Joy Redstone – Biography
Joy Redstone is a licensed clinical social worker and addiction counselor. She is the director of the Naropa Counseling Center, as well as adjunct faculty at Naropa and University of Denver Graduate School of Social Work. She is a writer and artist, and contributes regularly to the Daily Camera. She served as the executive director of Bridge House for seven years, during which Bridge House expanded its budget ten-fold, added many new services for clients, and won several awards for excellence in service delivery. An advocate for the homeless and board member of Boulder Outreach for Homeless Overflow, Joy lives in Boulder and has two children. Joy has years of experience with dually diagnosed and homeless clients, as well as extensive experience in working with mentally ill ex-prisoners.

Moving Through Grief: Using Your Creativity and Spiritual Connection to Transform Your Life after Loss

Any death, but suicide especially, makes us feel helpless. In a culture that is riddled with the illusion of control, the inescapable finality of death is a confrontation with powerlessness that, until experienced, is almost unfathomable. When someone you love takes his/her life, the inevitable consequence for those that loved that person is guilt and self-blame. Our human relationships are littered with conflict, regrets, omissions and mistakes. Our minds seize on these moments, creating inferences of causality, as we reel with accepting the unacceptable.

Yet many trauma therapists will tell you that this self-blame is yet another way for our minds to make the unpredictable predictable, because if we can make it our fault, it is somehow possibly avertable.

What is Grief?

Grief is a normal and natural response to loss. Though we often expect to grieve the death of a family member or friend, many other significant losses can also trigger grief.

Examples include:

• The end of a relationship
• A move to a new community
• A much-anticipated opportunity or life goal is suddenly closed to us
• The death of a pet
• Someone we love contracts a potentially life-threatening illness

Grieving such losses is important because it allows us to ‘free-up’ energy that is bound to the lost person, object, or experience—so that we might re-invest that energy elsewhere. Until we grieve effectively we are likely to find reinvesting difficult; a part of us remains tied to the past. Grieving is not forgetting. Nor is it drowning in tears. Healthy grieving results in an ability to remember the importance of our loss—but with a newfound sense of peace, rather than searing pain.

We can talk directly about this most feared topic. Grieving people will tell you that one of the most painful things they experience is the pervasive avoidance of others. So, look your loved one in the eyes, take a deep breath and say the words your heart wants you to say. Your words will be imperfect, but your heart’s love is always perfect and always eloquent.

Diane Israel – Biography
Diane Israel is currently a psychotherapist with a private practice in Boulder Colorado and a professor of transpersonal psychology at Naropa University. Before becoming a psychotherapist, Diane was a world-class runner and triathlete. She is a senior counselor at Women’s Quest, a mind-body-spirit adventure camp for women, and teaches movement to seniors. Diane specializes in working with couples and people with body image issues practicing physical, mental, and spiritual integration. Her work in these fields compelled her in 2004 to start her own production company called SheArt LLC to create an award-winning independent documentary film, Beauty Mark.

Diane produced the award-winning independent documentary film Beauty Mark and inspires people around the country during her lectures. Diane’s film has reached over 10,000 viewers and has been endorsed by the National Eating Disorders Association, the Women’s Sports Foundation and the Dove Self Esteem Fund. She is also behind the revolutionary program, Camp Celebrate You, which will be offered for free to schools who want to increase positive self-care, self-worth, and wellness through a month of life-changing activities and events. Diane wears many hats, but they are all worn for the unified purpose of guiding and encouraging others to find clarity and live more fully.

Patrick Williams – Biography
Patrick Williams is a superlative artist, inspiring public speaker, visionary educator, and independent scholar. He is founder of his own public speaking, creativity consulting, and art business as well as Artistic & Creative Director and Operations Manager of Satori Institute; an arts, education, research based non-profit organization. With 4 decades of experience, Patrick has innovated creative curriculums and taught children and adults art, creativity, new science, budo, and art history in public and private schools, community centers, teacher trainings, and mentorship experiences.

Patrick’s paintings and drawings have been shown in many solo exhibits and group shows throughout the United States, Japan, and China. His work has been represented by galleries in Chicago, Seattle, Albuquerque, and Omaha. Patrick’s artwork is in private and public collections. Patrick is currently a self-represented artist, exclusively in charge and managing all aspects of his artistic career.

