Erica Hornthal, "The Therapist Who Moves You"

Hot off the press!

This One Simple Thing Can Help Improve Your Teen's Mental Health Getting teens to move and improve their mental health isn't as hard as it sounds— they're already moving! They might just need a bit more.

Therapists, how do we support our clients in finding safety and security in a world full of uncertainty? If your clients are anything like mine, the one thing they are all battling is uncertainty. Uncertainty of the climate, the government, the schools, even of day-to-day responsibilities.This creates so much anxiety and while we cannot avoid uncertainty we can learn to manage it. Managing the uncertainty in the external world comes down to finding safety and security in our internal world.

Enter, The Movement Therapy Deck! A resource that supports moving through trauma and regulating our nervous systems.

This resource is for anyone looking to create more security and stability within themselves in order to manage the uncertainty of the world around them.

Purchase wherever books are sold!
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/739255/the-movement-therapy-deck-by-erica-hornthal/

Don't just THINK through life, MOVE through it with board-certified movement therapist, Erica Hornthal - S**t Talking Shrinks Welcome to "S**t Talking Shrinks" - where two licensed therapists who have invested way too much money in degrees, certifications, and trainings share their love for their profession and sprinkle humor along the way!In this episode, we dive into c...

We are finally beginning to challenge the gold standard of psychotherapy, CBT, because enough of us are not seeing the benefit of focusing solely on thoughts and cognition to change behaviors.❤
Why would changing thoughts alone change your physical actions, also known as movement??
Change happens through movement, even changes in behavior.🙂
Change your movements-->change your thoughts-->change your actions!
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It's important to try movements out of our comfort zone of we want to support our mental health. 😊 Familiar may be comfortable but it doesn't lead to resilience of mind! Changes in the body = changes in the mind. How are you challenging your body today?
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We view and judge movement based on what we are capable. So much of our movement is taken for granted and only comes into awareness when it is challenged or compromised. ☹️Focus on all movements possible....breathing, blinking....every gesture, posture, physical change in the body.
Every movement is an opportunity to change the mind! ❤
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In today's world we are constantly looking for external validation. This does a huge disservice because we begin seeing ourselves from others' perspectives.💔

Practice meeting yourself in your body, learning how you move and feel. This is what matters most. Not what others think.
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Hyper-vigilance, a state of constantly assessing for threats, may feel like we are connecting to our bodies because we are aware of the stress response. We may even be aware of the movements we make associated with being on high alert.

Don't be fooled! 🧐 This isn't a productive connection to the body. This is another way that our mind controls our body. Learning to connect to the body as an entry point, actually helps alleviate the feeling of hyper-vigilance and finding safety and security in the body allows for us to differentiate active from potential threats.
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Yes, even therapists get dysregulated. And being a mom, my regulation is challenged a lot. 🤣Here's what I do to regulate my mind and body (swipe to learn!)

What do YOU do? Comment below; let's help each other out🤝
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I hear from clients about their movement limitations, which as real as they may be, focus on inability versus capability, which limits potential. ❤️ Rather than focusing on our physical limitations, I encourage clients to notice limits. This can be the point right before overstretching, feeling pain, or exhaustion from doing too much.🥰
Limitations constrict us, while limits empower us.😊
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Dear Colleague,

Are you interested in arts-based healing approaches for working with children, teens, adults, and community groups? Now, after serving the continuing education needs of more than 10,000 professionals from 72 countries, the Expressive Therapies Summit brings its unique brand of programming to Chicagoland.

From Friday, June 23 through Sunday, June 25, you’ll have the opportunity to learn arts-based approaches for facilitating communication, building connection, promoting positive emotions, fostering engagement, enhancing mindfulness, reducing stress, and managing the impact of trauma. Register for any one or more days.

An invited faculty of over 50 national experts will lead 3 days of hands-on workshops highlighting the use of art, music, poetry, play, and expressive writing integrated with leading-edge mental health practices. A featured Healing in Motion track will explore mind-body connections through dance/movement, somatics, and psychodrama.

Open to all educators, helping professionals, and students, up to 18 continuing education credits for clinicians are available.

Join us for a wide variety of sessions, including:
• Digital Art TherapyTechniques for Clinicians & Educators
• Movement for Mind-Body Connection & Transformation
• Stress Management for Cancer: A Mind/Body Approach to Wellness
• Afrikan Drumming and the Healing of Trauma Wounds
• Comic Books in Counseling & Therapy
• Poetry Therapy for Promoting Self-Care

Click to explore our program, meet our faculty, and to register.

https://web.cvent.com/event/7f52dea6-1702-4f4f-aeab-b45131f353a4/websitePage:69a3e523-8caa-43cb-8474-c5c5c24c5871

Know any like-minded friends or professionals who may be excited about the intersection of arts and healing? If so, please alert alert them to this unique, professionally and personally enriching experience.

