Psychotherapist's Journal - Thoughts and Tools to Inspire Wellness in Mind and Body - by Karen Gorrin

Mind-Body Wellness Workshops at the Sammamish Club

Join me at the Sammamish Club this fall to learn about the relationship between thoughts, emotions, and physical health. We'll discuss recent modern science discoveries that you can utilize to optimize your own health and well-being.

Choose your session:
Wednesday, October 15 at 7:00 PM
Saturday, November 15 at 1:00 PM
Wednesday, December 3 at 9:30 AM

Where:

The NEW Mind-Body-Energy Studio
The Sammamish Club
2115 NW Poplar Way 
Issaquah, WA 98027

Fee:
$40. The cost of this workshop may be applied towards Thrive, the 8-week wellness program designed to create harmony in mind and body coming to the Sammamish Club in January 2008-created and facilitated by Karen Gorrin.

Facilitated by Karen Gorrin 

For more information or to register, contact Karen Haigler, Aquatics and Programs Director. To learn about the Sammamish Club, click here.

All About Not Knowing

“… Not knowing – the answer, the goal, or even the next step – is generally associated with deficit or failure in our culture. How then, do artists, writers, and other creative people cope with such indeterminacy, learning to live with the anxiety it produces and even coming to understand it as part of the creative process? …”

These were the opening words I shared at the Thriving Beyond Cancer: Thriving in Uncertainty workshop I facilitated last year at Harmony Hill Retreat Center. The insightful author of those words was the UCLA Fowler Museum staff from long-ago exhibit materials.

How relevant to the artist, this idea of not-knowing. How relevent to us all, as we create our lives one day at a time. One moment at a time. The perpetual blank page. The on-going creative process.

Have you ever noticed the tendency to avoid "not knowing" by placing something ontop, as a way to try and make not-knowing into the known? How does that work for you? I welcome your thoughts.

I will be offering this program again soon ... Monday, April 28. You are welcomed to attend this program at no-cost if you are a cancer survivor or a cancer caregiver; and you are physically able to move between buildings and short distances. For more information or to register, click here. Hope to see you there.

Announcing The Five Wishes

Are you familiar with The Five Wishes? It is an an easy-to-use legal document that lets adults of all ages plan how they want to be cared for in the event they become seriously ill. Most agree that planning ahead gives people control over their medical care, as well as the peace of mind that comes from expressing their wishes and knowing the wishes of their loved ones. Medical, personal, emotional and spiritual needs are addressed. At the workshops we'll talk about the provocative issue: how do I wish to be treated should I one day be unable to speak for myself?

If the idea of planning ahead for illness sounds just plain depressing, let's take a look at this from another angle: We all know that one day we will die, right? Many of us hope that we will pass quietly in the night, without a fuss. And for many of us, this is just exactly the way it will be. Sometimes, however, we are faced with a turn of events that was not anticipated. And sometimes, these events leave us unable to fully express our wants and needs. The Five Wishes document gives us the opportunity while we are still healthy (and hopefully we will always remain healthy) to express are choices in the event we are one day unable to express ourselves. What is more, The Five Wishes relieves our family from the burden of making the decisions they can only hope we would have wanted. This way, our family knows with certainty they have fulfilled our wishes.

I will be faciliating two upcoming Five Wishes workshops. At each session, participants will receive a copy of the The Five Wishes for personal use. Copies may also be obtained by contacting Aging with Dignity. I also present The Five Wishes at Work sessions for businesses and corporate environments. Contact me for more information or to schedule a workplace program.

To register for the public programs, please call the numbers below.

Wednesday, May 2 at 6:00 PM
The Women's Center at the University of Washington
Meets in Seattle - call 206/685.1090

Thursday, May 3 at 12:30 PM
The Senior's Group at Stroum Jewish Community Center
Meets on Mercer Island - call 206/232.7115

Upcoming Cancer Programs at Harmony Hill

It is my great pleasure to serve on the faculty at Harmony Hill Retreat Center. My experiences working with people living with cancer are consistently heart-warming. I always walk away from my time on the hill having received at least as much as I have given. What is more, the staff and volunteers of Harmony Hill are truly the kind of individuals one calls friends. Please share this information with the people you know who are living with cancer.

In case you don't know, Harmony Hill offers Cancer Retreats at no charge. You can read all about the program, philosophy, and their inspirational founder Gretchen Schodde on the Harmony Hill website.

Here are some of the upcoming workshops and cancer retreats I'll be facilitating at Harmony Hill. For their complete this of cancer programs, please visit the Calendar.

3-Day Cancer Retreat
Friday - Sunday, March 16-18, 2007
Facilitated by Karen Gorrin, Margo Walsh, and Karen Kirsch

Harmony Hill’s cancer retreats are weekend residential programs that help those facing cancer, and their loved ones, cope with the physical, emotional, and spiritual challenges of cancer. Through stress reduction skills, guided imagery, daily support groups for learning and sharing, yoga, and massage, participants facilitate their own healing and restore quality of life.
Learn More >>

Thriving in Uncertainty
Monday, March 26, 2007
Facilitated by Karen Gorrin

Life after a cancer diagnosis is graduate training in living in Mystery! Nowhere has it been proven, though, that a rich life cannot exist in the presence of deep uncertainty. Learn how befriending the unknown can be the entryway into living a full, wise, and passionate life. Receive tools for turning uncertainty into possibility and adventure.
Learn More >>

Tools for the Journey
Monday, April 23, 2007
Monday, May 14, 2007
Monday June 25, 2007
Facilitated by Karen Gorrin and Melode Brewer

This one-day mini-retreat is a full day of practical resources and strategies for how to live fully despite the challenges of cancer, and includes simple movement, guided imagery, and information about healing tools and resources. A delicious Harmony Hill lunch is also included! Learn More >>