He holds black belts in Karate-do and Aikido and has trained and taught Budo for more than 37 years. He also practices Kyudo and Jo, Japanese archery and short staff. Patrick has an expansive and comprehensive knowledge of creativity, art and art history and holds a BFA in painting from the University of Nebraska.

“Create Yourself Forward”: Communicating the Art of Creativity

Communicating the Art of Creativity, is a dynamic intermedia presentation focusing on our collective relationship with Creativity. Each of us has a deep and original connection with Creativity. Often this authentic and imaginal bond has been “misplaced” we seemingly lose our Creativity. In reality, Creativity is always within each of us.

With personal stories and artistic anecdotes Patrick assists his audience in understanding the powers of their own Creative Nature. Using excerpts from his ground breaking Philosophy of Creativity, Patrick defines Creative Colonization, Creative Collapse, and the Creative Void; the hiding spots of “misplaced” Creativity. Patrick describes the pathway out of the Creative Void into Creative Metamorphosis and the necessities of Creative Tension. No matter your age, education, job description or pay grade, student, aparent, business person, teacher, novice or accomplished artist this presentation is for everyone who desires and dares to access, maintain, and sustain their Creativity and will point people in the right direction toward rekindling their embers and turning them into Creative flames.

Jayma Jamieson – Biography
Jayma Jamieson was born and raised in Boulder and cursed by Chief Niwot, she doesn’t plan to ever leave. After graduation for CU/Boulder with a BS in Business, Jayma worked with Eli Lilly – pharmaceutical sales – selling Prozac in the rainiest city in the US, Seattle. It was here that she professionally – and personally – discovered seasonal-affective disorder, and she relocated quickly back to sunny Colorado.

After a season of personal loss and transition, the death of a parent and subsequent divorce, she went back to school and received a Masters in Transpersonal (body/mind/spirit – holistic approach) Counseling Psychology from Naropa University. Jayma’s approach to depression – and her clients – is East meets West. She believes that Western medicine, pharmacotherapy, can be effective, and is sometimes necessary for recovery. However, her Naropa training and belief system encourages her to view people holistically, and know that with the proper support, many people can heal without need for pharmaceuticals.

Jayma enjoys helping men, women, teens, and couples to overcome and develop self-awareness about developmental wounds, attachment disorders, addiction, shame, depression, and perfectionism, as it applies to their daily life (marriage, divorce, oppression, bullying).

Depression – The Power of Changing Your Mind

We will look at neuroplasticity; how our brains constantly morph and change. Our thoughts and feelings have the power to create, sustain, and form neural networks, or connections in the left and right hemispheres in our brain. What we feel, think and believe about ourselves and our circumstances, programs the brain in constructive or destructive ways. We will explore how to process, integrate and reframe the past and present, in order to paint a brighter future. We will talk about various ways to bounce back from depression, re-build, create resilience and vitality.

Patty Shull – Biography
Patty Shull is a global talent-development and retention strategist serving both small business and large Fortune 100 organizations. She has a measurable track record for successfully designing and implementing high-performance work environments, enabling employees to produce breakthrough performance results that directly impact the bottom line. Unique to Patty’s leadership approach is her use of corporate comedy, humor, games, and social media to engage diverse employee groups (especially Generation X and Millennials.) Patty can be counted on to deliver results, enhance workplace dignity and “bring the weekend into the week.”

Cracking the Code for Moving Out of Depression — The Linguistic Foundation & Resolution to Depression

In this talk (and subsequent workshop,) you’ll learn basic understandings and techniques that will allow you to move from “living in depression” to “living in effective action”. Patty will introduce you to a method of resolving depression from an original body of work called, Ontological Mastership™ (O.M.) is a synthesis of linguistics, biology and philosophy that brings forth a language of effective action. With it, you will discover a new approach based in the connection of body and language. This work articulates a new understanding of the operation of depression and therefore a different approach for resolving depression. These distinctions will open new possibilities for your life.

