Creative Strength & Hope

Art + Neuroscience Books

Your Brain on Art – (I highly recommend this book! – Breanna)

From the Publisher’s Book Description —

What is art? Many of us think of the arts as entertainment—a luxury of some kind. In Your Brain on Art, authors Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross show how activities from painting and dancing to expressive writing, architecture, and more are essential to our lives.

We’re on the verge of a cultural shift in which the arts can deliver potent, accessible, and proven solutions for the well-being of everyone. Magsamen and Ross offer compelling research that shows how engaging in an art project for as little as forty-five minutes reduces the stress hormone cortisol, no matter your skill level, and just one art experience per month can extend your life by ten years. They expand our understanding of how playing music builds cognitive skills and enhances learning; the vibrations of a tuning fork create sound waves to counteract stress; virtual reality can provide cutting-edge therapeutic benefit; and interactive exhibits dissolve the boundaries between art and viewers, engaging all of our senses and strengthening memory. Doctors have even been prescribing museum visits to address loneliness, dementia, and many other physical and mental health concerns.

Creativity – the psychology of discovery and invention

When we use the term creativity, different images come to our mind. There are bright persons who
express unusual thoughts, who are interesting and stimulating. Unless they also contribute something of permanent significance, these people must be called brilliant rather than creative. Creativity is about capturing the moments that make life worth living.

Art Matters – Because your imagination can change the world

“The world always seems brighter when you’ve just made something that wasn’t there before.”—Neil GaimanDrawn from Gaiman’s trove of published speeches, poems, and creative manifestos, Art Matters is an embodiment of this remarkable multi-media artist’s vision—an exploration of how reading, imagining, and creating can transform the world and our lives.

Books on Anxiety, Trauma, Mindfulness, Spirituality

Heal your Nervous System

In Heal Your Nervous System, you will discover:

• How anxiety, trauma, and chronic stress are not just “in your head,” but manifest in all areas of your health
• How to assess your current level of nervous system dysregulation
• Why nervous system dysregulation can cause both mental and physical symptoms
• How your individual sensitivity profile and past experiences came together to tip your nervous system into a state of dysregulation
• The four most common mistakes people make in their healing journey, and how to avoid them
• Top essential habits that support your nervous system during your healing journey
• Simple practices, exercises, and routines that progressively reverse nervous system dysregulation
• How to organize the most effective practices into the right order, a sequence that supports your healing without getting overwhelmed

And how does that make you feel ” – A great book by a Therapist with a history of anxiety who specializes in clients with anxiety, and he is honest about his conversations and thoughts the Therapy office.

Mindfulness for Warriors – Concise read but worth the time!

A traumatic way of life.

First responders have the incredibly difficult job of running toward danger while the rest of us run away. No training prepares them for what they see and endure. Kim Colegrove understands what it’s like to watch someone go through that. After 30 years in law enforcement, her husband took his own life. This agonizing experience opened Kim’s eyes to the desperate need for an effective form of stress-relief and support for first responders.

The power of meditation.

Taking care of our mental health is a priority. For first responders, like cops and EMTs facing trauma, ensuring that their heads are in a healthy place is crucial. Kim is here to propose meditation as a resource for first responders.A source of hope. In 2017, Kim founded The PauseFirst Project, Mindfulness for First Responders. Kim offers the PauseFirst block of training to organizations across the country; teaching techniques that help reduce stress, regulate emotion, and improve overall health and well-being. Her work to bring awareness is a tribute to both her husband and the countless other first responders struggling with the realities of their jobs.In Mindfulness for Warriors find:Evidence-based practices to help first responders and families deal with stressInterviews with first responders who share stories of overcoming, surviving, and thrivingColegrove’s own raw and intimate story of her husband’s troubles and how she continues each day fighting in his memoryIf you’ve looked for encouragement from books like Bulletproof Spirit, Bullets in the Washing Machine, or I Love a Cop (Third Edition); you will find a further source of healing in Mindfulness for Warriors.

Rooted

Great review here!!

Rooted: Review