Art Therapy

Perceptual Skills

PuzzleArt Therapy: Learning Through Levels

The basic PuzzleArt Therapy System has three levels, each with several modules that help participants learn, develop, and refine a variety of skills. The levels are set up to move the participant from simple to more complex challenges, though each level and each exercise within the levels can be repeated over and over, without the risk of it becoming boring or repetitive. This is a result of the open-ended format of PuzzleArt Therapy. While there are specific directions that teach the eyes and brain to look for connections, paths, and ways to solve problems, there are no specific right or wrong answers, but instead, a plethora of potential solutions waiting to be discovered! Level One Modules  The goal of the level one modules is to familiarize one’s self with the PuzzleArt pieces, relate more closely to them, and practice working with them while developing solid breathing and relaxation practices. Through the exercises in this level, participants will first become oriented with the PuzzleArt pieces, and will be guided through exercises that help them make connections between colors, shapes, lines, edges, as well as providing them with an opportunity to manipulate the pieces to form their own patterns and designs; becoming a visual artist right from the beginning! Participants will be making these connections in a way that unifies physical movements with visual tracking. Neural pathways will be developed and strengthened while they settle in with the mesmerizing PuzzleArt pieces that are just irresistible – they are made to be touched and that is exactly what participants will want to do! As they work through the levels, participants will be challenged to break away from the obvious connections and find more subtle associations, ones that might even seem to “break” rules they didn’t even realize they were attempting to impose (for example, connecting the pieces in a way that lines, colors, or textures align but in which the actual pieces don’t square up – it sounds simple, but you’d be surprised at how many people think squares must be evenly lined up with each other in order to be “right!”).   Level Two Modules The level two modules are dynamic and creative. As participants move deeper into the PuzzleArt universe, they will learn how to expand their creative horizons. This level guides participants through a process that helps them see the pieces instead of just look at them. It then takes them through guided exercises to examine what they see, and observe how that changes as they follow the exercises. They’re then taken through a series of questions that prompts them to critically evaluate and synthesize both what they’ve seen and the process they’ve gone through. We continue to develop guided relaxation and breathing techniques in this level, as well as adding in more whole-body movements that strengthen bilateral skills. Level Three Modules The level three modules deal with feelings and emotions related to the colors, shapes, textures, and lines of the PuzzleArt pieces, but more deeply, it is about recognizing the value of owning one’s emotions, viewpoint, and perspective. Challenges in this level have the participant literally take on a new perspective of the PuzzleArt Pieces, from changing their position in relation to the pieces, changing the piece’s relationship to the viewer, and changing how the viewer uses their eyes to see what they’re working on. “[PuzzleArt] is opening my mind to see different things. I’m able to take something that’s a challenge and step back and see things from a different perspective.” — Kathy Viola, a Senior Sales Director for Mary Kay Cosmetics quoted in New York Newsday These three levels serve as an introduction to the basic PuzzleArt Therapy System, which all told, develops more than twenty skills, including: Amblyopia / Suppression Bilateral Integration Binocular Skills Cognitive and Problem-Solving Skills Creativity Directionality Gross + Fine Motor Letter + Word Recognition Memory Near / Far Focus Oculomotor Peripheral Vision Sensory PuzzleArt Protocol Spatial Relationships Visual: Closure, Discrimination, Figure /Ground, Perception Visualization And more!   Sign up today for a free brain game, and get a glimpse of what PuzzleArt Therapy is all about! Alli Berman is a Brain Fitness expert and the Eye Brain Fitness Guru. She has been an artist, author, educator, creativity consultant, workshop leader,  perceptual and sensory products and programs developer, and motivational speaker for the past 30+ years. Berman has served as an educational advisor to the American Academy for Anti-Aging Medicine for over 30 years, and she is the founder of The Art of Rehabilitation and Anti-Aging Art. She created the PuzzleArt Therapy System in collaboration with behavioral optometrist, Susan Fisher, OD, and through consultation with neuroscientists around the world. Berman uses the system herself on a daily basis to keep her own brain as healthy, engaged, and challenged as possible!

