Creative Healers

All across the country, a groundbreaking movement is forming in the field of health care: art and medicine are becoming one, with remarkable results. In major medical centers such as the University of Florida, Duke, University of California, and Harvard Medical School, patients confronting life-threatening illness and depression are using art, writing, music, and Dance to heal body and soul. -A woman with breast cancer who has never made art before finds healing and empowerment by creating sculpture. -A man with AIDS uses journaling to overcome feelings of despair and helplessness. -A woman suffering from depression following her divorce learns to dance for the first time in her life--and in he body's movement she rediscovers a sense of play and joy. -A musician gives meaning to his art by helping people with illness transform their life through music. -Physicians and nurses are beginning to use creativity to complement and enhance their medical practice. Creative Healing presents readers with the inspiring ways in which the arts (painting, writing, music, and dance) can free the spirit to heal. In one volume, the authors detail the transformative power of a diverse range of artistic activity. Michael Samuels, MD, has over twenty-five years of experience working with cancer patients and is the best-selling author of Seeing with the Mind's Eye and The Well Baby Book. He teams up with fellow pioneer Mary Rockwood Lane, RN, PhD, to share their extraordinary findings on the healing powers of the arts. Through guided imagery, personal stories, and practical exercises, they teach you how to find your "inner artist-healer," enabling you to improve your health, attitude, and sense of well being by immersing yourself in creative activity. Both Samuels and Lane offer invaluable insight through their personal journeys and extensive groundbreaking research, noting that "prayer, art, and healing come from the same source--the human soul." Because there lies an artist and healer within each of us, Creative Healing is an invaluable resource for anyone wishing to discover the beauty of music, dance, writing or art and connect with a deeper part of oneself. Filled with inspiration and guidance, it will help you make changes in your life and the lives of others and gain access to the sacred place where inner peace exists.

All across the country, a groundbreaking movement is forming in the field of health care: art and medicine are becoming one, with remarkable results. In major medical centers such as the University of Florida, Duke, University of California, and Harvard Medical School, patients confronting life-threatening illness and depression are using art, writing, music, and Dance to heal body and soul. ¥ A woman with breast cancer who has never made art before finds healing and empowerment by creating sculpture. ¥ A man with AIDS uses journaling to overcome feelings of despair and helplessness. ¥ A woman suffering from depression following her divorce learns to dance for the first time in her life--and in he body's movement she rediscovers a sense of play and joy. ¥ A musician gives meaning to his art by helping people with illness transform their life through music. ¥ Physicians and nurses are beginning to use creativity to complement and enhance their medical practice. Creative Healing presents readers with the inspiring ways in which the arts (painting, writing, music, and dance) can free the spirit to heal. In one volume, the authors detail the transformative power of a diverse range of artistic activity. Michael Samuels, MD, has over twenty-five years of experience working with cancer patients and is the best-selling author of Seeing with the Mind's Eye and The Well Baby Book. He teams up with fellow pioneer Mary Rockwood Lane, RN, PhD, to share their extraordinary findings on the healing powers of the arts. Through guided imagery, personal stories, and practical exercises, they teach you how to find your inner artist-healer, enabling you to improve your health, attitude, and sense of well being by immersing yourself in creative activity. Both Samuels and Lane offer invaluable insight through their personal journeys and extensive groundbreaking research, noting that prayer, art, and healing come from the same source--the human soul. Because there lies an artist and healer within each of us, Creative Healing is an invaluable resource for anyone wishing to discover the beauty of music, dance, writing or art and connect with a deeper part of oneself. Filled with inspiration and guidance, it will help you make changes in your life and the lives of others and gain access to the sacred place where inner peace exists.

Creative Healing is based on four basic principles that help the body to do its own healing. Those principles are to maintain normal temperature, to create a vacuum, to reposition substance, and to remove congestion. Joseph B. Stephenson, the founder of Creative Healing, was an advanced healer who perfected a method so efficient that even as a beginner you will experience wonderful results. This book provides an introduction to this natural and effective method of healing.

A radically fresh interpretation of how we can best serve others from the bestselling author of The Return of the Prodigal Son, hailed as “one of the world’s greatest spiritual writers” by Christianity Today “In our own woundedness, we can become a source of life for others.” In this hope-filled and profoundly simple book, Henri Nouwen inspires devoted men and women who want to be of service in their church or community but who have found traditional outreach alienating and ineffective. Weaving keen cultural analysis with his psychological and religious insights, Nouwen presents a balanced and creative theology of service that begins with the realization of fundamental woundedness in human nature. According to Nouwen, ministers are called to identify the suffering in their own hearts and make that recognition the starting point of their service. Ministers must be willing to go beyond their professional, somewhat aloof roles and leave themselves open as fellow human beings with the same wounds and suffering as those they serve. In other words, we heal from our wounds. The Wounded Healer is a thoughtful and insightful guide that will be welcomed by anyone engaged in the service of others.

"Healing and the Creative Response" by Cay Randall-May, Ph.D., de-mystifies natural and spiritual healing and cites specific examples drawn from various modalities including prayer, laying-on-of-hands, Therapeutic Touch, Reiki and Energy Medicine. The author explains that these share Four Key Steps: 1. set intention; 2. relax and clear; 3. engage and blend; 4. attune to the highest, unconditional love. As these steps reduce emotional and physical distress, Randall-May asserts that they will promote intuition and self-expression through a process she calls the Creative Response. This book is a resource for anyone interested in healing, intuition, and creativity.

Heal yourself and your community with this proven 12-week program that uses the arts to awaken your innate healing abilities. Acclaimed by hospitals and caretakers from around the world, Healing with the Arts brings a tried and true program out of the medical field and into your home and neighborhood. Improve your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health in just 12 weeks. Whether you are ill, suffering from emotional trauma, or looking to unite your community, the arts become the conduit to restore your wellness and thrive in life. Dr. Michael Samuels and Dr. Mary Rockwood Lane created and developed this unique and powerful process to help anyone heal. Through innovative art projects—from the visual arts, movement and dance, writing, and music—along with spiritual practices and guided imagery, readers learn to get in touch with their inner muse and inner healer. Based on years of research and experience in the medical community, Healing with the Arts sets the stage for a more meaningful and healthier existence.