Live Softly Art Therapy & Counselling | Company

Live Softly Art Therapy & Counselling

Phone: +61 401 101 793

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21.01.2022 Wooo! Ten days before Christmas and our new Live Softly stock has arrived, including this new Ochre Ombre colourway! We have hastily updated our Livesoftly Etsy homepage so if you’re in Oz (and definitely if you’re in Sydney) and order tonight it should be in Santa’s deliveries ! We also have everyone’s favourite - our hot pink colourway - back in stock which has been sold out all year with Covid delays. Nice to be back up and running again as 2020 comes to a close, here is to a new year and a more sustainable & hopeful 2021

20.01.2022 A moving example of what can happen when we share deeply in community & the healing properties of group therapy and an insight in to the unaddressed affects of childhood trauma. Trigger warning: You may need the tissues! https://vimeo.com/396225186

19.01.2022 Hi friends! Our collage circle is on this SUNDAY! If you’ve been thinking about it today is your last chance to snap one of our $35 tickets via eventbrite. Come and collage with us on a cloudy Sunday afternoon with tea, music and meditation and refocus on your journey for the year ahead! As the wonderful Mary Oliver said ‘What is it you will do with your one wild and precious life?’ ... Look forward to seeing you there! xx elise

19.01.2022 Lets re-think art and the power of creativity to engage more people, create social change and promote a caring & creative community after this lock-down has passed... 'Art is intimacy and inspiration. Not only does it transform the physical spaces it occupies but also the people it comes in contact with. I have always thought that art should not only be understood as an act of creating/producing/exhibiting material objects and/or digital experiences. It should also be the way... in which individuals approach/organise/structure life, and their willingness to care for themselves and for others.' ''Imagine art which is capable of rekindling values of care, kindness, compassion, action-taking, social justice and cooperation. I’d like art to take a larger social dimension. Art isn’t about stagnation, conformism, fear. Art is about risk taking, resistance, empowerment and transformation.'' - Carmen Salas, article attached

