Nimeet K 00:11
Hello, welcome to Adventist HealthCare & You podcast. I'm Nimeet, Shanna isn't unavailable to join us today, but she'll be back for our next episode. On today's episode, we have two therapists, Rachel Baker, a movement therapist and Tim Reagan, a drama therapist, both from Adventist HealthCare Shady Grove Medical Center's Behavioral Health Services team. They're with us today to discuss expressive therapy and behavioral health's new serenity spot at rio lakefront, opening Saturday, May 20, during the National Alliance on Mental Illness walk, welcome, Rachel and Tim, nice to have you.

Rachel Baker 00:46
Thank you. Nice to be here.

Nimeet K 00:48
So why don't you tell us about yourself, about how long you've been at Adventist HealthCare, your role and you know, what's your specialty?

Rachel Baker 00:56
I've been with Adventist for about two years now. I'm a board-certified dance movement therapist. I'm also a registered yoga instructor. So sometimes, I'll bring that into my work as well.

Nimeet K 01:09
Oh, great.

Rachel Baker 01:09
I got into the field when a dance teacher of mine was doing some research and I had just been laid off, and she introduced me to it. So I did some of the reading for the article she was finding and I said, you know this is just something that I have to do. This field kind of found me.

Nimeet K 01:29
Now what about you, Tim,

Tim Reagan 01:30
I am a drama therapist. And I've been a drama therapist at Adventist, just for about a year. And I got involved years ago. I was a theater educator, and a colleague at a performing arts organization down in Bethesda, was becoming a drama therapist, and I was very intrigued. And so I started working towards that registration. And I'm also a board certified trainer for drama therapists.

Nimeet K 02:01
Great. So what does the drama therapist exactly do?

Tim Reagan 02:04
It's basically like going to the gym, but for your imagination, and to stretch your compassion and your empathy muscles. And to do some storytelling and story listening. We do this in groups, which is most effective for folks. They get to listen to folk stories, they get to share their own stories, and it's also provides some distance for folks. So we may take a story and develop a character and improvise some situations. And often it can lead to laughs and maybe sometimes some tears.

Nimeet K 02:41
Yeah, it sounds like one of those very exciting creative workshops that you know, like the mind just goes all the juices in your mind kind of keeps going. And a lot of ideas come out of it.

Tim Reagan 02:50
oh definitely,yeah.

Nimeet K 02:52
So one of the expressive therapies is dance therapy that I think, Rachel you specialize in? Can you elaborate a little bit on that?

Rachel Baker 02:59
Dance movement therapy works with the mind, body, spirit connection, to really promote growth and healing. I start sessions, primarily running group sessions, helping folks feel safe in their bodies, and we build from there, bringing in different warm up stretches, improvisational movement, sometimes dancing, sometimes we just sit and breathe, and meditate, depending what the needs are in the group and what people are comfortable with. And looking for in that time.

Nimeet K 03:37
Yeah, I think that's great because it combines both physical and mental health. So we've heard a lot about expressive therapy. So what exactly is expressive therapy? And what are the different types of it?

Rachel Baker 03:48
So expressive therapies use different creative modalities to promote healing. We've got dance movement therapy, drama therapy, music therapy, art therapy.

Tim Reagan 04:00
Some folks are specifically expressive therapists.

Rachel Baker 04:04
Yes, and I know on our team as well, we have a couple of folks who are technically not expressive therapists, but we also have recreation therapy and occupational therapy and pet therapy.

Nimeet K 04:16
That's great. I'm assuming a combination of everything like, you know, works in tandem for many of our patients and community. Well, how does expressive therapy assists with mental health patients specifically? I know, you know, during pandemic, post pandemic, mental health awareness is, has gone up significantly. And this could be another avenue that people are using or another tool that we can use for for our patient community. So how does this help with our mental health population?

