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The Inventor
Sandy Van Hoose Saunders was one of the co-founders of the Institute of Preventive Medicine in Washington, D.C.Click here for LinkedIn ProfileThis set the precedence for many of today's similar institutions. As an early advocate for an integrated program of nutrition and holistic health, she developed the educational newspaper, "Preventive Medicine Forum". And was an early promoter of radio and television programs to increase public awareness of health issues, as well as, seminars, conventions and lectures at the university level. To promote early education, she created a television character for a children's show, programs in the public school system, and a motivational plan to enroll disadvantage children and their parents into a free health care program. She served on a government agency board to remove highly processed snacks from the public school system. When a series of life changing events occurred, she was lead to experts in the field of attitudinal, spiritual, emotional and physical healing. Listening to audio tapes and reading everything she could find. Gerald G. Jampolsky, MD, the founder of The Center for Attitudinal Healing, speaking on Love and Forgiveness.She was fascinated with O. Carl Simonton, MD techniques of teaching patients to heal their cancer with visualization. She did affirmation work reading Louise L. Hay's "You Can Heal Your Life". Her work included visualization and replacing fear with love. Dr. Wayne Dyer tapes gave encouragement and motivation for continuing to reach the goal. In her words: "I was commuting 180 miles a day and thank God for these tapes. I studied daily and with the help of these books and tapes I crawled out of the mire of dis-order I was consumed in. I listened to my tailor made affirmation tape twice a day and they started to manifest into a new reality for me. I "stopped for a brief moment in time, stopped commuting and stepped out of my comfort zone and onto a new path." Then through a series of dreams and inner felt events the “DISCOVERING ME DOLL" was born.Moving from public education to the area of "Listening and Touch", she became an advocate and teacher for the elderly, developmentally and mentally disabled. A unique contribution to this work was counseling and speaking on the power transition struggles of the aged and disabled. It was in this work she gained insight to the re-occurring theme that dis-ease caused by undelivered communication is transferred through the mind/body connection to reappear as physical pain in the body.Learning that not everyone can visualize the source of their body pain, Sandy VanHoose Saunders developed the four part DISCOVERING ME MIND / BODY PROCESS as a visual aid tool to allow for creative communication and healing. This tool is most helpful in discovering the emotions long consciously forgotten, but imprinted in the body from the beginning of the first action.The name "REGARDS GRAN'MA" goes back to a time when the extended family was a reality and "GRAN'MA" was an important, vital part of the family unit. "GRAN'MA" imparted advice through the wisdom of experience. "Welcome little child." "We're so glad you're here." "We regard you with highest esteem." Sandy is GRAN'MA to Ocean Jade and Tylan Michael.
Furbuddies!!! for Hospitals and Schools
Made in the U.S.A. - The Discovering Me Furbuddies are soft, fuzzy, unique, bears, lambs and rabbits that offer interactive play for all children. They promote:* INTELLIGENT LISTENING * CREATIVE COMMUNICATION * LEARNING AND IT'S A COMPANION BUDDY. Click here for FeedbackChildren are facinated with the discovering me furbiddies mind, heart, tummy and imagination found inside the toy.Inside of all of those soft pockets are puzzle pieces with age appropriate prompts or statements that will stimulate thought, imagination and questions to ponder. The "I Love Myself" rap can be sung while at play, encouraging how we can recognize and talk about our feelings. This may teach some children information resulting in a healthy self esteem and body to last throughout their life. When the childrens fantasy puzzle is put together the child can take the child can take the imagination on a mystical dreamride.Price: $175.00 each
The Greenie-professional use
Made in the U.S.A. - The DISCOVERING ME DOLL has a light flexible body and opens from the back of the head and the front of the body. The sleepy face has “no emotion” allowing the “Child” to decide which emotion they are feeling. The doll is GREEN therefore not having any racial identity. This color was chosen due to the association with new growth and healing.Click here for FeedbackThe “Doll” resembles a child, because that is who we were when we made up our mind about the way the world worked for us. For instance, how to handle our grievances.*Laying the groundwork for being a victim of life. *Hiding our feelings. *Stifling our self-expression. *Putting on the "happy face". Truth and Understanding are an important process in helping the “child” to release un-communicated anger or feelings that will be found through the “Tools of Truth”. Price: $395 (Includes Manual on CD / Hardcopy and person to person instruction)
About Discovering Me
The DISCOVERING ME MIND/BODY PROCESS is designed to help the “Facilitator” recognize painful associations within the “Child” and how it makes them feel. Fear, anger and anxiety are shown to be the worst enemies of the physical body. Furthermore, the “Doll” and tools will assist in revealing and replacing these associations with a positive experience. After discovery, “The Child” can then “learn” to participate in their own healing process, using the healing abilities of their imagination. The DISCOVERING ME DOLL has a light flexible body and opens from the back of the head and the front of the body. The sleepy face has “no emotion” allowing the “Child” to decide which emotion they are feeling. The doll is GREEN therefore not having any racial identity. This color was chosen due to the association with new growth and healing.The “Doll” resembles a child, because that is who we were when we made up our mind about the way the world worked for us. For instance: *How to handle our grievances. *Laying the groundwork for being a victim of life. *Hiding our feelings. *Stifling our self-expression. *Putting on the "happy face". Truth and Understanding are an important process in helping the “child” to release un-communicated anger or feelings that will be found through the “Tools of Truth”. These tools are located inside the doll.
