Sane in Pain Workshops
When you find yourself in chronic pain due to injury, illness or an unknown cause, youre in new circumstances: pain, confusion, and potential poverty. People you used to think shared your view of life are saying some pretty strange things to your new ears, such as my favorite: What did you do to yourself? But these questions from others have no impact compared to the damage you can do to yourself by asking Why me?
When bad things happen to us, asking Why me? invites a list of our faults to be the answer: Because I am a bad person, I deserve this. It doesnt matter if we call it karma or retribution for our sins, crazy-making guilt often arises when we feel pain and dont recover.
Blaming yourself or others for what happens — or defending yourself against perceived blame by others — is where madness lies. Learning to hear our stories and examine them more objectively allows us to create different stories and to enjoy different lives. These new stories are then open to revision and weve allowed for the possibility of new endings to our tragic tales.
Josephine Jones will conduct a series of three Sane in Pain journaling and stress reduction workshops at The Cabin literary center (801 S. Capitol) in Boise:
Saturday, July 2, 1 to 3 pm
Tuesday, July 5, 7 to 9 pm
Thursday, July 14, 7 to 9 pm
Since 1992, Josephine Jones has conducted transformative writing workshops for children and adults, including healthcare professionals and their clients. She developed Write on Through programs for Boise addiction recovery clinics and writing workshops for stress reduction with hospital staff while at The Cabin literary center. She specializes in working with at-risk youth and people in transition, encouraging creative expression as an alternative to destructive behaviors. Josephines engaging and energetic presentation style inspires workshop participants to stretch beyond their self-concept as non-writers or victims to see themselves as creators of their lives.
Workshop participants will write together, practice relaxation response techniques, and devise personal pain management plans. Materials provided include an advance copy of the new Sane in Pain and either a downloadable .doc or print journal to use during the workshop. $90 – $230, sliding fee. Pay what you can afford. No one turned away for lack of funds. To register, use the PayPal button below to pay with Credit Card or PayPal, or you may contact Josephine at 720.489.7188 or Josephinejones33@gmail.com