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Methods and Application
Expressive Arts Focusing ExAF is a body-focused approach rooted in the culture of European Focusing, Art and Design using the Expressive Arts for art fascilitation and arts engagement
ExAF methods are integrative referring to trauma-informed, person-centered and experiential approaches of the Expressive Arts
The ExAF interventions are intermodal and process oriented. Visual Art interventions play a significant role in the session
Visual aesthetics are therapeutic in themselves. They provide a sense of beauty and wellbeing through reception. Visual art exercises imply hands on activities that connect to the body. They allow sensual and kinesthetic experiences that provide a safe container for the client
Expressive Arts Focusing ExAF is intentional. The experiential process of the client starts with an intention set up. The intention might be non-specific like finding stress release and wellbeing or resilience
The intention set up phase implies to bodily slow down, get grounded and come to presence through therapeutic guidance before starting with the arts.
Our clients benefit from different kinds of body guidance: Wholebody Focusing Grounding (Focusing with the Whole Body) by Astrid Schillings GER, Tree Breathing GFK by Ernst Juchli CH, grounding exercises of Biosynthesis by David Boadella CH and interactive body and drawing exercises of the Bauhaus Founders GER
Expressive Arts Focusing ExAF interventions are conducive for any kind of setting. The process can stay within the frame of a therapeutic school or shift to Focusing Oriented Therapy FOT or Focusing Oriented Expressive Arts FOAT®
Expressive Arts Focusing ExAF fits into art therapy, clinical therapy and counseling, Focusing Therapy, Focusing Training, Community Wellness Focusing, Community Art Therapy, Museum based Art Therapy and continuing education
Methods
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Focusing Oriented Expressive Arts FOAT®
by Laury Rappaport, PHD, MFT, REAT, ART-BC
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FOAT® is a mindfulness based approach for positive growth and change integrating Focusing and the Expressive Arts. FOAT® applications are supported by publications, books and research
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Personcentred Expressive Arts Therapy
by Nathalie Rogers, PhD, REAT
Person-Centered Expressive Arts Therapy is a multi-modal process pioneered by Nathalie Rogers, named The Creative Connection©
Nathalie Rogers Bio
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Sensorimotor Expressive Arts Therapy | Guided Drawing® - video
by Cornelia Elbrecht, BA. MA. (ART Ed), AthR, SEP
Guided Drawing® is a body-focused and trauma-informed practise, using mindfulness, sensory awareness and trust in the guidance from within
Receptive Art Therapy
Art Therapy using interactive strategies of Museum Pedagogy in psychotherapy, counseling and adult education
Experiential Collaging
by Prof. Akira Ikemi
Photo Art Therapy - tools
by Prof. Kathrin Seifert
Bauhaus Art Pedagogy
Exercises of the Bauhaus Founders
Sensual Design
University Curriculum Departent of Design and Art Education, University of Duisburg-Essen GER
Benefits of Practice
Bilateral Body Mapping/Guided Drawing®: Releasing trauma and intense feelings of pain, anger and fear
Dream Illustration: Capturing inner pictures that cannot be expressed through words
Expressive Portraits: Getting a sense of self and the other through mirroring and the artistic expression itself
Experiential Collaging and Phototherapy: Finding meaning through image making
Embodied Doodling: Energizing the body through unconscious art activity and stress release
Contemplative Botanical Drawing and Hand Lettering: Calming down and easing the mind through Slow Art
Magic Book Journaling, Cosmic Smash Booking®, Felt Art Journaling: Setting intentions and processing emotions
Body based Abstract Painting: Enhancing intuition and aesthetic feeling through creating from the body sense
Slow Draw with exercises of the Bauhaus founders: Staying in focus, stepping into self-regulation
becoming alive
finding safety and comfort
finding release from trauma
finding inner peace
staying in focus
building resilience
Application of Expressive Arts Focusing
Into the More - Exploring the Transformative Potential of Expressive Avenues, Workshop at the 14. International Conference IEATA 2022, 01-16-2021, Freda Blob
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How clients can take up space and speak for themelves: Read the chapter pp 469-489 with FOAT® exercise for healthy boundaries
Presentations at Help for Helpers
Freda Blob is part of the Help for Helper's planning circle facilitated by Lynn Preston/Focusing-Oriented Relational Psychotherapy and Melinda Darer/Focusing Initiatives International
Help for Helpers is a free Focusing Support Group for to empower, hearten and encourage therapists, counselors, teachers and helpers of all kind
Get Freda's H4H Reader on Embodied Aesthetics
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Attuenement from New Beginnings
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Attunement: Giving Sighs and Body Release
Expressive Arts Focusing ExAF in Counseling, Coaching & Continuing Education
Stoppages and dead-end situations in non-clinical settings highly benefit from imaginary space and alternative world experiences
Coachees and trainees can find real life solutions through unexpected and unpredictable experiences that are affective, sensory based and playful
Expressive Arts Focusing ExAF brings about such experiences. Focusing and the Arts are powerful tools to open up and transform structure-bound experiencing and cognitive and emotion-based schemes over time
Empathic curiosity for differences (Geiser) and clearing a space through the arts (Rappaport) are the main therapeutic principles being put into practice here. Aesthetic empathy is another useful principle as it transforms the process of art making itself.
To handle art materials and art techniques coachees and trainees are introduced to experimental exercises of the Bauhaus Founders
All art activities are fascilitated by the professional but start from the body sense of the coachee or trainee. Their process is carried forward through circular loops of experiencing, expressing and finding new meaning. The outcome is improvement in self-regulation and self-restoring
FOCUSZART The Focusing Studio
History of Expressive Arts Focusing ExAF
The brand Expressive Arts Focusing ExAF was originally created by the FOCUSZ Center and first released August 7th 2019 through this website https://expressive-arts-focusing.jimdosite.com/. The website was announced on the Expressive Arts Focusing Facebook site on April 6th 2020
Contrary to other usage of the term Expressive Arts Focusing (Rappaport, 2021), our brand encompassess more than spontaneous expressive arts activities without inner guidance that can or cannot lead to Focusing
Expressive Art Focusing ExAF is intentional in the way that it implies a guided process preparing the client's body and mind for art activities-in-presence. The approach is combining process-oriented methods of Body Therapy with Receptive Art Therapy and Sensual Design, Expressive Arts Therapy, Existential Wellbeing Counseling and Intermodal Focusing Plus
Intermodal Focusing Plus is a specific Focusing style of the German-Swiss Focusing Network FN designed for to explore and process structure-bound patterns. Intermodal Focusing Plus uses the range of all modalities and implies energetic body work and person-centered body exercises as tools
Intermodal Focusing Plus is rooted in the work of early pioneers of the Focusing Network FN, formerly International Focusing Network IFN founded in 1981, who started publishing in 1982. Their ideas and practices have been extended and revised multiple times in collaboration with the GFK Institute for Body Therapy, Focusing and Person-centred Psychotherapy Zurich CH
Publications of the IFN and GFK founder Ernst Juchli, GFK co-founder Christiane Geiser, Hans-Ulrich Schlünder (FN) and other FN/GFK co-writers continued from the early days till today. Their articles, essays and creative writing projects resulted in two books published by the GFK Institute Zurich and the Swiss Association for Psychotherapy SGfK in 2017
Intermodal Focusing Plus is embedded in 40 years of European Focusing tradition and esssential training guideline for the Focusing I teach and practice since 1995