Dr. Jeff Prystupa – Biography
Born and raised along the Connecticut River, Dr. Jeff overcame a fatal car accident at age 17. Narrowly escaping death a second time in a motorcycle-tractor trailer accident in 2002, he lapsed into a decade of depression. “My religion failed me, my worldview further depressed me, and the events in the world that I observed, seemed to seal my fate. I was sinking into futility like quicksand. I stopped struggling and then lost everything that I cared about. I was not in a good place.”

If you need a word of encouragement, or know someone who does, I invite you to hear my message of hope, encouragement, and recovery. I will share the tools, the concepts, and the strategies, for regaining your rightful place in Nature’s garden, where she planted you. I look forward to seeing you.

A graduate of Wesleyan University with a BA in psychology, Dr. Jeff has been a lifelong student of human behavior. He learned about health after being a ‘cell assassin’, he designed and formulated new methods for killing cells with swimming pool chemicals. He took that knowledge to Cancer research where he performed tissue culture at the Laboratory of Human Genetics in New York City. He then choose alternative medicine as the direction for study. Acupuncture, Ayurveda, Biofeedback, Chiropractic, Detoxification, Energy/light therapies, Massage, Nutrition, Physical Therapy and Yoga, are the fields of study that contribute to his broad understanding of life and health, from both the Eastern and Western ideologies. It was there in my lab, in the incubator, and under the microscope, where I learned about health at the cell level. My entire health career has been spent pursuing the reconciliation between what I was taught and what I observed. With the dawning of Quantum Mechanics and the Unified Field Theory, science has matured to the point where reconciliation is now possible. Finally, the simple, easy-to-understand, answers are now within reach. All we are saying is – give peace a chance. What I offer my listeners is a fresh perspective that starts small – at the cell level, and grows into a deeper understanding that enables and supports health at the level of being and expression.

Depression at the Cell Level: Encouragement, Strategies, and Support for Beating the Blues.

Does depression begin in our cells? Is there yet another reason why we suffer the ‘blues’? Can we find the reason for a long sad season in the mitochondria? ‘Dr. Jeff’ Prystupa has conducted over 30 years of independent research on the function of cells. Beginning as a cancer researcher at Sloan-Kettering and through his work treating patients, his findings offer new hope and strategies for overcoming depression. He offers people a new understanding of life, a new perspective of man’s role in the cosmos, and a new identity as a conscious being.
“I advise my patients: ‘Learn how to operate your body – or someone else will operate on it for you.'”
Come join us for a fantastic and refreshing discussion – Depression at the Cell Level. Encouragement, Strategies, and Support for Beating the Blues. How to begin your adaptation to the conditions in our world that lead us in directions we do not choose. ‘Dr. Jeff’ is a popular teacher, a successful alternative doctor, and someone who has dealt with and overcome depression. His presentations are informative, highly-energetic, filled with humor, and fun.

“I see life as an aggregate of cell function. All of health and illness, including depression, reside at the cell level. By beginning here, and learning about the function and role of the cell, we can gain the knowledge needed to make good health decisions that will lead us to joy, happiness, and fulfillment. I look forward to sharing this exciting breakthrough in ‘can do’ thinking with everyone.”

Donna M. Fox – Biography
As a creative architect for change, Donna Fox is fiercely committed to guiding motivated individuals to achieve powerful insights, clarity and confidence so they can create a life full of passion, purpose, potential and profit.

If you are looking for a proven professional who can guide you to address…

• Ambivalence About Your Future
• Overcoming Paralyzing Fear
• Formula for a Fulfilling Life
• Finding Joy in Every Day
• Sustaining Balance in Recovery

…then you’ve come to the right place.

Donna has over 25 years of experience working with clients with similar worries and concerns. Using her unique techniques and strategies, she guides her clients to achieve remarkable success. Donna’s mission and commitment is to challenge limiting beliefs, inspire clients to dream bigger and give clients a toolbox to create their life’s blueprint. In addition, she closely supports each client as they move in the direction of their new, amazing future. What lights Donna up about her work is knowing that as an architect for change, she can assist clients in creating a personalized blueprint for achieving their dreams. All the while showing them a process that they can use over and over as their dreams grow and change.

