The following Testimonials show how schools and individuals are responding to the opportunities offered by expressive arts, person centred play and creative journal.
‘You are doing wonderful work. The children really look forward to your sessions.’
Head Teacher, South Molton Community Infants School.
‘This child is coming into the classroom relaxed and able to concentrate on literacy tasks.’
Teacher, Infants School
‘This is great, I feel so relaxed and optimistic after our sessions.’
MS Bristol
‘It’s so easy, you make it seem so easy and fun.’
M, Bristol.
‘I always feel relaxed and motivated after I do this.’
KO, Devon.
‘I always feel happy after the session.’
S, Devon.
‘I always feel lighter, brighter, geared up. It is so fundamental. What is so powerful is thinking and acting for myself, being nourishing, kind and gentle to myself. It is so important because I have a vulnerable child within myself. Having had ME, it has helped me get back into the swing of my life, which I thought I would never be able to do.’
MS, Bristol
‘We need this training for our volunteers, and parents.’
Head of Children’s Centre, Devon
‘Creative Journaling has been a liberating experience for me. After having ME it has helped me to get right back into the swing of life, which is something I thouthgt I would never do. I’ve made friends with demons and they are now helping me come closer to my dream of being an artist. As a left handed person I felt very inhibited about writing in general. By exploring using my less dominant hand it has paradoxically liberated my creativeness.’
MS, Bristol
‘I always feel much better afterwards, much lighter….’This is powerful stuff, and it’s fun as well. It is such amazing work you do….It is an amazing process. That was so powerful and also quick. In an hour and a half,. I have insights that I probably wouldn’t have had in counselling. It’s amazing what insights have come up of things I have forgotten… …Thank you for such revelations’
MS, Bristol
‘I’ve enjoyed coming to the Journaling for Health evenings as they have given me an insight into a way of dealing with every day things and also biger issues in my life. Thank you.’
SB, Devon
‘This is very good, we must have more.’
AC, West Sussex (play trainer/director)
‘This has been really helpful in organising my assignment work.’
CC, Bristol
‘I will be interested in any courses you start up in the new year as you are inspiring and I need youir guidance along the way to find my way. I admit some of your ideas are difficiult for me to grasp, but even if I jus take in a little each time we meet, I know my life will be the better for it.’
SB, Devon
‘That was incredibly helpful’.
AH, (healer/centre director)
‘It has given more insight that i expected on several levels.’
MM, (Rehabilitation Social Worker) Denmark
‘It has been SO helpful for me. I am also eternally grateful for the time and skills and attention you have given me with so much commitment and care. it has propelled me forward in such positive ways that now at last I have a sense of being on the path that I am meant to be on.’
SO (trainee counsellor), Bristol
JANET’S VISION OF HER TEXAN PARADISE
Janet and I spend a couple of days together after my first CJEA – Creative Journal Expressive Arts retreat in 2008. We collected lots of images together under her focusing vision, and she stuck three boards together, completing after I had left. The training took a year, and I couldn’t visit her on the following retreat. However, in between, she had got busy, unbeknownst to me, and here is her story told in 2011 to another of my visioning clients in Denmark.
Charlotte was an important part of the quest for this piece of property. When she was here in early 2008 she helped me put together a Vision Board that had all the elements I wanted to bring together on a piece of land on the river. We sat together in my apartment (which was then in a commercial building in downtown Kerrville) and clipped pictures and words from magazines. We pasted them on 3 poster boards. When finished I put them at the feet of the statue of the Virgin that I had near the entrance where I would see them each time I went in or out.
It was only about 6 months later that I found this land on the river. It had everything I had imagined and much much more! And the money showed up to be able to pay cash for it. As it came to pass, my original offer was unsuccessful. Another buyer bid higher at the last moment. But then the economy crashed and the realtor called to see if I was still interested.
When I got the land we put in a little composting outhouse. Since it was one of the few structures out here with a roof, I put the 3 Vision Boards there on the door and 2 walls so that everyone working on the project could see the Vision.
Well, the proof that Charlottes’ Visioning process works is in the results you saw in the photos!!! It is a miracle made manifest. Many hearts and hands went into this creative venture and the magic continues as I am now completing the Heart Temple for yoga and gatherings and workshops. Modeled after the Navajo hogon, it is an 8-sided building oriented to the 4 directions. One can hear the rushing waters from the river side of the building. It will have an earthen floor and natural heating and cooling. The walls are earthen – a technique called “light clay-straw” – not as massive and high thermal mass as the main house, but still a wonderful use of earth and natural materials. It is where I do the Solar Festival prayers now and I realized that I had been visualizing it for years…
(2011)