Discovering Me
Children/Adult Child has a wonderfully creative mind and great imaginative abilities. DISCOVERING ME DOLL is a innovative "Communication Tool" and "Learning Aid" that can provide effective therapeutic communication. As a Communication Tool, it facilitates creative communication, education and attitudinal healing by demonstrating the correlation between emotional and physical dis-ease. It can be used by a therapist or professional to walk hand in hand with an inner child onto his/her imaginative playground. It offers a way to communicate with all ages to enhance their self- esteem and uncover psychosomatic illnesses. As a Learning Aid it assists the child/adult to unlock the somatic record keeper to reaffirm positive thoughts that promote inner healing through exposing negative patterns. The four key skills and steps that the facilitator must use to get results are: *Discovery*Responsability*Action*Acceptance
Discovery Tools
Discovery Tools
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Discovery Feedback
Elizabeth Augustine Essner, MSCP School Counselor, Wailuku, MauiRE: Furbuddie's I am currently a school counselor who mainly works with special ed. children. Often times in counseling younger children have a hard time articulating what is troubling them. The therapy bear bridges the gap for client and counselor. It is an excellent and effective tool for the therapist to best reach and attend to the client needs in a playful and non-threatening way. Each bear is thoughtfully put together so that the child can playfully go through the different areas of the body that relate to thoughts or feelings for example the brain, or the heart. The bear is plush and gives a child the tactile sensation of softness which is naturally soothing. I have watched kids go through the doll/bear quickly like a puzzle they want to take apart; they love the sound of the Velcro as they open the heart or belly. I have watched other kids hold onto them and then after a while move through them, as they pet the bear. After playing with the bear or doll I have noted a significant number of kids coming into the office and the first thing they do is pick up the bear. Kids love how fun it is. My experience with using the therapy bear has been extremely positive. It is a thoughtfully designed doll that increases the positive outcome of play therapy.
Louis L. Aymard, Jr., Ph.D. Psychologist “The Discovering Me Doll” was universally loved by all the children who played with it. One seven year old boy with an attention deficit disorder was mesmerized by it. He spent hours negotiating with me to take it home with him. You have created a truly valuable resource for health, mental health, speech and occupational therapists. There are numerous, valuable psychotherapists toys for clinicians today and I am certain Discovering Me will take place among them as the most loved and used.”
Richard F. Dean Psychologist “Your Discovery Me communications doll” is a big success. I tried it with two tough cases and I feel that it was far easier to get them talking about their deepest feelings. The first was a thirteen your old girl who was reluctant to talk to male therapists…using the doll, she located the part of her body where she felt pain. I then asked to make up some explanations that the “Doll” might give for its pain. She was able to do this easily. The other case involved a woman who…in three years of therapy had been unable to identify some memories of her early childhood which she thought were related to her present difficulties with mild depression. She was amused and intrigued by the doll and quickly identified the heart as the source of her pain. Soon she was able to identify the memories associated with her heart, chest and throat pains. Other clients have also been intrigued and then aided in identifying somatic complaints and then moving on to cognitive structure underlying the pain”
Beth Lutz, MA RYT The green doll is very helpful for working with people who are coping in some way with learning to develop a coherent narrative in order to integrate trauma. The use of symbols and objects to connect to the body allow the client to use a transitional object to organize their experience. I find this is helpful in allowing the client to communicate things that as a therapist I might not notice as being their priority. For example, I was working with a self-harm client and she put the stomach into the head. She said she thought about food all the time. This allowed us to look at what else was in her head and what was in her stomach in lieu of food. This is also very helpful for bereavement when the client is not sure how they are feeling and can begin to explore the embodied experience of the trauma rather than remaining numb to effects. The right brain, which records trauma as well as symbols, is easily accessed with this therapy tool. I recommend it for any age although people working in individual issues or trauma are going to be particularly served by the process of discussing their play discoveries with the therapist. It looks like play, but it's neuroscience - somatic approach to healing.
Contact
sandyvsaunders_gmail.com
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