Courage to find new ways to journey through tough and confusing times
For more information, please contact me at:
journey.intuart@sasktel.net
The Brave Space Invitation
Together we will create brave space
Because there is no such a thing as a “safe space” —
We exist in the real world
We all carry scars and we have all caused wounds.
In this space
We seek to turn down the volume of the outside world,
We amplify voices that fight to be heard elsewhere,
We call each other to more truth and love
We have the right to start somewhere and continue to grow.
We have the responsibility to examine what we think we know.
We will not be perfect.
This space will not be perfect.
It will not always be what we wish it to be
But
It will be our brave space together,
And
We will work on it side by side.
~ Beth Stano (original)
~ Mickey Scott-Bey Jones (added to this poem)
All information will be held with the utmost confidentiality, respect and love.
No judgement will ever be brought into the relationship with the client, caregiver(s)/family and Shon.
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