Know anyone with Alzheimer’s?  Know caregivers?

Imagiscape is leading the main event at Alzheimer Toronto’s annual “Creative Therapies Forum for Healthcare Professionals”.  (Not a pro? I’d ask anyway.)

Our 2-hour workshop (Tragedy & Comedy – The Dance of Dementia, a.k.a. Connecting Through Play) includes our 17-minute performance, Neurogenesis.

At University of Toronto’s Faculty Club, Thursday, Feb 16.

Other Presentations: •Resilience through Mindfulness •NIA for People with Dementia •Horticultural Therapy

http://dementiatoronto.org/events/2012Feb_CreativeTherapy.pdf

To see the full image and the rest of the quotes, right-click and open-in-new-tab

Any suggestions for improving this collage?

Anyone want to use this for themselves? Go ahead. Oh – maybe we need to contact the base image’s artist, someone Corrigan, somehow.

Words by Stephen Lewis and Reverend Brent Hawkes.

It’s true – and I’m proud to say it.

I am in In Therapy.

See what happens in therapy as 8 actors portray 4 distinctly different couples (one lesbian). Issues of self-esteem, infidelity, jealousy, rage, honor, forgiveness, insecurity, disappointment, irritation and frustration are exposed in scenes and IN THERAPY with Psychotherapist Dorothy Ratusny.

When: Saturday, June 26, 2010 – 2:00pm & 7:00pm

(We are far from the zone secured for the G20 Summit. (2 km away.)  A map showing our theatre and the G20 restricted area is here.)

Where: The Lower Ossington Theatre (100A Ossington Ave., north of Queen. map)  Toronto

Parking is available on the street.  Also, a green P is just south of the theatre. (Another parking lot is on the south side of Queen, at Dovercourt.)

Tickets: lowerossingtontheatre.com or at the box office prior to showtimes.

Meet the Couples:

‘Sophie & Chris’: Sophie and Chris have been living together for 6 years.  Sophie has always loved the attention of men but it’s the final straw when Chris finds out about an invitation Sophie received from her boss.  Now Chris is forced to look at all the other examples of Sophie’s efforts to gain attention.  Feeling neglected and desperate for affection, Sophie doesn’t see the harm in casually flirting with other men.

‘Claire & Dillon’: Defining herself by being part of a couple, Claire is pushing for the relationship to progress to the next level.  Dillon, in his first quasi-serious relationship, is still trying to figure out who he is and where his life is going.  As Claire tries to dictate the state of the relationship, Dillon pulls further away, trying to hold on to aspects of his old life, hanging with friends and not being accountable to anyone.  Will exploring the truth push their relationship to its breaking point?

‘Jamie & Alex’: dating 4 months, Alex, a director and playwright, is 17 years older than Jamie.  Alex has avoided being in a committed relationship since her partner of 7 years left to be with another woman.  Attempting to escape her heartbreak, Alex has decided to enjoy her independence and freedom and is currently in casual relationships with two women.  When Jamie and Alex met, it was instant chemistry.  Now Jamie is determined to have Alex all for herself.

‘Sonya & Peter’: Sonya & Peter have been married 11 years.  She hates her job; he brings his job home.  She wants him to open up; he wants the opposite.  Disappointed with themselves and each other, their communication may have deteriorated past the point of no return.

Invite friends via Facebook

Meet the Cast: Becky Bridger, Carlynn Reed, Danielle Szlawienie-Haw, Drea Burck, Jack Morton, Jonathon Neville, Lenore White, & Tim Nussey

Meet the Therapist:

Dorothy Ratusny, M.A., (C). OACCPP., PhD (Candidate) is a Psychotherapist who specializes in Cognitive Therapy – “one of the most widely researched and practiced models of psychotherapy in the world.”  She sees teens, adults and couples in her private practice and is the author of two books:  ‘Live Your Life’s Purpose: A guidebook for creating and living a purposeful life’ and ‘The Purpose of Love: A guidebook for defining and cultivating your most significant relationship’. www.dorothyratusny.com

Meet the Director:

A graduate of Queen’s University’s theatre program, Chloë Ariane Whitehorn has worked as an actor, playwright, producer, and director (for which she has been the recipient of the Helen McGregor Award for Outstanding Direction).  Chloë can also be seen in June performing at the London Fringe Festival in her show “The Frank Diary of Anne”. www.chloewhitehorn.com

For more information or for media interview requests, contact:

Dorothy Ratusny, Co-Producer at 905.764.2950 Chloe Whitehorn, Director, Co-Producer at 647.968.0448

After 14 years in severe chronic pain that restricted movement, digestion, speech and breathing, and one year of remarkable steady recovery, Kirk (truly a guitar god) picked up his guitar for the first time in 7 years in June, began performing for a small group in August, and has his first gig, opening for another band.   He’s not “totally healed” – he still can’t take weight properly through his right foot or hip, so he’s still on crutches, but relative to where he was…

(Where he was, his family found bountiful life within his lying down, but still this feels like a resurrection.  Kirk & his mom Carlynn are featured in the stage show about caregiving “Heal Thyself”, and the upcoming documentary possibly called “Is there Life within Caregiving?”, along with Christine & her son Jonathon, who play with Alzheimer’s.)

Should this give you hope?

Hope is dangerous.

Hope can give us courage to continue, but can also blind us to the present.   When we stopped trying to fix, to finish, to get out of the present, we were able to enjoy each other.  According to one theory, only then did the conditions for life emerge, and healing happen.  Advice usually irks me, and caregiving is too complex to pack wisdom into bite-sized advice, but for here and now, try this: Let your hope make you more present.

What do you think?

Kirk’s gig: Sat. Sept 26, 8:15pm-9:15pm. (8:30 start) 961 College St. West  (map) Facebook event