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Tomorrow\’s PuzzleArt Training Agenda

Hi everyone, It’s not too late to register for our PuzzleArt Therapy Training! The event is Date: ТВА PuzzleArt Therapy Training Program Brochure June 8 2014 Full Day of Training: Fulfills Level One Requirement for the PuzzleArt™ Therapist Certification 9:00 – 9:15 Registration and Networking Bring business cards and prepare to connect to peers in Occupational Therapy and other fields. 9:15 -10:45 Overview: Visual Skills, Terminology and the PuzzleArt Checklist for Visual Skills Learn the developmental progression of visual skills necessary for success in the classroom or clinic. 10:45-11:00 Coffee break/snacks 11:00 -12:15 Introduction to PuzzleArt, the concepts and the PuzzleArt Therapy products Work with original hand painted PuzzleArt individually and in groups. 12:15 – 1:00 Lunch and Q&A for individual cases 1:00 -1:30 PuzzleArt Therapy System – Hands-on training w/Challenge Grids Engage with different PuzzleArt prod- ucts, paintings and strategies which help develop a variety of important perceptual skills. No art ability necessary. 1:30 -2:00 Practice our special sensory techniques. 2:00 -2:45 PuzzleArt Skill Builders and the proprioceptive differences for wall and table Learn how to use a variety of our different Skill Builders for near/far focus work, discrimination, tracking, coordination, sensory PuzzleArt Protocols, more. Explore Solo Play and Partner Play. 2:45 -3:30 Explore our Activity Books + Card Packs Learn some of the hundreds of activities. 3:30 – 3:45 Coffee break/snacks 3:45 -4:15 Tactile Play with Original PuzzleArt WallWorks and TableWorks Explore the colorful and fun original interactive art that is at the core of the PuzzleArt Therapy System. 4:15- 4:30 Summary / closing remarks See you tomorrow! Alli Berman

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Register for PuzzleArt Therapy Training at our Group Rate!

Hi everyone, Our next PuzzleArt Therapy Training is this coming Date: TBA. Lock in our group registration rate of $230 if you register three or more people! – Register Early – Space Limited – Six Credit Hours of Education in Our Certification Program held at: Long Island Vision Care Dr. Susan Fisher 1600 Stewart Avenue Corner Merrick Ave Suite 108 Westbury, NY 11590 Easy Free Parking PuzzleArtTM Therapy Training Program Create your best day, Alli Berman

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Is PuzzleArt Therapy Right for Your Clients?

Through years of collaboration with neuroscientists, behavioral optometrists, anti-aging experts, educators and others, I developed the PuzzleArt Therapy system. This system uses one-of-a-kind abstract art paired with exercises that will lead your clients through new ways of thinking, seeing, processing, and creating. It encourages the body and brain to work together, developing visual perceptual skills, improving memory, encouraging neuroplasticity, and increasing communication across the corpus callosum. It\’s also the first therapy to combine binocular, perceptual, and sensory therapy with hands-on abstract art. One of the most appealing aspects of PuzzleArt Therapy is that it is fun and relaxing. The phrase visual therapy has a heavy connotation to it, and in our busy lives, it\’s sometimes overwhelming to think about dedicating time to yet another task. But moving through the modules of Puzzle Art therapy is easy, fun, relaxing, and takes only minutes a day! Even the most reluctant of patients can be enticed to give it a try. The versatility of PuzzleArt Therapy is also astounding. From 3 to 103, everyone can benefit in different ways, building a better brain along the way! The College of Optometrists in Visual Development recognizes 17 skills that are necessary to succeed in reading, learning, sports, and throughout life – and PuzzleArt Therapy can help to develop and strengthen all of those areas. Those skills encompass: Eye Movement Control Simultaneous Focus at Far Sustaining Focus at Far Simultaneous Focus at Near Sustaining Focus at Near Simultaneous Alignment at Far Sustaining Alignment at Far Simultaneous Alignment at Near Sustaining Alignment at Near Central Vision (Visual Acuity) Peripheral Vision Depth Awareness Color Perception Gross Visual-Motor Fine Visual-Motor Visual Perception Visual Integration While those visual skills are vital, PuzzleArt Therapy doesn\’t stop at just working on strengthening those competencies. The benefits are far reaching! Children From the preschool child to the high school student, PuzzleArt Therapy can help students succeed in and out of the classroom. Children need complex hand-eye coordination, the ability to coordinate gross motor skills and fine motor skills, and near and far focus to do close-up work as well as view teacher demonstrations or the blackboard. PuzzleArt Therapy strengthens all of those skills, and more, including: Bilateral Integration Binocular Skills Letter + Word Recognition Directionality Spatial Relationships Visual: Closure, Discrimination, Figure /Ground, Perception In addition, children who have developed conditions such as strabismus, amblyopia, or refractive errors can benefit from  the strategic visual perceptual skill builders within the PuzzleArt Therapy System. Adults At its most basic level, PuzzleArt Therapy is an easy, engaging, and fun method of practiced relaxation. It can have a meditative quality, which can help reduce stress, anxiety, and lower blood pressure. Relaxation is not the only benefit, though. As your clients arrange and rearrange the pieces, they will find themselves becoming completely absorbed, making connections of line, color, shape, and texture as they work through the therapeutic modules. Tuning-in to their creativity, they will find they\’ve tuned-out worries, concerns, and problems. But as they make new connections and see patterns and solutions that weren\’t immediately obvious, they may find themselves open to new solutions in other areas of their lives as well. Finding solutions to problems within the pieces can translate into improved problem solving throughout life. Maslow is quoted as saying, “If the only tool you have is a hammer, every problem starts to look like a nail.” If all of your clients problems are nails, it may be time for new tools! Of course, adults benefit from the strengthening of visual perceptual skills, as well. The PuzzleArt Therapy system can improve cognitive and problem-solving skills, strengthen memory, aid in visualization – all skills that increase productivity, decrease stress, and add to the enjoyment of life! Keeping the brain active, engaged, and challenged is one of the major secrets to living a long and happy life – and PuzzleArt Therapy can help your clients do just that. Special Populations Those who have suffered a traumatic brain injury, stroke, post-traumatic stress disorder,  or have a family history of Alzheimer\’s or dementia can benefit greatly from the skill builders that can improve memory, problem-solving skills, gross and fine motor skills, binocular skills, and bilateral integration. Improving those areas can lead to a vastly improved quality of life – and after all, it\’s not just the quantity of our years that matters, but the quality. Try PuzzleArt Therapy for yourself today – just sign up here for your free brain game – that you might live younger, longer, and stronger! Alli Berman is a Brain Fitness expert and the Eye Brain Fitness Guru. She has been an artist, author, educator, creativity consultant, workshop leader,  perceptual and sensory products and programs developer, and motivational speaker for the past 30+ years. Berman has served as an educational advisor to the American Academy for Anti-Aging Medicine for over 30 years, and she is the founder of The Art of Rehabilitation and Anti-Aging Art. She created the PuzzleArt Therapy System in collaboration with behavioral optometrist, Susan Fisher, OD, and through consultation with neuroscientists around the world. Berman uses the system herself on a daily basis to keep her own brain as healthy, engaged, and challenged as possible! [CONTACT_FORM_TO_EMAIL]

