News of our fall Arts & Healing Retreats…

Our 11th Annual Arts & Healing Retreat from September 18-20 at Great Camp Sagamore was a huge success! We told stories, sang songs, played with dreams, journaled, created fantastical art works and stretched in yoga. Many said it was the best retreat so far.
In October, we held a second retreat at the Irondequoit Inn on Piseco Lake. We had new staff members who were graduates of our Spring Training Retreat and they did an amazing job. The words of one of our participants say it best: “What a truly relaxing, healing retreat. I am so blessed to have had the opportunity to meet so many wonderful, beautiful, strong, brave women. It's great to know that I’m not alone and that my thoughts and feelings are normal…the painting, making beads out of clay, playing out little skits and dressing up in funny clothing…the laughter alone was grand. Everyone comes with their own baggage and each one leaves stronger, happy, and I believe with a lighter shoulder and heart.”

Scholarships still available for both retreats!

We still have scholarships available for the October 23-25 retreat at the Irondequoit Inn on Piseco Lake as well as a couple for the September 18-20 retreat to be held at Great Camp Sagamore. This time away is a rare gift for yourself and it will cost you nothing. Go to the Retreats page for more details or contact us. We will be happy to answer any questions you have.
We hope to see you there!

Feedback about the 1st Annual Women Veterans’ Arts & Reintegration Retreat

Our first annual Women Veterans’ Arts & Reintegration Retreat was a remarkable journey for all who participated… We wanted to share with you some of the images and thoughts from this memorable retreat.

This program needs to be expanded so more women could benefit.
This has been more than any retreat…that I have been to before.
Very positive
It was great. Now I can say I have a network.

There were no judgments. It was great.
Surprisingly very safe.
Did not feel I had to control emotions.
Encouraged, in fact.
I am not alone. There were others.

It really helps female veterans unwind and speak up.
I think it is a fantastic way to elicit emotional expression and reintegration.
This way I can understand myself a little better.

Creativity is SO important for healing!!
Listened to our stories without judgment.
Everything was perfect for me.

I don’t know if the belly dancing was officially a workshop but I plan to start dancing and using my body to express and heal myself.
Never tried yoga or Reiki before so it was a great chance to do so.
I know I need to incorporate all of these more.
Yoga was a little much for me.
This is the best that has happened to me.

What was your favorite thing about your experience at this retreat?

The laughter.
The physical space.
Chance to meet other people and bond.
A safe place to let myself go...
learn from the beauty and freedom of the other women.
Women fellowship.
Freedom of expression in a non-judgmental space.
The way the women bonded with each other.
All; can not pick out just one. Thanks.

The location with the history of offering a beautiful respite for immigrant women.
Connecting with other women veterans.
Everything … was awesome.
Thank you.

Women Veterans' Retreat a huge success!

In August, we had our first annual Women Veterans’ Arts & Reintegration Retreat at Wiawaka Holiday House on the shores of Lake George. It was fantastic! We are very excited by the feedback from our participants. Check back to the blog throughout this month to see their pictures and read their thoughts.

In the meantime, try if you can to conjure up in your mind a group of women who have been through life altering events in the military. They are brought together for the express purpose of finding a community and sharing their stories through various art forms. To read more details about the event click here.

Also, Pat Bradley of WAMC Radio came on the last day and interviewed several of our participants.
Click here to listen to the WAMC report.

We are already looking forward to next August and our 2nd Annual Women Veterans’ Retreat! If you were a part of our first retreat, please share your stories with our readers by clicking on the comment link below!

New PR about our upcoming Veterans' Retreat!

During this past week, we had interviews on both WAMC Radio in Albany and NCPR (North Country Public Radio) in Canton about our upcoming women veterans' retreat as well as our two retreats for women with cancer and chronic illness. Also an article in the Albany Times Union and the Adirondack Daily Enterprise. I encourage you to check these out. It was so great to talk to all these folks and get the word out. We want more women registering for all our retreats! Any ideas for how we can spread the word are very welcome. We also encourage feedback from you about all our projects. We like to hear from you!

Thank you Garry Trudeau!

This past week we had the honor of receiving permission from Garry Trudeau to post one of his extraordinary DOONESBURY cartoons on our web site. This particular cartoon speaks to the life changing issues with which women veterans have to contend. You can check it out on our website:
http://creativehealingconnections.org/vetretreat.html

Thank you Susan G. Komen for the Cure!

Creative Healing Connections, Inc. is proud to announce that it has been awarded a grant from the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation! In addition to funding scientific research, Susan G. Komen for the Cure understands the importance of healing body, mind and spirit. The grant will be used to give women with breast cancer scholarships so that they attend one of our healing retreats.

Leslie Neustadt attended the Susan G. Komen for the Cure award ceremony on April 9, 2009 and expressed great appreciation for the generosity of the grant during these hard economic times. She shared the magic that is created during the healing retreats. The women who lead the retreat use story telling, singing and song writing, communal art making and yoga to build a supportive community in which women can come to terms with their illness. Leslie told the story of a woman who learned to forgive her body for betraying her.

This year's awards demonstrate Susan G. Komen for the Cure's commitment to local organizations and institutions that meet the needs of women who are struggling with breast cancer. The awards reflect Komen's determination to reach under served women without health insurance and women who have difficulty accessing medical care and complementary services. Creative Healing Connections intends to partner with these organizations to offer its healing retreats to women in need.