NEW Art Therapy Group with Jennifer Trudeau Brown
NEW Art Therapy Group with Jennifer Trudeau Brown
ADULT ART THERAPY GROUP
Magic Moments – By Pierre Zimmerman 11/01/22
Magic Moments – By Pierre Zimmerman 11/01/22
FROM THE DESK OF PIERRE ZIMMERMAN: MAGIC MOMENTS
Inner conflicts are usually linked to rumination about the past and anxious anticipation of the future, therefore being tormented by hope and fear. Magic moments happen when we are not hiding in the bubble of self-centeredness to protect ourselves. One purpose of meditation is to break this bubble and let mental constructs vanish in the open space of freedom.
When we look at a full moon on a fall night, experience a moment of grace or magic with friends by the seaside, or meditate together, the burden of inner conflict is lifted. What we experience is a sense of calm and an enhanced sense of interdependence, rather than fragmenting reality into solid, autonomous entities. We discover a respite from mental toxins.
What we practice grows and new qualities such as wisdom and inner freedom develop. Meditation leads not just to a few moments of grace, but to lasting stages of well-being that we may call genuine happiness. They are very satisfying states, because the feelings of insecurity gradually give way to deep confidence, and we have the ability to use our skills to deal with the ups and downs of life, intense emotions, and unexpected situations in a much more optimal way.
Equanimity, which is not indifference, will spare us being swayed back and forth like high waves of the ocean by strong winds of blame and praise, gain and loss, comfort and discomfort. We discover how to relate to the depth of inner contentment, and the waves on the surface will not appear as threatening as before. Not perpetuating mental fabrications, obsessive narratives or linear thinking. This allows us to rest in the state of clear freshness of the present moment.
Open presence is a state of clear and pure awareness in which the mind is like a vivid, transparent sky, thoughts continuously undoing themselves as they arise, like birds crossing the vast expense without leaving any trace. There is no grasping or repeating the same experience, because you have already been there. This brings great peace.
PZ/11/01/22
Mental Performance Training for Athletes w Heather Lofink, LMHC
Mental Performance Training for Athletes w Heather Lofink, LMHC
Did you know? Heather Lofink, LMHC, also offers Mindbody Fusion: Mental Performance Training For Athletes?
In addition to her therapy practice here at One Roof, practitioner Heather Lofink, LMHC, also offers comprehensive Mental Performance Training for Athletes in her business Mindbody Fusion. This includes individual training, team training, coach training, and consultation.
Mental Performance Training is the segment of sports psychology that concentrates specifically on helping athletes break through the mental barriers that are keeping them from performing up to their peak potential. Learn all about the work Heather does and services offered through Mindbody Fusion and reach out to her directly for an appointment.
The Illusion of Separateness – By Pierre Zimmerman 10/1/22
The Illusion of Separateness – By Pierre Zimmerman 10/1/22
FROM THE DESK OF PIERRE ZIMMERMAN: The Illusion of Separateness
We may have the illusion of separateness, believing that we are isolated from many people, and more than likely have been taught by our parents, teachers, peers and society in general the consensus view and importance of a separate self. The problem is that this construct of a solo self may have a sad sense of meaninglessness and disconnect for so many in our culture.
We share interconnectedness by breathing the same air, sharing the same water, living in the same ecosphere and inhabiting this same planet as it spins through space. In most wisdom traditions and religions throughout the world, compassion is considered one of the highest values that enhances well-being in both individuals and communities. It is the way we sense the suffering in another sentient being and figure out ways to decrease or reduce it.
Interconnectedness requires empathy which has five aspects:
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Emotional resonance (feeling another’s feelings),
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Perspective taking (seeing through another’s eyes),
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Cognitive understanding (imagining the mental experiences of another and their meaning),
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Empathic concern (motivation and gateway for compassion), and
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Sympathetic joy.
We need to place empathy with altruistic love, otherwise empathic resonance alone will lead to distress. These two qualities reinforce our courage and give us resources to deal with the suffering of others in a constructive way. Empathy without compassion is like an electric water pump without water. It will overheat and shut down. With the water of love and compassion it will cool down empathic distress, counteract emotional exhaustion and reduce burnout. Resilience is necessary, without it, a potential downside to being tuned in to others will usually have us over identify with suffering and lead to shutting down. This is called empathic resonance fatigue.
When we are aware where our attention goes, neural firing flows, and neural connection grows. Kindness and compassion then help us strengthen these body/mind connections and create traits of kind intentions, a way of being, not just mind/heart states that come and go. A trait is a propensity or way of behaving that happens without effort or major planning and with practice becomes stronger, integrated and enduring.
