How Making Things Up Together Helps Us Deal With Reality
Jude Treder-Wolff (judetrederwolff) LCSW, CGP, MT & Certified Practitioner of Applied Improvisation, consultant/trainer and writer/performer. www.lifestage.org, www.mostlytruethings.com Resilience is a strength which, when we face a difficult reality that stretches our capacity to cope, doesn’t go away. It provides a kind of emotional and cognitive elasticity we need to reimagine our lives when they are turned upside-down. Improv is an ideal playground for developing this elasticity. From the very start of…
Its Not Magic: How “Heroic Improv” Training Can Bring Out Our Best At The Worst Of Times
Jude Treder-Wolff (judetrederwolff) LCSW, CGP, MT & Certified Practitioner of Applied Improvisation, consultant/trainer and writer/performer. www.lifestage.org, www.mostlytruethings.com There are real-life, high-stakes situations in which moment-to-moment choices can have life or death consequences, specifically “no-notice” events like natural disasters, or shootings, which are, sadly, increasingly a possibility anyone might have to deal with in a public space. These situations call for the ability to prioritize and problem-solve under pressure and connect rapidly with other…
Rx Improv: How Group Creative Experiences Boost Mental Health
Jude Treder-Wolff (judetrederwolff) LCSW, CGP, MT & Certified Practitioner of Applied Improvisation, consultant/trainer and writer/performer. www.lifestage.org, www.mostlytruethings.com After a difficult year of separation from loved ones due to the pandemic, ongoing uncertainty about our health and safety, and the pressures of negotiating the post-pandemic social environment we need to do all we can to build each other up and maintain mental health. Improv can be a non-medical, unconventional resource that can…
No kidding: Theater improv makes you happier, creative, tolerant of uncertainty
Interesting study from researchers at the University of Michigan on the therapeutic benefits of improv. We appreciate this type of thoughtful approach to the topic. From the article….. ANN ARBOR—Can theater improvisation actually make adults feel better and more creative? “Yes, and …” A new study by researchers at the University of Michigan and Stony Brook University found that 20 minutes of improv experience causes people to feel comfortable and…
Life is a gift, and I am filled with gratitude
I ask myself the same essential question that my clients pose in my office every day without exception. How do I find happiness and live a normal, decent life in the face of the personal trials all families encounter? My answer is fundamental to my way of life and the foundation of my practice. I am grateful for all that is good in my life. I am mindful to expand my…
Sarah Mahoney says “No joke: the serious role of improv in medicine”
Sarah Mahoney has written a great article on the use of improv to improve communication skills in the medical field. We think everyone should read her article regardless of the field they are in. There is something for everyone here. Read it here: https://www.aamc.org/news-insights/no-joke-serious-role-improv-medicine
Improv Therapy – Transforming Lives in the Special Needs Community | Jody Wood | TEDxWilmingtonLive
Jody Wood gets it. Listen to him talk about the transformative power of improv. Jody Wood is an actor whose life was transformed by using improv to transform the lives of others. Transforming Lives in the Special Needs Community | Jody Wood | TEDxWilmingtonLive
Clay Drinko says Play Your Way Sane: How Improvisation Changes the Brain
Clay Drinko gets it! After stumbling into Improv over 20 years ago, he has made a career as an educator, an improviser and author. He has very insightful and interesting things to say – you should get to know him! Read here how to ‘Play You Way Sane“.
Neural Substrates of Spontaneous Musical Performance: An fMRI Study of Jazz Improvisation – A Study by Charles Limb and Allen Braun
Charles Limb and Allen Braun used fMRI (Functional MRI) to study the parts of the brains activated during spontaneous musical performance or improvisation. This study showed that there is a ” distributed neural pattern may provide a cognitive context that enables the emergence of spontaneous creative activity.” We find this very interesting as it applies also to improvisation in endeavors other than musical improvisation, such as comedic improvisation and the day-to-day…
This is your brain on improv – a Podcast by Patrick Cox from the World in Words series
We were blown away by this podcast. Listen to the Worlds in Words’ explore how an improvising brain behaves differently than a non-improvising brain. You can also subscribe to the World in Words podcast series here. But right now listen to “This is your brain on improv” .