April 2018 When we are working with people who are trying to experience more positivity and wellbeing, we often ask them to imagine what their lives would be like if things were the best that they could be. Where would they be? Who would they be with? What would they be doing? How would they be feeling? Understandably, people often struggle …
Lee’s Postcard Barbara Fredrickson, one of our favorite psychologists and author of Love 2.0, provocatively asks “What if everything we know about love is wrong?” We like featuring her work in February because Valentine’s Day triggers so many preconceived expectations about love. These are usually associated with romantic love, with a connection that we believe can only be fulfilled by …
Everything You Know About Love Is Wrong Click to Read Post »
Rebecca and Gioia in Australia Last Years Happy Holidays! Just a brief note to wish you all the joys of the season and to thank you for contributing so much joy and sense of connection to our loves. We are so grateful and appreciative. Know that we are sending you virtual hugs this holiday season. Here’s hoping that you have …
Ceci Playing with Her Puppy Picture a cozy living room with turquoise walls warmed softly by a gas stove in the corner and the flickering green, red, orange, and blue lights of a small Christmas in the front of the room. In another corner, a TV quietly projects the drama of a Spanish “novella”, one of the Latin soap operas …
What Keep You Going When You’re Almost 100?! Click to Read Post »
Gioia–Nurture the People in My Life Rebecca recently had to get her vehicle registered in Arizona. She’d postponed going to the DMV because of dreaded long lines, complicated forms, burnt-out government employees, and the fear that she would not be able to complete the process despite all of her efforts to have her ducks in a row. When she got …
Gioia–Have Faith When we first started writing this newsletter 5 years ago, Hurricane Sandy had just devastated New York and New Jersey. In the span between then and now, we’ve seen many global tragedies–the Pulse shootings, Manchester, Charlottesville, Paris, Harvey, the refugee crisis, threats of nuclear war, violent political extremism, wildfires and earthquakes. And we in the aftermath of the …
Gioia–Time We were recently asked to do a presentation on “Digital Detox”. When we researched this phenomenon, we found that there was a tacit presumption that frequent exposure to digital devices interferes with our ability to connect with others and reduces the quality of what little contact we do have. The recommended solutions usually involved some sort of restriction or …
Rebecca’s Sketch for the Positive Art Therapy Book We, Gioia and Rebecca, have recently written a textbook on the way we combine art therapy and positive psychology. Thankfully, it’s in the last stages of publication and all we have to do is go over the final proofs and pick a cover. Initially our publisher gave us a library of images …
Rebecca’s Photo of Her Mother Lee Climbing to Do the Zipline Earlier this month, Rebecca’s mother, Lee, visited Miraval, the Arizona resort where Rebecca is an art therapy specialist and wellness counselor. After a day of rest, Lee decided to “stretch” herself by trying out some activities that were outside of her “box”. For the next couple of days, she …
What Happens When You Step Outside of Your Comfort Zone? Click to Read Post »
Joan Sadler–Photo of the Bay Rebecca’s Aunt Joan–whose blog Joan’s Stones was the topic of our newsletter in March as well as many other newsletters on creativity and aging gracefully–passed away last month. Although it may sound odd, she died what we would describe as a “good death”. The last days of Joan’s 95 years were spent overlooking the San …
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