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Resources: Audio
"Focusing-Oriented Expressive Arts" Podcast Episode
Check out Laury Rappaport as a featured guest on The Creative Psychotherapist Podcast’s latest episode, "Focusing-Oriented Expressive Arts"!
Listen on your favorite podcast player (VFTS 2023, Ep. 2)
VFTS 2023, Episode 2
Laury Rappaport | Focusing-Oriented Expressive Arts
Host Reina Lombardi interviews the faculty of the 2023 Expressive Therapies Summit West in this captivating podcast series by The Creative Psychotherapist! In this episode, Laury Rappaport talks about her workshop "FOAT® as a Trauma-Informed Approach". Hear about the roots of Focusing and FOAT, therapeutic tools for stress and pain reduction, the safety-first clinical approach, and more.
Focusing For Wellbeing is now available on Soundcloud!
Focusing Attitude + Check In
This is a guided exercise to learn and cultivate the Focusing Attitude of being "friendly" to our inner experience, to become aware of the felt sense within the body, and to see if there is a word, phrase, image, gesture or sound that matches (symbolizes) the felt sense. The felt sense can be expressed in a journal or expressive arts.
Clearing A Space
This track is helpful for imagining and then setting stressful feelings at a distance outside of the body; and getting a sense of the place that is separate from the stressors and is "All Fine," at peace or Ok. It is useful for stress reduction and enhancing wellbeing. It can be done by itself or used with journaling and expressive arts.
Working On An Issue
This is a guided Focusing exercise to bring mindful awareness into the body with an attitude of friendly curiosity and to become aware of an issue that you would like to work on. It helps you to get a felt sense of the issue, and then to access the body's knowing by asking the felt sense questions.
Self-Care
This is a guided Focusing exercise to bring the Focusing Attitude within, to ask within, "What am I needing most for self-care, what's in the way, and what's a small step in the right direction?" It can be done as a guided Focusing or also combined with expressive arts and journaling.
Sitting Meditation
The first of three meditations that come from the teaching of mindfulness teacher Thich Nhat Hanh. Focusing exercises follow to capture and ground the meditative state.
Pebble Meditation
Incorporates nature elements, such as "Breathing in, I see myself as a flower; breathing out, I feel fresh; Breathing in, I see myself as a mountain, breathing out, I feel solid." Focusing is included at the end to notice the felt sense, deepen the benefits of meditation, and carry it with you in your day and life.
Walking Meditation
This is a guided walking meditation that can be done indoors or outdoors. It begins with mindful breathing, awareness of walking, and includes instruction for how to transform stressful emotions through walking meditation. Focusing is included at the end to notice the felt sense, deepen the benefits of meditation, and carry it with you in your day and life.
Guided Relaxation and Healthy Sleep
This track includes guided imagery and progressive relaxation for each body part, starting at the head and moving down to the feet, inviting you to relax and feel more peaceful with each mindful breath. There are self-suggestions for sleeping through the night and awakening in the morning refreshed with vital energy to go about your day.