Healing Through Creativity - Desiree Cox MD, PhD

What about your spirituality? Medical doctor, Integrative Medicine Specialist, and Interfaith minister, Dr Michelle McAspurn (http://ghh.info/)finds it helpful to ask this question during her medical consultations. This week our ‘Healing Through Creativity’ host Dr. Desiree Cox (http://www.desireecox.com)explores how health and spirituality might be integrated in the therapeutic encounter between healer or practitioner and client. Dr McAspurn who qualified at Glasgow University and now practices Integrative Medicine at the NHS Center for Integrative Care in Glasgow stresses the importance of the ‘welcome’ in the therapeutic encounter. However, as Cox and McAspurn’s conversation evolves ‘welcoming’ a person into a healing space takes on metaphorical significance. As Rumi put it so beautifully: ‘This being human is a guest house. Every morning a new arrival. Welcome and entertain them all!’ ‘As we welcome others into a healing space,’ Cox and McAspurn discuss, ‘so we invite all aspects of ourselves into the house of being.’ Integrating spirituality and medicine throughout their exploration of what is involved in being whole and being fulfilled Cox and McAspurn, share their healing journeys and some of their challenges along the way, showing how creativity comes into this process of integrating spirituality and health. Learn about spirituality, integrative medicine and creativity in this week’s conversation with Dr Desiree Cox and Dr Michelle McAspurn. You can also find out more about Dr Cox from her website www.desireecox.com (http://www.desireecox.com)

In this week’s Healing Through Creativity, host Dr. Desiree Cox (http://www.desireecox.com)speaks Chief Relationship Office and Newfield Coach at Newfield networks (http://www.newfieldnetwork.com), Carolyn Keyes (http://carolynkeyes.blogspot.com). Whether engaging with thousands (an extrovert’s dream) or speaking one-on- one, Carolyn’s ability to connect with people using humor and her outgoing personality is legendary. She grew-up in a small town near Chicago where she realized that her ability to communicate was essential (much more than her mathematical skills) in her ability to be successful in life. After moving up the advertising corporate ladder, she spectacularly quit her job and took some time off to try acting and discover her creative side. ‘Its all in the body. We communicate with our bodies, through non-verbal language,” says Keyes. Keyes shares some of her coaching successes in Newfield networks with Dr Cox. She uses her passion for the arts and her gifts as a sketch comedian to help corporate executives find the language they need to communicate with their heart rather than just their head. As Newfield's chief relationship officer, Carolyn is responsible for the development of client relations both within Newfield’s public programs and oversees Newfield’s Executive and Organizational Division. She works internationally on specialized projects that require the ability to work with diverse cultures and teams to align with clients’ performance goals. In addition, Carolyn is an executive coach with experience working with senior-level and C-Suite executives. On a personal level, her passion is applying her background and expertise to individuals, organizations, and community through coaching, writing and filmmaking. Cox and Keyes talk about the importance of integrating their passions with their work and the art of bringing your creativity to work and working your creativity in ways that bring healing to ourselves and others. Find out more about creativity and coaching, Newfield style in this weeks conversation with Carolyn Keyes and Dr Desiree Cox. You can also find out more about Dr. Desiree Cox on her website www.desireecox.com

In this week’s Healing Through Creativity, host Dr. Desiree Cox (http://www.desireecox.com)speaks with a statistician and historian of science, Dr Eileen Magnello (http://www.introducingbooks.com/book/view/statistics). Dr Magnello, who is an expert on Karl Pearson and Victorian statistics in particular, developed a passion for cooking after an operation on her brain left her mind in pieces. “It was like my mind was a jigsaw puzzle with all the pieces having fallen out of place”, says Magnello. The statistician who has since gone on to win prizes for her creative recipes had never had an interest in cooking before her brain operation. “Food helped me connect my memories, my past, my childhood, myself; and, the creativity involved in cooking helped to rebuild my self-confidence….This part of me which lay dormant was now awake…It helped me to heal, to become whole again.” Magnello, who is currently an Honorary Research Fellow at University College London, went on to complete her doctorate in History of Science at Oxford University, despite the set back of a brain operation and her disability (she is also hearing impaired). She has since published numerous articles and several books on statistics and the history of statistics. Magnello has been interviewed as an expert in the area of statistics and history of statistics on BBC radio and television programs and documentaries. Cox and Magnello touch on role of the creative process in re-wiring the brain. “Brain re-wiring and personal transformation are enhanced when we engage all of the senses,” says Cox. The creative energy Magnello tapped on through her cookery, helped her get in touch with a ‘creative flow’ that then touched all aspects of her life, career and her work. “Creating recipes allowed me to connect with people in ways that were not possible because of my hearing difficulties,” says Magnello. Learn about the art of cooking and other ways of replenishing your own well of creativity in this week’s conversation with Dr Desiree Cox and Dr Eileen Magnello. Find out more about Dr. Desiree Cox on her website www.desireecox.com (http://www.desireecox.com)