Questions? Contact us at [email protected]

15% off through May 21!

Register today at https://web.cvent.com/event/7f52dea6-1702-4f4f-aeab-b45131f353a4/websitePage:69a3e523-8caa-43cb-8474-c5c5c24c5871

We often hear the phrase, "losing my mind" but we rarely if ever hear the phrase "losing my body." 🧐

And the funny thing is that when you lose your mind, you are actually disconnected from your body. The way to finding your mind is through reconnecting with and befriending the body. Try connecting with your body today!😊
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We often complicate things especially when we are in dire need of resources, healing and help. The "easiest" path is right inside of you and yet this can be the most challenging because it is uncomfortable to be with our bodies.

Try moving your body in new ways, challenge its status quo, and listen to what it needs!!😊
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Seems everywhere you turn, someone is writing a book. Everyone has something to say and a unique way to say it. ❤️
I didn't write my book for fame or money. I wrote it because I was tired of the focus being on thought and mindset. Tired of all body books being about aethestics, acceptance, and positivity.
It's time to focus on how movement of the body mirrors movement of the mind.
Change begins in the body!😊
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Dance/movement isn't just for fun...it has the power to support healing beyond words.
Want to learn how you can use dance/movement with your clients? Register for my Beyond Words Workshop on June 11. Registration is in my bio.❤
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For most people it is easier to see how what we think correlates to how we feel in our bodies. But it is actually our movement that creates the thoughts we have. Then our movement is influenced by those thoughts once they are in our conscious awareness.

This is why movement is a key piece to changing our thought patterns. We have to meet the thoughts in the body to rewire the patterns leading to emotional overload.❤
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Writing Body Aware started out as a way to support my client's. But it ended as a way to support myself. Through having a baby, living through a pandemic, and navigating the disturbing social and political climate of the world, Body Aware taught me to listen with my body, not just my ears. It supported finding a sense of security and stability in my body and mind. And it connected me to a greater purpose and passion.❤
You can access these things too! Body Aware is available wherever books and audiobooks are sold.
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When I began my work as a therapist, I wanted my client's to feel GOOD.🥰 But I quickly realized that the point wasn't to feel GOOD. It was to FEEL....everything! 😅

So often people assume dance/movement therapy means feeling GOOD because for many of us dancing feels good. But it's actually about embracing our range of movement to support our emotional range.
Comment on your own experience with somatic therapy? Do you want to feel GOOD or FULLY?❤
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When we move more, we feel more and that doesn't always feel "better." Awareness can be uncomfortable, but it does lead to a greater ability to manage discomfort which does feel "better" in the long run.😊
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Being on social media doesn't come naturally to me. I appreciate the ability to share my work, connect with people, and educate and advocate on dance therapy, but I recognize the boundaries I must uphold to continue to do the work with my clients.❤️
Does social media challenge your integrity? Comment below!
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Movement therapy support exploration of identity because our identity originates from our interactions with our environment. It is how we move through our world that creates who we are.🥰
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When I tell people I'm a dance therapist so many people respond with, "I do that in my kitchen!"😅
The fact of the matter is that dance therapy isn't always fun and clients don't always feel "better". Sometimes they feel worse before they feel better because it's the first time they are actually feeling and sitting with their emotions.
It's not just about dancing to feel better; it's dancing/moving to feel... period!❤️
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This is a controversial topic because most of us have to believe that the mind directs the body, but that is not true. ❤️
It is through movement and body patterns that we build the capacity for self awareness, reflection, and introspection.
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We talk a lot about being present..being in the moment...tuning in to the here and now.
When we take attendance....we are either present or absent.
But consider that when we are not present in our bodies it is not because the body is absent, but rather that the mind is distracted.
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Rediscover the importance of the connection between your mind and body, April 20 at 7:00 p.m. CST with Erica Hornthal, "The Therapist Who Moves You"

Explore some simple movement practices to rebuild a foundation that supports mind and body exploration.

Register Here: https://www.infinityfoundation.org/rediscovering-the-mind-body-connection

Acknowledging what it is we are carrying, like our grief, loss, trauma, isn't enough. We have to look at how we carry it. How it shows up in our bodies-tissues, bones, muscles.
The emotional weight we carry can only be released when we uncover how it is that we carry it.
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