This weekend workshop is an excellent way to get in touch with issues of grief and loss and transform them through the creative arts. It doesn’t matter how artistic you see yourself as being or not being -- if you are alive, you are creating every second! The overall purpose of this class will involve first, acquainting participants with several creative portals for exploring and transforming grief and loss. Then each participant will begin creating their own final project, choosing a creative medium as a means of sharing their experience of grief and loss. This could be by actually writing down, and then telling a story, creating a song or chant to sing, painting a picture and describing its creation, coloring a sacred healing mandala, creating a photographic collage, videotaping a unique dance or sacred movement, writing a poem, or even a combination. My experience in leading participants through this type of workshop has been very profound for everyone involved. In taking the risk of revealing ourselves and our pain and vulnerability, and opening to our creative, Divine nature, beautiful transformations occur.

The most important element will be to stretch yourself—allow yourself to be imperfect and even foolish as you open to your sacred creativity and emotional experience. Allow the loving energy of Spirit to flow with you as you create; then everything you channel through you is perfect just as it is! You will have plenty of caring support from me and the other participants, and I will sometimes ask that you take a risk you may not be completely comfortable with. Remember, one of the easiest ways of surrendering to God is to say, 'i don't know how,' and allow Spirit to move through you. When we allow the heart to be vulnerable, open and soft in its pain, when we can share our grief and loss with others, this is an extremely powerful and deep means of creating healing.

ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION
DAY ONE
Introduction: Open the energy, as we each share briefly about ourselves and what brings us to this workshop
Workshop Expectations: Confidentiality, risk-taking/stretching (drama, drawing, singing, writing), personal empowerment, respectfulness, talking/listening, feedback. Get written permission for participants’ material to be shared with each other and in Dr. Jen’s future work.
Definitions: Grief, Compounded Grief, Complicated Bereavement, Grief States, Mysticism, Transformation
Harmonic Tones/Chanting: Introduction and explanation of sacred tones, such as om, allah hu, including teach participants basic harmonic toning and chanting
Mandala Coloring Chant: Introduce the principles of mandala healing, then all participants color sacred mandalas (with optional chanting)
**LUNCH BREAK**
Healing with Movement and Song: Teach participants a simple, basic series of movements, then lead them in a short dance (with optional chanting)
Psychodrama and LoveBomb: Explanation of these two powerful techniques and how they work, asking for volunteers to demonstrate each. Encourage participants to consider using these in their own stories of grief and loss.
Final Project Inner Preparation: Each participant will spend time in meditation and silent retreat deciding how best to honor their experience of grief and loss by sharing a final individual project. This could include story-telling, dancing, acting, singing, drawing, reciting poetry, or a combination. Most important element: Be willing to risk and stretch yourselves.
Final Project Dyad Support: Participants will be put into dyads, and share their ideas with each other, supporting one another and bouncing ideas off of each other.
Individual Consult with Dr. Jen: Dr. Jen will circulate and work with each individual on final project preparation. Meanwhile, all participants will continue working on final projects, to present tomorrow.
First Day Wrap-Up: Time for participants to share, ask questions. Closing of the day with prayer and sacred intention-setting.

DAY TWO
Open: Open the energy with prayer, then encourage each participant share their excitement and/or fears about presenting.
Final Projects: Each participant shares their final project, their own creative portal to transform their grief and loss. Everyone else serves as sacred witnesses, holding the highest knowing of their healing. Afterwards, each participant is given feedback and discusses their experience.
**LUNCH BREAK**
Forgiveness Story: Read the class the ‘Story of Mia’
Discussion: Discussion of how the story affected participants.
Personal Forgiveness: Participants will be led through spiritual visualization exercise to forgive or ask for closure from the people involved in their experience of grief and loss.
Discussion: Discussion of how the story affected participants.
Self-Forgiveness: Participants will experience the power of self-forgiveness with this special experiential exercise.
Personal Shares/Feedback: Discussion of above exercise. Forgiveness work of personal self is important and is a wonderful daily practice.
Closure: Setting of intentions for each participant to continue healing. Sacred prayer to close energy.