Does God allow suffering? Is Transcendence possible in modern society? What does liberation mean in contemporary modern life? And what, if anything, does any of this have to do with healing, and more specifically healing through creativity? This week our ‘Healing Through Creativity’ host Dr. Desiree Cox (http://www.desireecox.com)explores the limits of healing through creativity with sociologist Dr Paul Gilfillan. ‘Does healing always involve creativity? Dr. Cox asks. She explores issues of transcendence, liberation and healing with her guest, sociology lecturer Paul Gilfillan (http://www.qmu.ac.uk/mcs/mcc/Staff/PaulGilfillanSummary.htm)from Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, Scotland. Paul has published academic papers on theological understandings of liberation, transcendence and self-appropriation and is currently working on a book the subject. He is also active in community projects relating to this area of interest. Cox and Gilfillan discuss some of the stresses of modern life in affluent Western societies. ‘What is society? What do we even mean by terms like society and culture?’ asks Cox. ‘Can we even talk about what healing might mean for an individual at a personal level without dealing with how living in contemporary societies affects the way we relate to others and to ourselves?’ Gilfillan shares healing, and what healing means for him as a Catholic. ‘How can we be modern and Christian?’ asks Gilfillan. This question, which has been debated in theological circles since the dawn of modernity, is in some ways akin to the complex issues built into secular debates about healing, transcendence and liberation in modern life, and what journeys of healing through creativity might mean today. Learn about healing, transcendence, liberation and self-appropriation in this week’s conversation with Dr Desiree Cox and sociologist Paul Gilfillan. You can also find out more about Dr Cox from her website www.desireecox.com (http://www.desireecox.com)

In this week's Healing Through Creativity, host Dr. Desiree Cox speaks with award-winning British film-maker Eleanor Yule about how we are artists of our own lives, and about connecting with the well of emotions and possibilities within ourselves through films and film-making. Yule's arts documentary work with the BBC which includes the critically acclaimed OMNIBUS on French painter Pierre Bonnard, her films with ex- Python Michael Palin, and, her films about Peter Brooke, Muriel Spark, RD Laing, Peter McDougall and others have helped her refine her craft leading up to her first feature film Blinded. Blinded, a dark love story, starring Peter Mull and Jodhi May has played in competition at film festivals all over the world including Edinburgh (Michael Powell award), Taormina, Istanbul and Moscow. This year Eleanor Yule has directed two comedies, DESPERATE FISHWIVES, a Doric comedy pilot for the BBC and the film, LOVE CAKE, a sweet Romance. Cox and Yule touch upon their own healing journeys and how their creativity has helped them make sense of their lives and see beyond their own personal horizons. "Art allows us to have a perspective beyond own human experience, it can help us to develop empathy and compassion, and most of all develop the self-compassion so important for healing" says Cox. Making 'Blinded' was a personal healing journey for me", says Yule. Learn about 'the value of art', of 'replenishing your own depleted well of creativity', and 'giving back to others through the creative products we make', in this week's conversation with Dr Desiree Cox and award winning film-maker Eleanor Yule. You are the artist of your own life. What each life can be for itself is also part of what it is for the whole of life itself. You can see trailers of Eleanor Yule's films. Just click: http://vimeo.com/eleanoryule (http://vimeo.com/eleanoryule) Learn more about Eleanor on or www.imdm.com/eleanoryule (http://www.imdm.com/eleanoryule). Find out more about Dr Desiree Cox on her website www.desireecox.com (http://www.desireecox.com).