17.01.2022 How to Talk to Girls I went to a dinner party at a friend’s home last weekend, and met her five-year-old daughter for the first time. Little Maya was all curly... brown hair, doe-like dark eyes, and adorable in her shiny pink nightgown. I wanted to squeal, Maya, you’re so cute! Look at you! Turn around and model that pretty ruffled gown, you gorgeous thing! But I didn’t. I squelched myself. As I always bite my tongue when I meet little girls, restraining myself from my first impulse, which is to tell them how darn cute/ pretty/ beautiful/ well-dressed/ well-manicured/ well-coiffed they are. What’s wrong with that? It’s our culture’s standard talking-to-little-girls icebreaker, isn’t it? And why not give them a sincere compliment to boost their self-esteem? Because they are so darling I just want to burst when I meet them, honestly. Hold that thought for just a moment. This week ABC news reported that nearly half of all three- to six-year-old girls worry about being fat. In my book, "Think: Straight Talk for Women to Stay Smart in a Dumbed-Down World," I reveal that fifteen to eighteen percent of girls under twelve now wear mascara, eyeliner and lipstick regularly; eating disorders are up and self-esteem is down; and twenty-five percent of young American women would rather win America’s next top model than the Nobel Peace Prize. Even bright, successful college women say they’d rather be hot than smart. A Miami mom just died from cosmetic surgery, leaving behind two teenagers. This keeps happening, and it breaks my heart. Teaching girls that their appearance is the first thing you notice tells them that looks are more important than anything. It sets them up for dieting at age 5 and foundation at age 11 and boob jobs at 17 and Botox at 23. As our cultural imperative for girls to be hot 24/7 has become the new normal, American women have become increasingly unhappy. What’s missing? A life of meaning, a life of ideas and reading books and being valued for our thoughts and accomplishments. That’s why I force myself to talk to little girls as follows. Maya, I said, crouching down at her level, looking into her eyes, very nice to meet you. Nice to meet you too, she said, in that trained, polite, talking-to-adults good girl voice. Hey, what are you reading? I asked, a twinkle in my eyes. I love books. I’m nuts for them. I let that show. Her eyes got bigger, and the practiced, polite facial expression gave way to genuine excitement over this topic. She paused, though, a little shy of me, a stranger. I LOVE books, I said. Do you? Most kids do. YES, she said. And I can read them all by myself now! Wow, amazing! I said. And it is, for a five year old. You go on with your bad self, Maya. What’s your favorite book? I asked. I’ll go get it! Can I read it to you? Purplicious was Maya’s pick and a new one to me, as Maya snuggled next to me on the sofa and proudly read aloud every word, about our heroine who loves pink but is tormented by a group of girls at school who only wear black. Alas, it was about girls and what they wore, and how their wardrobe choices defined their identities. But after Maya closed the final page, I steered the conversation to the deeper issues in the book: mean girls and peer pressure and not going along with the group. I told her my favorite color in the world is green, because I love nature, and she was down with that. Not once did we discuss clothes or hair or bodies or who was pretty. It’s surprising how hard it is to stay away from those topics with little girls, but I’m stubborn. I told her that I’d just written a book, and that I hoped she’d write one too one day. She was fairly psyched about that idea. We were both sad when Maya had to go to bed, but I told her next time to choose another book and we’d read it and talk about it. Oops. That got her too amped up to sleep, and she came down from her bedroom a few times, all jazzed up. So, one tiny bit of opposition to a culture that sends all the wrong messages to our girls. One tiny nudge towards valuing female brains. One brief moment of intentional role modeling. Will my few minutes with Maya change our multibillion dollar beauty industry, reality shows that demean women, our celebrity-manic culture? No. But I did change Maya’s perspective for at least that evening. Try this the next time you meet a little girl. She may be surprised and unsure at first, because few ask her about her mind, but be patient and stick with it. Ask her what she’s reading. What does she like and dislike, and why? There are no wrong answers. You’re just generating an intelligent conversation that respects her brain. For older girls, ask her about current events issues: pollution, wars, school budgets slashed. What bothers her out there in the world? How would she fix it if she had a magic wand? You may get some intriguing answers. Tell her about your ideas and accomplishments and your favorite books. Model for her what a thinking woman says and does... Here’s to changing the world, one little girl at a time. ~ Lisa Bloom, author of "Think: Straight Talk For Women to Stay Smart in a Dumbed-Down World" latinafatale.com/2011/07/21/how-to-talk-to-little-girls/ How do YOU say hello or start a conversation with a girl, or with a child or any gender? What words or phrases from adults do you remember from your childhood? What else comes up for you, reading this? Katharine Krueger ~ Journey Of Young Women We train women online to mentor girls and lead Girls' Circles JourneyOfYoungWomen.org Art by V H McKenzie

16.01.2022 Gabor Mate on Understanding the interrelatedness of all things and why giving an individual medication does not address the ecosystem and complexity of the systems influencing the individual... and why we need to be stewards of the earth https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_ALpvLadQI

14.01.2022 How we can embody change on a cellular level...

13.01.2022 Today’s Body Wisdom workshop at Body Matters Australia... thanks to all of the beautiful people who came and collaged and shared their art and soul this Sunday! Beautiful sharing in circle Connected women, may we be them, support them and raise them! Yes! #arttherapy #collage #circle #meditation BodyMatters Clinic BodyMatters Australasia

13.01.2022 A teaching expedition in China! Experiencing incredible local hand crafts from the different cultural minority’s groups in the area with the students before the workshops begin...