Spirituality – The Longest Journey from The Head to The Heart

Desperation, bring us face to face with our Spiritual beliefs. Crying out for help in the hopelessness of our addiction, depression, anxiety or grief, we want to believe there is something larger than ourselves that can bring us peace, hope, and change.

The journey from the head to the heart begins with exploring the difference between religion and spirituality. Especially if there was a separation from the religious beliefs we grew up with.

During our time together we will be using unique writing techniques, hands on activities and create tangible tools to take home to continue the journey.

5 Steps on a Spiritual Journey

1. Define Current Beliefs
2. Challenge the possibilities of a Higher Power
3. Create several tools for Letting Go
4. The process of looking for Proof
5. Exploring Faith and Trust

Gregg Eisenberg – Biography
Gregg Eisenberg is a Boulder-based writer, publisher, music composer, and public speaker. His new book, The Eisenberg Principles: A Global Philosophical Adventure, is a comedic journey through science, spirituality, and the paradoxes of modern life told though a 16-chapter collection of mind-bending quotes about Buddhism, existentialism, quantum physics, and everyday life. Brought to you by Curved Space Comedy, this is the book about quieting the mind that everyone is talking about. This is a book about impermanence that will last forever. This is the book that unveils the very new and trendy approaches to transcending ego-attachment that lots of others are now trying to take credit for. (But he doesn’t care: copyright infringement is the highest form of flattery). Twisting sentences into semantic mobius strips, like a baker twists rolls of flour into pretzels or a balloon-man twists rubber into the shape of a duck, Mr. Eisenberg’s warped humor will wrap itself around your brain as quickly as your brain wraps itself around his humor. His talk, entitled “Letting go is all we have to hold on to,” will take you on a surreal, side-splitting journey through fields of metaphor riding on the wings of paradox all the way into the heart of the snake that is eating its own tail (which is all of us, nowadays).

Kurt Wimberger – Biography
Kurt Wimberger started life as a film-maker and scriptwriter but somehow stumbled into software development. His spiritual journey was jump-started back in 1993 when a friend suggested Shamanic Drum journeying. Though Kurt’s initial interest in the journeying was as grist for a potential screenplay character, the journeys proved so powerful and revelatory that they launched over twenty years of seeking, and that seeking has culminated in Neurosculpting®. Kurt teaches core Neurosculpting® classes and is available for private consultation.

Retrain Your Brain: Neurosculpting® for Beginners

Learn the brain basics of how neuroplasticity can transform your life, help you rewrite old patterns, heal from stress and trauma, and become the best you possible. This introductory class is designed for beginners. You will learn how to identify different brain states that hijack your ability to move forward, and gain powerful meditation tools to reverse that process. You’ll get hands-on experience in the Neurosculpting® modality of meditation and brain entrainment, and you’ll learn some daily exercises to take this transformational practice into your everyday life.

Michael Hamers – Biography
Michael Hamers is a professional artist and graphic designer. Through his long career, Mike has excelled at award-winning logo designs, print & web design, consumer packaging, and is an accomplished illustrator. He recently celebrated the 25th anniversary of his Boulder-based design business, Lightspeed Commercial Arts.

After struggling through many years of chronic depression—a mid-life “dark night of the soul” journey—he subsequently successfully changed his life by changing his brain through a self-imposed concentrated focus on Art and Music, Prayer and Poetry, Humor and Knowledge about the brain and emotions—thereby triggering a “quickening”, a rapid shift and expansion of going from being to trapped by feelings of despair and isolation to a renewed life of Joy and Connectedness.

In the 2.5 years since the paradigm shift in Mike’s perspective and life, he has created the Fresh A.I.R. Shows: Artists In Recovery and organized several publicly-held group art shows with other recovering artists and photographers—with a select group of creative amateurs and professionals who are also active in Alcoholics Anonymous. Mike is the creator and director of the Enlighten Up! Summit in 2015 and is also planning a large group art show & entertainment event as another manifestation of Fresh A.I.R. Artists in Recovery Shows at the Dairy Center for the Arts in Boulder in October 2016. http://wwwFreshAirShows.com / http://www.Lightspeedca.net