Healing Through Creativity: Perceiving Life through the eyes of life itself. A healer’s journey. In this week’s Healing Through Creativity, host Dr. Desiree Cox speaks with Emaho, a native American Indian healer, about the healer’s journey. Emahó teaches about the phenomenon that is Life. He has been giving workshops throughout Europe for over fourteen years. He teaches how to see life through 'Life's Eyes' rather than through the eyes of the personality. This challenges our assumptions, dreams and expectations - the stuff of our conditioning. It takes courage and compassion to cut through the complacency of our everyday lives - but it is worth it. Born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Emaho lives with his family in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He spoke to Dr Cox in Glasgow, Scotland during one of his recent workshops in that city. Emaho and Cox discuss aspects of the healers’ journey focusing on the beginnings of the journey, long before the healing workshops came into being. He shares his experiences through stories of unexplained phenomena of healing and of life while working as a biofeedback therapist in the USA. It is a journey that took him through many different jobs, even working for a time as a Gel-bed salesman and a restaurant manager, all of which were part of his healer’s journey before he began doing his healing workshops throughout Europe. Cox and Emaho touch on aspects of their own healing journeys on near death experiences, and more. Emahó’s suggests that rather than being spiritual it is to be a spirited human being in nature - to begin to wake up in your life and fight to be more alive in it. If healing and creativity are part of your life’s part or life’s work this is a program you will not want to miss. Learn about the healer’s journey to perceiving life through the eyes of life itself, and you can be part of Emaho’s workshops by logging onto his website.

In this week's Healing Through Creativity, host Dr. Desiree Cox (http://www.desireecox.com/) speaks with George Allen Robertson from a different Healing Through Creativity (http://www.healingthroughcreativity.org/) (great minds think alike!).  Robertson's Healing Through Creativity is an organization that helps survivors of trauma of all kinds to cope, heal and recover by tapping into their own creative capacity and internal resources. Each year the organization holds an annual Healing Through Creativity festival where survivors share the fun and excitement of creativity without the fears of judgement, guilt or shame. The festival is a one-stop-shop where people can discover and learn about the local and online resources available to them as they journey toward healing through self-expression. There have been a number of Healing Through Creativity events across the USA since the first such festival in West Virginia took place back in 2006. Robertson and Cox discuss what takes place at these events and the positive outcomes they've seen emerge once they were over. Cox and Robertson also touch upon their own creative journeys and how they overcome their own traumatic experiences.  "The things we are taught when we grow up aren't usually the things that help heal us," says Burke.  Learn how to stop "stepping aside" when trauma comes into your live and confront it--creatively! And, for those of you who are more entrepreneurial--even in your healing process!--you are more than welcome to sell the art you produce while you're reaping the benefits of a Healing Through Creativity festival.  "We're not looking for Picassos," says Robertson.  Any0ne who wants to is more than welcome to to sell.  Of course, the main focus of the event is healing, not monetary value, but having an opportunity to pick up an extra buck on the side is always nice! Learn about "the Wonder of what it is for a human being to be creative," how tapping into that Wonder can help you or your loved one to heal, and how--simply by opening your mind to new experiences--you can finally move on from the trauma that has left you silent and shattered.

Where you live can affect your genes. Natural Genetics, the study of the effects of nature, nurture and culture on our health and genetics shows that our living spaces (our environment and lifestyles) can affect our genetics. ‘Space matters’ is the theme of this week’s conversation with Professor Stuart MacDonald OBE (http://www.creativefrontline), artist, architect, consultant, and cultural transformation through creative design. Our discussion ranges from the craft of art and architectural design to the co-creation of educational and public spaces that inspire community engagement, public-private partnerships and healing. Where are the best cities to live? Find out in this week’s healing through creativity conversation. You can find out more about Professor Stuart MacDonald from his website. And be sure to find out more about Dr. Desiree Cox at her website (http://desireecox.com).

A Not So Still Life. ‘A truly inspiring and stunning portrayal of healing and transcendence through creativity, and one of the best documentary films I have seen to date’, is how I would describe this award-winning documentary film about the life and art of Ginny Ruffner. Karen Stanton, the director of the project, and Ginny Ruffner herself are my guests this week. The craft of making a powerful documentary film; how to live a truly creative life; and, how to balance relationships and day-to-day survival with doing what you love are just some of the themes of our conversation. We discuss these things and more with independent film-maker Karen Stanton and the highly successful Seattle-based visual artist, sculptor, and author Ginny Ruffner who soared to great heights as an artist in the 80’s and early 90’s and then, after a serious brain injury, picked right back up and soared to new heights. Join us in this week’s healing through creativity conversation. You can find out more about the film, ‘A Not So Still Life’ (http://http://www.ginnyruffnerthemovie.com/)and Ginny Ruffner (http://www.ginnyruffnerthemovie.com/)on their website. And be sure to find out more about Dr. Desiree Cox (http://http://desireecox.com)at her website.