When we are connected to others, finding ways of being of service in our world, beyond our private brain or skin defined self, is a time tested path towards a meaningful life. We are more alive when we embrace the reality of our interconnectedness.
PZ/10/1/22
Fall Support Groups for Women with Jennifer Trudeau-Brown
Fall Support Groups for Women with Jennifer Trudeau-Brown
Back by popular demand!
TWO Art Therapy groups for women facilitated by One Roof practitioner Jennifer Trudeau-Brown…
Adult women, ages 25-50
Mondays, Beginning 9/19/22 from 6-7:30pm
All sessions held at One Roof, 58 Henry Street, Saratoga Springs, NY
Young women, ages 12-16
Monday meetings on 10/3, 10/17, 10/24 & 11/07, 4-5:30pm
NOTE: NO meetings on 10/10 or 10/31 holidays
All sessions held at One Roof, 58 Henry Street, Saratoga Springs, NY
Art with Heart and Hope: A Fundraiser for Beyond My Battle 9/8
Art with Heart and Hope: A Fundraiser for Beyond My Battle 9/8
Join Beyond My Battle, a local non-profit organization, on Thursday, September 8th for an evening of art, inspiration and community.
Being Present- By Pierre Zimmerman 9/1/22
Being Present- By Pierre Zimmerman 9/1/22
FROM THE DESK OF PIERRE ZIMMERMAN: PRESENCE
Presence is bringing ourselves fully into to the present moment with another person or persons, on many levels: physically, emotionally, cognitively, relationally and spiritually. Four major qualities are necessary: embodiment, process orientation, intentionality, and being in relationship.
Presence is embodied. It lives from the neck down, which helps us to be grounded and centered within ourselves. There is a sense of immersion in the details of the moment. There is a realm of spaciousness and expansion, along with a background feeling that everything is ok. We have the intention of being compassionately with and for another, in service of healing.
Presence is a process in which we are receptive and open, free of agenda, expressing ourselves verbally and non-verbally. We are inwardly attuned, extending a feeling of resonance, being guided in that moment of being together.
Presence is intentional, and it takes commitment to cultivate this quality, to engage that experience of presence within oneself, when we walk in the room with someone, holding that intention and bringing it in.
Presence is relational, it is not just within oneself, it lives between us. It involves a meeting between people that is deeper than each individual and allows an access to a larger experience of connection and consciousness, which is ultimately where healing is derived from.
There is a bi-directional communication when we calm our body, our brain, and mind, and come into alignment. We need to regulate our emotions, goals, and ideas in order to relate and to regulate. That essence of presence is how we are with people, not what we do with them, but how we are in relationship.
Remember: “That which we pay attention to and practice, grows stronger.”
PZ/9/1/22
Art Therapy & Mindfulness – Support Groups for Young Women
Art Therapy & Mindfulness – Support Groups for Young Women
Support Groups with Facilitator Jennifer Trudeau-Brown, LMHC, ATR:
*** IMPORTANT UPDATES *** The Young Women’s group will meet on Wednesdays from 5-6:30-pm for 5 weeks ages 13-17, and a Women’s Group will meet that same day (Wednesdays) from 6:30-8pm for ages 25-50.
Art Therapy & Mindfulness for Young Women: In this group, attendees will support and help build each other’s confidence through art and meditation. We will focus on using art and meditation, as well as the concepts of self-love and compassion to learn better ways to manage anxiety. Group members will express their feelings through their art and share with group members, as well as connect with one another and provide support where needed.
Wednesdays, August 10th to September 7th from 5-6:30pm (Ages 13-17)
All sessions held at One Roof, 58 Henry Street, Saratoga Springs, NY
(Tuesdays, August 9th to August 29th from 4-5:30pm) SEE REVISED DAYS/TIMES ABOVE
All sessions held at One Roof, 58 Henry Street, Saratoga Springs, NY
Optimal Balance – By Pierre Zimmerman 8/1/22
Optimal Balance – By Pierre Zimmerman 8/1/22
From the Desk of Pierre Zimmerman: OPTIMAL BALANCE FOR HAPPINESS
The way to achieve genuine happiness is to apply effective means to balance the heart and mind in order to succeed in achieving a deep state of sanity and discovering a sense of inner wellbeing, which persists when alone or with others, active or at rest, and doesn’t require any external stimulation. Genuine contentment arises from the depths of a mind that is calm, clear, and open and being present in the world without being thrown into emotional disequilibrium. The route to wellbeing requires four kinds of mental balance: conative, attentional, cognitive and emotional. We will look at three kinds of imbalance in each domain: deficit, hyperactivity, and dysfunction.
