This is a grassroots initiative that promotes a community review of the cultural fabric that surrounds mental health. During 2019 we presented a guided panel discussions in the Roaring Fork Valley focusing on the “Healing Properties of Grief”, the indiscriminate and seemingly unwanted intruder. The plan is to have 4 yearly Panels. Our second panel was March 10th/2020
THE HEALiNG PROPERTiES OF GRiEF, our 2nd Panel.
Held at Basalt Library on March 2020.
To change is to be greater than your surroundings. The hardest part of change is not making the same choices.
Under the guidance of :
Wewer Keohane
PHD and Author of Artful Dreaming
“Our beauty is exposed to us through the dream as we dive into the shadow material of the subconscious through dream work”
She believes that “Art Saves Lives” and “Dreams Grow Lives” into authentic experiences of honest self-inquiry. She holds Ph.D.s in Creative Arts and Psychology with an emphasis on Dream analysis. She is the author of best-selling Artful Dreaming: A Primer for finding inspiration from your dreams which ties her passion for art, creativity and dream work into a helpful unfolding of creative self-inquiry and creativity. She is a collected and exhibited artist with works in the permanent collections of 7 museums. Presently, she has a private practice as an art/dream coach and an artist, and spent over 30 years teaching at the university level and in private workshops around the world as well as 15 years in the business world. She was the keynote speaker for The International Association for the Study of Dreams, an Inaugural Fellow at the Aspen Art Museum, and she sponsors a scholarship called Art Saves Lives for Carbondale Arts in Carbondale, Colorado, where she resides with her husband Steve and their dog, Moksa, and cat, Penelope.
Jarid Rollins
Mental Health Clinician, Mid Valley Medical Practice
Jarid helps us understand the benefits of processing emotional toxins and the consequences of avoiding this exercise.
Vanessa Porras
Art and Art Expression
By its nature art allows expression of the subconscious.
Vanessa shares her personal experiences with expressive art and how it helped her meet her emocional challenges.
Charles Morris
Founder of We Are Designed to Heal
Author of Butterfly The Journey from Loss to Recovery, A Guide For Transformation.
Charles describes the importance of emotional granularity, identifying and articulating emotions. Promoting healthy, beneficial, emotions and processing the toxic ones can help create a healthy landscape for grief to unfold.
THE HEALiNG PROPERTiES OF GRiEF, our 1st Panel
June 2019 at TRUE NATURE HEALING ARTS in Carbondale, CO. Click to see
Under the guidance of:
Wewer Keohane Ph.D, Artist, Author, Dream & Creativity Coach – Author of Artful Dreaming
Annemarie Zanca MA, LPC, Mental Health Professional working in the Roaring Fork School District, Founder of the Andy Zanca Youth
Empowerment Program
Sheri Gaynor, LCSW, Expressive Arts Therapist, Equine Facilitated Learning Instructor, Life Coach
Jarid Rollins LCSW Behavioral Health Clinician at Midvalley Family Practice
Sean Jeung Chaplain at Valley View Hospital Glenwood Springs, CO
Charles Morris Author of Butterfly The Journey from Loss to Recovery, A Guide For Transformation
Moderators: Cara Lynch and Michelle Zinarti – Founders of the Colorado Peace Institute
The panel presentations describe how and why identifying, articulating and processing toxic emotions from loss and grief are the tools to help create an environment for healing and prevention.
GOAL #1
Empower and enhance the strength and effectiveness of the healing agencies in the Roaring Fork Valley.
The presentations address the healing modalities represented by the panel members and also supply a list of the participating support agencies with names and telephone numbers. Within the community we hope an increased awareness of processing unhealthy emotions, thereby reducing stress and the benefits of doing so will create a conduit to the different healing agencies of the Valley. In essence this is a grass roots effort. It matters not who helps, it is only important that there is transparency for effective care and healing.
GOAL #2
Introduce children, teens and adults to the importance of and ability to address and process negative emotions thus building resilience
Where and when do we start? Ideally the where would be in the family. The earlier the prevention the better. All of the above coupled with mindfulness training can lead to mental and consequently physical health. These tools are an inroad to making healthy choices, the clear thinking that builds resilience and self-reliance. This would be a gift to our children affording them the ability to navigate a radically changing world with an unknown and uncertain future.
GOAL #3
Address suicidality in the Roaring Fork Valley
Promoting wellness in children, teens and adults includes resolving grief and trauma in a wholistic way, by incorporating mindfulness and accessible platforms for processing and resolving risk related circumstances. It is suicide prevention for all. Moderators: Cara Lynch and Michelle Zinarti – Founders of the Colorado Peace Institute