Classes, Groups & Workshops Winter 2025
As we settle in to our new location on Pine Hall Road in State College, The Healing Room will be offering a variety of classes and workshops. From movement and mindfulness, to expressive arts and self-care, be sure to subscribe to our newsletter (scroll to bottom) to stay up to date on all of our offerings!
THIRD WEDNESDAY EACH MONTH!
6:00-8:00pm
June 18 | July 16 | August 20
An exploration into the power of sound to reset the nervous system and unlock transformative healing. Achieve calming balance through the combination of music and mindfulness This group incorporates simple drumming, rhythmic exercises and mindfulness practice into a fun therapeutic experience of connection and emotional regulation and expression. No experience is necessary to participate. Instruments will be provided but feel free to bring your own as well. Groups led by Josh Crownover, LAPC.
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Benefits of drumming:
Stress Reduction: The rhythmic nature of drumming helps lower stress levels by reducing cortisol (the “stress hormone”) and increasing endorphins.
Emotional Expression: Drumming provides a nonverbal outlet for emotions that may be difficult to articulate otherwise. It can also help to soothe and calm your nervous system
Community Building: Group drumming creates a sense of belonging, togetherness, and connection with others, enhancing social-emotional development.
Mindfulness: . Music can fully engage our senses and help us slow down and focus on the present moment. The focus required to create music promotes present-moment awareness, a key component of mindfulness practices.
Increases brain activity: Making music can help with problem solving and with creativity. It also helps your brain release dopamine-This impacts mood, thinking and behavior
Benefits of mindfulness:
Participation in music-based mindfulness can help improve mood, relieve anxiety, reduce pain, and improve a greater overall sense of well-being.
Mindfulness brings about various positive psychological effects, including reduced psychological symptoms and emotional reactivity, and improved behavioral regulation.
Consistent mindfulness practice is associated with fewer PTSD symptoms, depressive symptoms, physical symptoms, and addiction issues such as cravings.
Mindfulness-based treatments may also be effective in restoring connectivity between large-scale brain networks among individuals with PTSD.
Mindfulness-based therapy has been shown to be effective as a treatment for addictions & for aiding in relapse prevention.
Somatic Release Class
Fridays 7:00-8:30pm
NEXT SESSION: FRIDAY June 27
When was the last time you let yourself feel? That you gave yourself space to think about what you really want? During this class, you’ll be guided through joy, grief, confidence, and more by licensed trauma therapist and women’s empowerment coach, Kathy Gates LCSW CTT and live musician, Jennifer Bitner. Through physical and emotional movement, you are invited to step into your power and release what you no longer need to carry. Learn how to give yourself permission to relax into abundance and receive all the juicy bits of life.
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Mindfulness through Mark-Making: Art as a path to clarity, creativity, and connection
Mondays at 6-7:30pm, beginning on May 19th
Description: Mindful mark-making is an approachable, relaxing way to foster emotional awareness, enhanced focus, and increased creativity. It can be a form of meditation, allowing focus on the present moment and the act of creating. Mindful mark-making also encourages experimentation with different materials and techniques without fear of judgment. It can help rekindle creativity that may be dormant due to daily pressures.
Join us for this 4-week series, where we will incorporate the 7 Principles of Mindfulness while using watercolor paint and drawing materials as tools for relaxation. In each session, you’ll be led through a series of creative mark-making exercises and grounding techniques, followed by a longer, meditative painting & mark-making session.
This group is designed for adult participants who are seeking something engaging and creative. Our session will focus on process, exploration, discovery, and play. This group provides a safe and sacred space for expressing our creative selves through a variety of creative mark-making exercises.
All materials supplied. No art experience necessary.
Cost: Free
Instructor: Amy Frank is a dedicated art therapy intern at The Healing Room. In addition to finishing her training at Penn West University, Amy is the founder and director of The Makery, a non-profit art studio in State College and Bellefonte and a mixed-media artist and art instructor.
Yoga Nidra: Rest and Restore
First Thursday of the month — resumes FALL 2025!
6:00pm
Yoga Nidra is a guided relaxation practice intended to induce deep physical, mental, and emotional relaxation and restoration. Students are invited to lie down and use supportive blankets and props to get as comfortable as possible. (Yoga Nidra may also be practiced sitting up if preferred.) All that’s required is to relax and listen!
Studies have shown that Yoga Nidra can help regulate the nervous system, improve sleep quality, and help support conditions including cardiovascular disease, stress-related illnesses, chronic pain, and anxiety/depression.
Sessions will be led by Lori Wieder, LAPC, C-IAYT. Yoga Nidra will be offered the first Thursday of each month at 6pm. Cost for each session is $20.
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The Emotional Tour Class
The Emotional Tour™️ Class is offered monthly by licensed trauma therapist and women’s empowerment coach, Kathy Gates, LCSW, CTT, and live musician, Jennifer Bitner. Through physical and emotional movement, you are invited to step into your power and release what you no longer need to carry. Learn how to give yourself permission to relax into abundance and receive all the juicy bits of life!