A Plethora of Resources to Inspire & Inform, Embolden & Encourage
Creativity: Ideas/Practices
This section is being added to regularly. Check back often!
RESOURCES
22 Rules of Storytelling according to Pixar
Commonplace Books: The What, How & Why
Start commonplacing today!
POETRY & CREATIVE WRITING: PRACTICES/IDEAS
Oblique Strategies
Wonderfully weird, concise prompts. An idea for Oblique Strategies partnering:
Jane gets this prompt: “Go outside. Shut the door.” Harry spontaneously responds, “Yes, and…..I can’t find the door.” Keep writing dialogue back and forth without talking until you feel done. Then, write your own poems based on the material you just generated.
Prompts Through The Year: 52 Creative Writing Prompts
500 Writing Prompts for Narrative and Personal Writing and Poetry
Charles Bernstein’s Experiments
Vast territory here. Mr. Bernstein offers 100 (yes, 100) excursions into experiments guaranteed to loosen you up and keep you going.
Head Citations
This charming, innovative, hilarious 800 line list poem by Kenneth Goldsmith is composed entirely of misheard song lyrics. Try this yourself; incorporate news headlines, overheard conversations, etc.
Unlost: Journal of Found Poetry & Art
Fantastic! Stellar collection of centos, erasure, and other forms of found poetry.
The Image List: Starting With Images
I love this exercise for priming the poetry pump.
BOOKS
23 Sandy Gallery.
You’ll wanna poke around here to check out these unique, limited edition artist books.
Alisa Golden, Making Handmade Books 100 + Bindings Structures and Forms, Lark Crafts, 2010
ENCOURAGEMENT
DO!! Extraordinary, powerful advice from Sol Le Witt to Eva Hesse
Fantastic article by genius Michael Leunig: Regressive Painting & The Holy Fool
Polyvagal Theory & Practices
This page is frequently updated, so check back from time to time.
Excellent 8 minute video
Terrific video on nervous system dysregulation/regulation from The Trauma Foundation. Explains nervous system functions from the polyvagal perspective, though not how nervous system states drive perception.
Polyvagal Theory: Systems of Feeling – An Introduction
Nervous System Regulation Activities: Supporting Awareness, Embodiment & Resilience
Basic and vital practices that support self-regulation, complete with rationales for each practice.
Am I Safe With You? Our Polyvagal Radar
Exploring the Science of Safety and Connection
Super awesome! User-friendly slides that map regulation/dysregulation from Deb Dana.
Interview with Deb Dana
The ever-wonderful Deb Dana on befriending your nervous system
A Beginner’s Guide to Polyvagal Theory by Deb Dana
And Dutcher’s amazing Self-Help Lab index
An astounding compilation of resources, practices and explanations, all from a PVT perspective.
Deb Dana Interview: Story Follows State, Climbing the Ladder & Diagnosis
FREE Healing Trauma Video Series with Irene Lyon
Excellent educational series about polyvagal theory and healing trauma.
Excerpt from an interview with Dr. Stephen Porges from Yoga International
The Vagus Nerve – Your Superhighway to Health:
The simplest vagal stimulation that you can recruit is being able to exhale slowly…Stimulating the vagus nerve with slow exhales slows down the heart rate and gives your body cues of safety…When you inhale, your heart rate goes up. And when you exhale, your heart rate goes down. If you spend more of your time exhaling, you calm your body down. If you shift rations so that most of the time you’re inhaling, you’re hyperventilating…When you see anxious people, they’re inhaling on virtually every sentence or every word. They’re huffing and puffing.
How We Learn Co-Regulation Skills with Beth Dennison – 15 minutes
Excellent but for one slide at 8:38-10:01 minutes. In the last two bullet points about benefits for increasing self-regulation, she includes not wanting people to be disappointed in or ashamed of us or calling us quitters. These are not healthy adult motivations for increasing self-regulation. Otherwise, a skillful, clear, concise video that anyone interested in co-regulation should see.
Polyvagal Practices with Suki Baxter
Vagus Nerve Reset
It’s all about physiology
BREATHE!
Coherence Breathing
Coherence breathing brings all systems of the body into coherence and stimulates ventral vagal dominance.
5 minute breath practice with Allison Terrell, and a 20 minute option
Coherence Breathing: 2 Bells with Sinusoidal Pacing
Almost an hour of coherence breathing on YouTube; this is fantastic.
Excellent summary of James Nestor’s book, Breath
Rob Orman from Orman Physician Coaching.
The Art of Breathing (transcript & podcast)
A gathering of YouTube videos by Luke Horton
Lots of great stuff from this guy. Check him out!
Three breathing exercises for settling the nervous system.
Takes a mere five minutes! Includes Box Breathing, 2:1 Ratio and 1:1 Ratio Breathing
Breath exercise to increase heart rate variability
Excellent and relaxing!
For Parents, Caregivers, Educators (and anybody who cares about kids)
Fantastic guidance from Dr. Laura from prenatal through late adolescence:
https://www.ahaparenting.com/
Samantha Moe: awesome article:
https://samanthamoe.com/kids-dont-fall-apart-because-they-feel-safe/
Here With You Parenting is Sam Cuming’s wonderful polyvagal informed website. She refers to the ventral vagal state as safe and social. The term engaged and connected is also commonly used.
Three short reads on Sam’s website:
How to shift from fight/flight back to a peaceful, loving-state
Why it’s easy for the nervous system to get stuck in threat states
How we can embody healthy aggression
Video: How We Impact Our Children’s Nervous System with Dr. Stephen Porges
How we impact our children’s nervous systems, with Dr. Stephen Porges
An important read, even if a child hasn’t been diagnosed with oppositional-defiant disorder, which is based on misunderstaning of the behaviors associated with this diagnosis. Dr. Mona Delahooke lays out principles that apply across to board to all of us.
Oppositional defiance and faulty neuroception
Couples
I’m always adding to this page; come back soon for more resources.
Wheel of Consent
An excellent resource for exploring consent for both sexual and non-sexual touch.
http://singingphoenix.com/xtra/share/3minutegame.pdf
Stable Inner Self Connection
This overview yet packed with principles about the relationship between self-regulation and differentiation.
This is essential learning for humans. Copyrighted material; please do not reproduce without permission.
PVT and Neurodivergence/Autism
Helpful and straightforward, from Dr. Stephen Porges, founder of Polyvagal Theory:
Stephen Porges on hoe the brain-body connection may ease autistic-people’s social problems/
Terrific articles:
https://affectautism.com/2020/08/24/polyvagal