Nourishing your Nervous System through Expressive Arts and Ecopsychology

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Join therapists and CIIS faculty in Expressive Arts Nicki Koethner and Suraya Keating for an experiential workshop designed to help you reconnect with your intuition, instincts, and the wisdom of your body through creative expression and connection with nature.  

In a world that often feels disconnected, Nicki and Suraya invite you to find a deeper sense of grounding and belonging through the profound relationship between nature and the arts. Discover nature-based and expressive arts practices that can help regulate an overwhelmed nervous system, especially when facing collective or personal trauma. Whether you have access to a forest or simply a houseplant, you will learn to connect with the elemental energies of nature to explore what is alive and stirring within you. Deepen your experience by exploring your inner landscape through a blend of journaling, artmaking, poetry, and movement.  

In this nourishing workshop, participants also learn nervous system regulation through practices that support the body’s innate wisdom, helping you be with difficult emotions, and identify pathways to healing. Discover a renewed sense of connection to your body and the natural world as well as a clearer connection to your soul's wisdom and inner knowing. Walk away with a practical toolkit of expressive arts and nature-based practices for stress management and nervous system regulation. 

Nicki Koethner, MA, MFT, is a Somatic Expressive Arts Psychotherapist, educator, and multi-media artist specializing in transforming trauma into empowerment. With a devotion to embodied, earth-based spirituality, she has worked in diverse settings, including jails, streets, community centers, and hospitals. Nicki currently has a private practice in Oakland, CA, and serves as Adjunct faculty at Sofia University and California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS). She also facilitates international healing ceremonies and workshops. Learn more about Nicki at www.express-explore-expand.com. 

Suraya Keating, MFT, is an Expressive Arts Therapist, Registered Drama Therapist, adjunct professor at CIIS, and founder of Soul Story Theater. She is passionate about helping people embody their truth, unleash bold self-expression, and connect to their bodies and hearts. She has brought drama and expressive arts into prisons, hospitals, schools, and juvenile halls, while training therapists, teachers, and leaders in innovative, arts-based approaches to transformation. Suraya co-founded Marin Shakespeare’s Returned Citizens’ Theatre Troupe, amplifying the voices of artists impacted by incarceration. A longtime mama, actress, director, playback artist, mystic, and lover of wild places, she recently directed So This is Menopause and co-edited Inner Wild: Musings from Expressive Arts & Ecopsychology. Learn more about Suraya at www.suraya.org and www.soulstorytheater.com. 

Accessibility Information 
If you need to request accessibility accommodations, please email publicprograms@ciis.edu at least one week prior to the event. For more information, explore our Accessibility web page. 
 

Recording Policy 
Portions of this workshop will be recorded, and limited access to a recording will be made available to all ticket buyers. 
 

Refund Policy 
Tickets for this event are fully refundable up to 7 days prior to the event. No refunds are available within 7 days of the event except for CIIS Public Programs Members, who can get a full refund up to 24 hours before the event. Read our full refund policy on our Frequently Asked Questions web page.