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PuzzleArt Therapy: How it Came to Be

My life was on track and I was going places. I was a talented young executive in my 30s, still enjoying the invincibility of youth. For a decade, I had my own international award-winning design and marketing firm in NYC, with some two dozen employees. I wasn\’t on my way to living the dream – I was living the dream! I had worked tirelessly to get there, and I never imagined I could lose it all in an instant. But everything changed when I suffered a stroke. No one expects their life to change dramatically and without warning, especially with something like a stroke, which most people think of as \”something that happens to someone else,\” or someone older, or someone more disease prone. But it happened to me, and suddenly, everything in my life was changed. A cerebrovascular accident (CVA) or stroke occurs when blood flow to the brain is restricted and it results in cell death in the brain. Stroke survivors\’ lives are impacted in different ways, and the effects of the stroke depend mostly on the location of the stroke and the extent of brain tissue damage.  Common effects include: Paralysis on the opposite side of the body where the stroke occurred Memory loss Speech/language problems Vision problems Changes in behavior In the following years, I found myself on a seesaw. One part of me missed the fast-paced excitement of the business world. That was the life I wanted, but I could no longer function in it. My pragmatic half, however, moved toward new horizons. Finding a New Path to Recovery After my debilitating illness, I was grateful my right side was still working and my long- term memories were intact, but I felt adrift. It was difficult to concentrate. Short term memory deficits plagued me, and aphasia impacted my communication skills. I didn’t know where to turn, but I knew something had to change. When I suffered the stroke and then began the long road to recovery, I had made a promise – to myself, to the universe – that if I got through this, I would give back to humanity. I wasn\’t sure what that would mean, or how it would look, but I knew I would spend my life giving back. At that point in my journey, I was working on finding a new normal and recovering from my stroke, when one day, I felt restless. I felt the urge do something creative. I realized I had so much art bursting out of me, so much to say with color, shape, texture, and line. I had always been artistic and loved anything to do with my hands: painting, sculpture, calligraphy arts, crafts, flower arranging, trompe l’oeil, Japanese sumi-brush, weaving, needlepoint, crocheting, knitting, macrame, gardening, sewing, cooking — the list just went on and on. But above all, there was always painting. So I began again, putting color on canvas and letting expressions of color, shape, texture, and line take over. I was always covered in paint. To this day, I don’t think there is much in my closet that isn’t paint-spattered, unless it’s brand new. But as I painted, I began to recover myself in ways I hadn\’t expected, though it\’s certainly not shocking given what a transformative and powerful tool we have in art as a therapy. What came out of all the personal challenges of those years was a system I slowly developed; it was a way to connect with all the answers the world was offering me. To understand my own circumstances, I had delved into the world of neuroscience and vision therapy, connecting the dots between vision and brain health, learning the best ways to promote optimal brain activity and brain-body communication, and systematically putting those tools into practice. From Pain to Progress to PuzzleArt The result was PuzzleArt Therapy, a way to find happiness and live younger, live longer, and get stronger. PuzzleArt Therapy was born out of my journey from a debilitating stroke, and what began as an exploration of creativity and color and line for myself, grew into a visual perceptual therapy system designed to stimulate the brain and improve over 20 different skills. As I collaborated with neuroscientists, behavioral optometrists, anti-aging experts, and educators in order to realize the potential of PuzzleArt Therapy, it dawned on me that I had found my way to give back, and I\’ve been doing it ever since, dedicated to creating my own best life by helping others create theirs. I use PuzzleArt Therapy myself every day and I see the results in my own life on a continual basis. PuzzleArt Therapy was developed out of a specific need, but its applications are truly endless. Sign up to try out my free brain game, and may you live younger, longer, and stronger through creativity every day! Alli Berman is a Brain Fitness expert and the Eye Brain Fitness Guru. She has been an artist, author, educator, creativity consultant, workshop leader,  perceptual and sensory products and programs developer, and motivational speaker for the past 30+ years. Berman has served as an educational advisor to the American Academy for Anti-Aging Medicine for over 30 years, and she is the founder of The Art of Rehabilitation and Anti-Aging Art. She created the PuzzleArt Therapy System in collaboration with behavioral optometrist, Susan Fisher, OD, and through consultation with neuroscientists around the world. Berman uses the system herself on a daily basis to keep her own brain as healthy, engaged, and challenged as possible!

