EXPRESSIVE ARTS FOCUSING EAF
Expressive Arts Focusing EAF is a body-focused approach in the field of the Expressive Arts rooted in the Experiential Approach
EAF interventions are intermodal, process oriented, person-centered and trauma-informed. 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 EAF is intentional. The experiential process of the
client starts with an intention set up. The intention might be non-specific like finding some stress release or resiliance
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 guiding methods:
- 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
- Interactive body and drawing exercises of the Bauhaus Founders GER
Expressive Arts Focusing EAF is a meta-therapeutic approach promoting health, personal growth and existential wellbeing. Expressive Arts Focusing modalities can be taken into focus in whatever 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®
... making art from your body sense
Methods of EAF
Expressive Arts Focusing EAF uses various artistic approaches and artistic tools for best practice:
- Focusing Oriented Expressive Arts FOAT® by Dr. Laury Rappaport, PhD, Founder/Director of the Focusing and Expressive Arts Institute, Santa Rosa, US
- Guided Drawing® by Cornelia Elbrecht, Founder/Director of the Institute for Sensorimotor Art Therapy & School for Initiatic Art Therapy, Apollo Bay, AU
-
Person-Centered Art Therapy by Nathalie Rogers (US) -
tools
- Intermodal Expressive Arts Therapy by Paolo Knill and Stephen K. Levine (US) - tools
- Trauma-Informed Expressive Arts Therapy by Cathy Malchiodi (US) - tools
-
Receptive Art Therapy: Visual Arts in Psychotherapy and Education
(GE)
- Experiential Collage Therapy by Prof. Akira Ikemi (Kansai University, JP)
-
Phototherapy by Prof. Kathrin Seifert (Hochschule der Künste Ottersberg, GER) -
tools
Application:
- EAF in Focusing Oriented Psychotherapy FOT
- EAF in Existential Well-being Counseling
-
EAF based Art Therapy
- EAF in Coaching and Continuing Education
Ressources come first
The main ressource comes from within. There is a part in everyone that is artist and healer
Inviting this part implies
- allowing the body to breath
- turning intention inside
- inviting whatever comes
- being acepting and nonjudgmental
- asking and receiving
- resonating with the body sense
- giving permission to express
Benefits
- becoming more alive
- finding comfort and sefety
- finding release from trauma
- feeling connected and in focus
- finding peace inside
- growing in awareness
Artistic Sources
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: Healing through mirroring and the artistic expression itself
Experiential Collaging and Phototherapy:
Finding meaning through image making
Embodied Doodling: Energizing the body and releasing stress
Contemplative Botanical Drawing and Hand Lettering: Calming down and easing the mind
Magic Book Journaling and Cosmic Smash Booking: setting up intentions and processing unclear emotions
Body based Abstract Painting:
Enhancing intuition through the body sense
Methods in Action
Personcentred Intermodal Art Therapy
The Creative Connection with Nathalie Rogers, PhD, REAT
Focusing Oriented Expressive Arts FOAT®
FOAT® with Laury Rappaport, PHD, MFT, REAT, ART-BC
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
Sensorimotor Expressive Arts Therapy® |
Guided Drawing®
GD® with 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
Start to art your life ...
- Want to feel more self-accepting?
- Reaching out for new options in life?
- Need ressources for empowering action?
- Browse my samples!
- Benefit from my experience!
- Join my workshops!
... and find relief, ease of emotion and alignment with yourself
EAF in Coaching and Continuing Education
Stoppages and dead-end situations in non-clinical settings highly benefit from imaginary space and alternative world experiences
Coaches and trainees can find real life solutons through unexpected and unpredictable experiences that are affective, sensory based and playful
Expressive Arts Focusing EAF brings about such experiences. Focusing and the arts are powerful tools to open up and transform structure-bound experiencing and congitive and emotion-based schemes
Empathic curiosity for differences (Geiser) and clearing a space through the arts (Rappaport) are the main therapeutic principles here
Aesthetic empathy is another principle applied. Aesthetic empathy transforms the process of art making itself
To handle art materials and art techniques the coachees and trainees are introduced to experimental exercises of the German 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
History of Expressive Arts Focusing EAF
The brand Expressive Arts Focusing EAF was originally created by the FOCUSZ Center and first released through one of the FOCUSZ websites https://expressive-arts-focusing.jimdosite.com/ on August 7th 2019. 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 US, 2021), our brand encompassess more than
spontaneous expressive arts activities that can or cannot lead to Focusing
Expressive Art Focusing EAF starts with the body. It is intentional in the way that it implies a guided process preparing the client for art activities-in-presence. The approach is combining process-oriented methods of Body Therapy, Receptive Art Therapy, 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 the 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 FOCUSZ Center since 1995
EAF Testimonies
Your webinar has done me an awful lot of good. I haven't felt as comfortable, free and light hearted for ages as I do now after the course. I just wanted to tell you that, and thank you very much
Lore
So honestly presented - thank you very much for this beneficial, strengthening offer
Astrid, person-centered counselor
The webinar war so valuable for me. Your calmness and sovereignty did me good. Thanks for everything, and the encouragement.
Sabine, remedial nurse
Despite the online distance (and this is quite amazing for me) I felt very comfortable and safe. Your empathic, clear and soothing instructions and exercises have done me a lot of good
Helena
The exercises were really good for me. I am now in focus. Thank you!
Anna, trauma-therapist
After the webinar I worked on my picture a few more times ... playing with it, discovering more. Everything I found was so valuable. Thanks again
for the afternoon!
Gertrud, pediatric therapist
It is so exciting to see how you are bringing something to life that you feel exactly is on at this very moment and thereby accompany other people
Gaby, teacher
The workshop opened up new spaces I had never created before. I painted new outlooks and found new possibilities. My stress did go away and the mood improved - thank you!
Elena, psychologist
I was surprised that focusing helped me to focus on my inner sensation, to reveal the discomfort in my body and that the body itself knows and answers my request. And third, I was surprised that the answer was on the surface. It was like I didn't want to notice it and drove it out of my awareness. Now I feel connected. Thank you
Lisa, student
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