CONATIVE BALANCE
Conation refers to the faculties of desire and volition, the mental process that activates and/or directs behavior and action. Imbalances in that domain are ways our desires and intentions lead us away from psychological flourishing and often into distress. A deficit occurs when we experience a loss of desire for happiness and its causes with a lack of imagination or stagnant complacency. Hyperactivity is present when we fixate on obsessive desires that obscure the reality of the present, being caught up in fantasies of the future, blind to the needs and desires of others. Dysfunction occurs when we desire things that are not conducive to others’ or our own wellbeing or genuine happiness. Daily meditation as a discipline requires motivation and continuous practice.
ATTENTIONAL BALANCE
Attentional balance, including the development of sustained, voluntary attention, is a crucial feature of mental health and optimal performance in any kind of meaningful activity. Deficit in this domain is characterized by the inability to focus on a desired object, the mind becoming withdrawn and disengaged. Attentional hyperactivity occurs when the mind is excessively aroused, resulting in compulsive distraction and fragmentation. Attention becomes dysfunctional when we focus on things which are not conducive to our own or others’ wellbeing. Meditation quiescence has three qualities: relaxation, stability, and vividness for attentional training. The metaphor of trees with the roots of relaxation penetrating deep into fertile soil, the trunk of stability becoming thick and strong and the branches and foliage of vividness forming a lush, verdant canopy, support the three qualities.
COGNITIVE BALANCE
Cognitive balance occurs when one views the world without the imbalances of conceptual projection, omission, or distortion. Deficit is characterized by the failure to perceive what is present in our five fields of sensory experience and in our minds, being out of touch with what is occurring around us and within us. Hyperactivity sets in when we conflate our conceptual projections with actual experience. We fail to distinguish between perceived realities and our superimposed assumptions and fantasies. Cognitive dysfunction occurs when we misapprehend reality in our ability to interpret what’s happening in the moment. The primary intervention or antidote is to cultivate mindfulness.
EMOTIONAL BALANCE
Emotional balance is a natural outcome of the first three balances. Emotional deficit has the symptom of emotional deadness and a sense of cold indifference towards others. Hyperactivity is characterized by excessive or obsessive experience of elation and depression, hope and fear, adulation and contempt, craving and hostility. Dysfunction occurs when our emotional responses are inappropriate to the circumstances, such as delighting in others’ misfortunes or resenting their successes. The meditative practices to cultivate the Four Immeasurables (qualities of loving kindness, compassion, empathetic joy and equanimity) support the heart/mind to remain calm and open for a vast potential of mental health flourishing.
Pz/8/1/22
Empathy and Compassion – By Pierre Zimmerman 7/1/22
Empathy and Compassion – By Pierre Zimmerman 7/1/22
FROM THE DESK OF PIERRE ZIMMERMAN: Empathy, Compassion and Altruism
The word empathy is a translation from the German word Einfuhlung, which refers to “the ability to feel the other from within.” Empathy can be set off by an affective perception of feeling for a person with whom we enter into resonance, or by cognitive imagination evoked by the other person’s experience. Emotional resonance usually precedes cognitive resonance and depends on the intensity of our emotions as to whether we can really respond – or become reactive instead.
True empathic concern consists of becoming aware of another’s needs and then feeling a sincere desire to come to his or her aid. It doesn’t involve pity, which is egocentric or condescending, or for that matter emotional contagion, which results in distress or empathy fatigue because we confuse our feelings with that of the other.
Compassion is the capacity to use our heart to relieve the suffering of another and all the possibilities to accomplish this. It includes the realization that ignorance is the fundamental cause of suffering and gives rise to an array of mental obscurations, lack of love, meaning, confidence and absence of a clear compass. Motivation for taking actions for release of suffering counts more than their outcome or results. Compassion doesn’t exclude anything possible to prevent the other from continuing to harm or break the circle of hatred.
Altruism is the motivational state that has the ultimate goal of increasing another’s welfare. It is a willingness to lead a life devoted to the well-being of others without the need of ulterior motive. Valuing others and being concerned about their situation are essential. Buddhism defines it as the wish that all beings find happiness and the causes of happiness. In this context, happiness is not just a temporary state of well-being, but a way of being that includes wisdom, inner freedom and strength, as well as an accurate view of reality.
Altruistic love and compassion add joy when perceiving the happiness and good qualities of others as well as impartiality. Rejoicing means that we don’t want others’ qualities and happiness to diminish, but instead to increase and persist. This serves as an antidote to competitiveness, jealousy and envy, and is a remedy for depression or despairing views. Impartiality or equanimity doesn’t depend either on our personal attachments or the way others behave towards us. Altruistic love requires courage; fear and insecurity are major obstacles to altruism. We need to develop an inner strength that makes us confident in our inner resources, which help us face the constantly changing circumstances of our lives.
Pz/7/1/22