If you don't know the kind of person I am and I don't know the kind of person you are a pattern that others made may prevail in the world.™ (William Stafford). My guest Dr. Andrew Lyon from the International Futures Forum (http://internationalfuturesforum.com )(IFF) talks about the IFF™ WORLD GAME, some of the creative products the IFF have been putting into the world to empower us to solve the ˜epic™ challenges of our time. How do you improve the resilience of your city or town or family to deal with crisis? How do we transcend prevailing patterns of behaviour and ways of engaging with each other? How can we connect more deeply with their core purpose, activate our capacity for creativity and healing in work environments and at home? Join us in this week™ healing through creativity conversation with Andrew Lyon. And be sure to find out more about Dr. Desiree Cox (http://desireecox.com)at her website.

Can human ideas become natural facts? Are our words mere artifacts? And if so, can public art help communities heal themselves? My guest this week is Osprey Orielle Lake (http://ospreyoriellelake.com), artist, environmentalist, author and winner of a 2011 Nautilus Book Award Silver Medal for Uprisings for the Earth: Reconnecting Culture with Nature. We’ll be talking about public art and its possibilities for community transformation and healing. Public art can help people and cultures reflect on and see their strengths. Such art can be challenging to create. Why is that? How might we transcend cultural barriers to harmony and reconciliation? Might our environment and the natural world have something to teach us not only about the art and science of life, the art of being whole and at one with our physical, biological, social and cultural ‘Body’ so to speak? Join us in this week’s healing through creativity conversation with Osprey Orielle Lake. And be sure to find out more about Dr. Desiree Cox (http://desireecox.com)at her website.

Some say the source of joy, bliss and creativity comes from 'living every moment with one foot in a fairy tale and the other in the abyss’ (Paul Coelho). For my guest Steven Russell, 'The Barefoot Doctor', this way of living has become the the norm. Join me this week as we continue our inquiry into healing, creativity with The Barefoot Doctor (http://www.barefootsatsang.com), author of 14 books and practitioner and teacher of Taoism, its meditation, philosophy and meditation practices. We talk about living in the moment and the shift from ‘fitting in’ as an approach to life in the 20th Century, to ‘chipping in’ as a life enhancing vision of 21st Century. Find out more about The Barefoot Doctor and his style of healing and creativity. And be sure to find out more about Dr. Desiree Cox (http://www.desireecox.com)at her website.

Who would have thought that having Multiple Sclerosis would become a vehicle for healing and that illness might have the power to show us what makes us come alive. It has for Cathy Aten. I love my life™, says Cathy. I have a wonderful life™. This week we speak to my guest Cathy Aten (http://www.cathyaten.com), about illness, metaphor and the art of doing what makes us come alive. Cathy is a professional artist whose diagnosis of MS in 2000 set her on an extraordinary journey of healing and creativity with life enhancing lessons about what finding what makes us come alive. Find out more about Cathy Aten and her art and life And be sure to find out more about Dr. Desiree Cox (http://Dr. Desiree Cox )at her website.

A 19 year old young man goes into a mall in Omaha Nebraska, shoots 7 people and then kills himself. Find out how this event inspires a Chicago artist to help teenagers heal through art and creativity, and, how the event ultimately leads to a project where teenagers and young people image universally understood visual symbols that inspire healing through creativity. Join me this week when I talk to Jennifer Hereth (http://www.jenniferhereth.org;), an artist and faculty member of the College of DuPage, the School of The Art Institute of Chicago, and former recipient of the Kellogg Foundation Grant for International Studies about the Archetype Cards project where teenagers and young people generated modern archetypes to inspire imagination and healing. We also discuss other successful community initiatives for inspiring healing through creativity in young people and communities. Find out more about Jennifer Hereth and the Archetype Cards created by teenagers and young people. And be sure to find out more about Dr. Desiree Cox (http://www.desireecox.com)at her website.

Nicola had suffered with depression and had been diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome when she began Surfing Rainbows. Three months later, she was feeling happier, healthier. ‘I feel there is so much more joy inside me now’, she says. ‘People tell me how alive I look.’ What is Surfing Rainbows (http://www.surfingrainbows.com)? Join me this week when I talk to Pamilla Sullivan (a former lawyer, tax accountant and mother of two) and Dale Brunner (a business man, father and grandfather) co-authors of the book Surfing Rainbows. We talk in depth about the endeavour of Surfing Rainbows, which goes beyond the book. Pamila was last a guest on the show seven months ago. The extraordinary new developments around the project has lead me to invite her back, this time with her co-author Dale, to share how this book and the endeavour (which has also now evolved into a game with groups of people all over the world experiencing the promise of Surfing Rainbows) of mindfully, manifesting, miracles in life. The book continues to draw endorsers and supporters from all spheres of life. Find out more about Surfing Rainbows (http://www.surfingrainbows.com). And be sure to find out more about Dr. Desiree Cox (http://www.desireecox.com)at her website.