12.01.2022 Sesame Street Respect a powerful affirmation for our children for equality and solidarity and rightfully taking their place in the world x

12.01.2022 Let’s use this unique time to reflect on our priorities, live more simply and more fully, it’s the perfect ‘sacred’ opening for change .... https://forge.medium.com/prepare-for-the-ultimate-gaslighti

12.01.2022 Feeling climate crisis weighing heavily on your mind, feeling distressed, upset, angry and outraged? This is a normal and human response to current events if you feel connected to our planet and our environment. They are not feelings to numb or suppress, but may create the very action and change we need right now. Finding release with others, taking action, using those feelings to recognise that things can’t continue as they are... that the fires can be a rebirth if we acknow...ledge them properly and learn from their warnings. The following article shines light on some of these feelings that may be arising and how to approach climate distress in a different way... I used to think that the top environmental problems were biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse and climate change. I thought that thirty years of good science could address these problems. I was wrong. The top environmental problems are selfishness, greed and apathy, and to deal with these we need a cultural and spiritual transformation. - Gus Speth As the American psychologist James Hillman said more than two decades ago: Psychology, so dedicated to awakening the human consciousness, needs to wake itself up to one of the most ancient human truths: We cannot be studied or cured apart from the planet. https://www.fastcompany.com//our-environmental-problem-is-

10.01.2022 We’re going live today! Excited to launch our @livesoftly collab range of incredible hand made puppets on the @_studio_a_ web store! Visit www.studioa.org.au/shop (or see link in their bio @_studio_a_ ) Limited stock available so get in quick if you’re doing some ethical Christmas shopping so you don’t miss out! The range is also available at The Australian Design Center in Sydney. What’s not to love! thanks to Emma, Gab and Karla and co at @studio_a_ for being amazing to work with @australiandesigncentre #handmade #ethical #gifts #supportartists #australiandesign #nepal #wool #felt @ Australian Design Centre

10.01.2022 The poet and psychologist Hala Alyan wrote a beautiful essay in Emergence magazine last week, in which she suggested that this pandemic is serving as a flashlight illuminating people’s unsteadiest, half-finished parts. It’s showing us where our work remains. People talk about their ex-boyfriends, their long-resolved eating disorders, their childhood secrets ....It may be that this medical emergency will offer the space and time for us to focus, for once, on our interior... worlds. Because any speculation about the future is redundant unless there is spiritual, as well as medical, healing. Johnny Sertin, founder of a soul-centred consultancy called Becoming, said last week: We need another way, another world, but it’s impossible if we cannot do that from a place of being at home with who we are. https://www.theguardian.com//after-coronavirus-the-penny-h

09.01.2022 With tears and lots of deeply felt gratitude the Eating Disorder Day Program at Wesley Hospital closed its doors today. It’s been an honour to be the Art Therapist on the program for the last two and a half years, supported by an amazing team of therapists To the many many clients I’ve witnessed stepping in to recovery, seeing them transforms and grow, it’s been an honour to be allowed in to your lives in this way. To be witness to people in their most raw, vulnerable and ...darkest moments and to hold space and hope for them is not the easiest job but it’s definitely the most rewarding job I’ve ever done. Today as the group shared deeply and closed the circle I’ve never felt more in awe of the power of coming together, in the importance of facilitating held & safe spaces and the power that connection and sharing stories has in healing and mending ourselves and our world See more

09.01.2022 Loving this campaign showing mums and their amazing life-giving bodies. As a therapist working in the eating disorders field we need more of this please, celebrating our bodies for what they do, rather than shaming them. Seeing more varied bodies in social media is only a good thing...

08.01.2022 Research by global consultancy EY finds dyslexic people have exactly the thinking skills needed for the workforce of the future. Take the #DyslexicThinking test & read the EY reports here madebydyslexia.org #DyslexicThinkingExplained #ValueOfDyslexia

07.01.2022 Sensory art therapy play today 1:1 sessions of explorative play and meaningful discussions creating jars holding the earth elements, earth, air, water, fire... notes to our future selves and heroes journey life mapping.... #arttherapy #sensoryplay #mindfulness #art #playtherapy #futureself #exploration @ Chatswood, New South Wales, Australia