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Meet Linda, one of our PuzzleArt Therapy Trainers!

Hi everyone, Our next PuzzleArt Therapy Training is Sunday, June 8th from 9 a.m. till 4:30 p.m. Meet our trainers! Linda Hindy-Telford, OTD, OTR/L, BCP is a practicing Occupational Therapist specializing in pediatrics for the past 30+ years in schools and home care. As a Clinical Assistant Professor at Stony Brook University, she has taught Pediatrics, Sensory Integration, and Assistive Technology. Linda received her BS in OT from SUNY Downstate, her Masters in Education from NYIT, and her OT doctorate from Rocky Mountain University. Create your best day, Alli Berman

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Meet Susan, one of our PuzzleArt Therapy Trainers!

Hi everyone, Our PuzzleArt Therapy Training live event is next Sunday, June 8th form 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. PuzzleArt Therapy Training Program Brochure June 8 2014 Meet our trainers! Susan Fisher, OD is a developmental optometrist in private practice for 26 years in Westbury, NY. She has been providing vision care at The United Cerebral Palsy Association of Nassau County for 16 years and is the President of the New York State Optometric Association. Susan received her Doctor of Optometry from the SUNY College of Optometry. Register today! Alli Berman

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The Early Bird Catches the Worm! Register for PuzzleArt Therapy Training!

Hi everyone, The next PuzzleArt Therapy live, hands-on training is June 8th. Claim your seat during early bird registration, which ends on May 30th. PuzzleArt Therapy Training Program Brochure June 8 2014 PuzzleArt™ and PuzzleArt™ Therapy products are used in private and military hospitals, clinics, universities, schools, therapy offices, and rehabilitation centers throughout the US and in 15 other countries for: • ADD / ADHD • Alzheimer’s • Anti Aging • Brain Fitness • Dementia • Developmental Delay • Occupational Therapy • Strabismus Therapy • Sports Therapy • Traumatic Brain Injury • Vision Therapy • more . . . Register now! Alli Berman

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Attend PuzzleArt Therapy\’s Training Live in New York!

Hi everyone, Register for the next PuzzleArt Therapy Training June 8th from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Use what you learn the very next day! Early bird registration ends on May 30th. PuzzleArt Therapy Training Program Brochure June 8 2014 Our six credit hours of training will give you the tools, techniques and materials to begin screening, assessing, and treating both children and adults with a variety of abilities. You will be able to use the PuzzleArtTherapy System concepts and products immediately in your practice. Space is limited so reserve your seat today! Alli Berman

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Get our PuzzleArt Therapy Training Group Discount!

Hi everyone, Register three or more for the PuzzleArt Training program, and receive our group discount of just $230. The training will be on June 8th from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. PuzzleArt Therapy Training Program Brochure June 8 2014. Cost of the PuzzleArt Therapy Training Program: Full cost of $265 for the six hours of training includes: networking, handouts and PuzzleArt products valued at $200. Coffee, tea, snacks and kosher lunch will be provided. Individual cases can be discussed with our professionals. Begin to use the program with your population the very next day. Learn a new technique, broaden your training, and help your client/patient/student populations in an innovative colorful and fun way. Certificate of Level One completion presented at end of the course. Register now! Alli Berman

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