07.01.2022 Dr Joe Dispenza’s book, Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself is a fascinating read. The description notes: Dr. Joe bridges the gap between the sciences of quan...tum physics, neuroscience, brain chemistry, biology, and genetics to show you what is truly possible. Not only will you be given the necessary knowledge to change any aspect of yourself, but you will be taught the step-by-step tools to apply what you learn to make measurable changes in any area of your life. You can get an idea of his work from the quote in the image and this excerpt from the linked interview (see below). People wake up in the morning, they begin to think about their problems. Those problems are circuits, memories in the brain. Each one of those memories are connected to people and things at certain times and places. And if the brain is a record of the past, the moment they start their day, they’re already thinking in the past. Each one of those memories has an emotion. Emotions are the end product of past experiences. So the moment they recall those memories of their problems, they all of a sudden feel unhappy, they feel sad, they feel pain. Now, how you think and how you feel creates your state of being. So the person’s entire state of being when they start their day is in the past. So what does that mean? The familiar past will sooner or later be predictable future. So if you believe that your thoughts have something to do with your destiny, and you can’t think greater than how you feel or feelings have become the means of thinking, by very definition of emotions you’re thinking in the past. And for the most part you’re going to keep creating the same life. So then people grab their cell phone, they check their WhatsApp, they check their texts, they check their emails, they check Facebook, they take a picture of their feet, they post it on Facebook, they tweet something, they do Instagram, they check the news, and now they feel really connected to everything that’s known in their life. And then they go through a series of routine behaviors. They get out of bed on the same side, they go to the toilet, they get a cup of coffee, they take a shower, they get dressed, they drive to work the same way. They do the same things, They see the same people that push the same emotional buttons, and that becomes the routine and it becomes like a program. So now they’ve lost their free will to a program and there’s no unseen hand doing it to them. So when it comes time to change, the redundancy of that cycle becomes a subconscious program. So, now 95% of who we are by the time we’re 35 years old is a memorized set of behaviors, emotional reactions, unconscious habits, hardwired attitudes, beliefs and perceptions that function like a computer program. So then a person can say with 5% of their conscious mind, I want to be healthy, I want to be happy, I want to be free. But the body’s on a whole different program. So then how do you begin to make those changes? Well, you have to get beyond the analytical mind, because what separates the conscious mind from the subconscious mind is the analytical mind. And that’s where meditation comes in, because you can teach people through practice how to change their brainwaves, slow them down. And when they do that properly, they do enter the operating system where they can begin to make some really important changes. (From: https://www.fearlessmotivation.com//joe-dispenza-on-how-t/) You can check out ‘Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself’ here: https://drjoedispenza.com//breaking-the-habit-of-being-you Thanks to Waratah for the reminder of Dr. Joe’s work.

07.01.2022 You may be wondering how can art therapy help in the treatment of eating disorders? Here is a short interview with me on the Body Matters blog where I explain a little about the process or get in touch with any questions you may have. If you or a loved one have an eating disorder or you feel worried about someone you love early intervention is key. For One-to-One appointment enquiries email [email protected]... https://bodymatters.com.au/q-and-a-about-art-therapy-works/

05.01.2022 The slow down rather than the lock down, loving this message...

05.01.2022 James reads a book, with the help some of our Live Softly puppets who are animated in this series! Some of the puppets are getting a little frustrated in isolation - some of you with little people might be able to relate! A bit of fun created out of these times when we might find ourselves following creative avenues we otherwise wouldn't! Boredom and isolation can be great conduits for creativity xx Live Softly & James Roberts https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NScwJi3nTpE

05.01.2022 Back at Kopan monastery on a hilltop in Kathmandu where I spent 6 weeks five years ago learning Buddhist meditation and where Live Softly began.... Bye for now Nepal, it’s been a crazy week and now off to China for a teaching adventure and thank you for making the week so incredible @rebugrg @garywornell @movingmountainepal @ Kopan Monastery

03.01.2022 Out ‘Cultural Creative Design’ Master Class in Guiyang, China... beginning with field trips looking at the intangible cultural heritage and crafts of local minority groups and visiting and speaking with the artisans. Now we are brainstorming design ideas as to how we can ensure that local craft mastery survives and thrives in a modern world and beyond. Day 2 of the workshop... #china #livesoftly @ China