Tim Reagan 04:43
I think listening as I mentioned earlier to stories, but also there's, you're familiar with something called mirror neurons, when other folks are sharing, the rest of the group will see hey, you know, I can do that too. So they get to the point where they can express different emotions, whether it's happy, sad, scared or angry. And with the techniques of theatre, where we use improvisation, it can be very enlightening because it's very spontaneous. And folks who are hesitant, we'll see other folks in the group actually look like they're enjoying it. So then they'll join in as well.

Nimeet K 05:26
Yeah, I think it's only only takes one person to like, you know, lead, and then the second person, you know what, I could share my story too, or I could get some ideas from it. So that sounds really good.

Rachel Baker 05:37
Some other ways that expressive therapies can assist with mental health patients are just building self-awareness, self- regulation and expression, building self-esteem, enhancing communication skills, especially. Because our creative modalities can aid nonverbal communication and get to the subconscious and unconscious, not just the conscious self. And then we can aid in problem solving, building healthy coping skills and resiliency. And just mentioning the pandemic and kind of coming on the other side of the pandemic here. I know, there's been a lot of personal and collective trauma, and trauma is stored in the body. So we need to process it in the body.

Nimeet K 06:31
Yeah, thanks for sharing that. What are some of the things I could do at home? You know, if I don't have, if I can get to an expressive therapist myself?

Tim Reagan 06:43
Well, there's actually something called cinema therapy, where you can watch movies. And

Nimeet K 06:49
I can do that.

Tim Reagan 06:50
Yeah, why not? And it's something my daughter and I do actually not on purpose, but we have the remote control right next to us. And we'll stop the film. Why did someone so do this? Or what happened here? What do you think they're gonna do next. And it's fascinating to put yourself in the perspective of one of the characters in the film. And films are all over the place, you can access them anywhere. And it's just a nice way to put yourself in the shoes of somebody else with that perspective taking.

Nimeet K 07:19
Wow, that's a that's a good idea.

Rachel Baker 07:21
And adding to what Tim is saying, some more ideas can be stretching, dancing, doing some meditation, painting, drawing, coloring, journaling either word or art, writing, listening to music, singing, playing music, and just really taking time to play, taking time to really nurture your soul,

Tim Reagan 07:50
We give permission to play.

Nimeet K 07:52
I think being intentional about it, too. I think one of the things I've you know, a lot of people have told us or a lot of experts have told us is journaling, you know, ensuring that your journaling once a day is like five to 10 minutes and just write down your thoughts and reflect on your day. Or have, you know, positive thinking before you go to sleep or write something positive for like, you know, three bullet points or something like that, which is beneficial.

Rachel Baker 07:52
Yeah

Nimeet K 08:15
Really.

Tim Reagan 08:15
There is an exercise that we might do in a group, where there's no talking involved, but they write a scene between one character and another. So one person will write the name of their character and write a series of lines or questions and then they pass it to the person and they write it back and a whole scene will develop nonverbally through their writing, but then eventually they'll present it to the rest of the group. And it's pretty magical.

Tim Reagan 08:17
Yeah.

Tim Reagan 08:19
Well, that sounds very cool.

Nimeet K 08:32
So I know right before the podcast, we were talking about the serenity spot. So can you tell us about the serenity spot at the rio lakefront in Gaithersburg?

Tim Reagan 08:32
Yeah.

Tim Reagan 08:54
Well, it's across the pond, the playlist you can use anywhere, but we encourage folks to park themselves so to speak, in the area across from the pond, which is yet to be fully landscaped. But we've got visions of trees and plants and different types of nature accessibility, that you can see there. So it's still in the works, but it'll be like, like you mentioned, launched May 20.

Nimeet K 09:28
Exciting.

Rachel Baker 09:29
And the serenity spot really highlights the message that mental health is essential. Emphasizing that caring for one's mental health can occur through different outlets. It can happen really anywhere. And it doesn't have to be anything complicated. So the spot gives folks permission to really prioritize themselves in the moment. So you can check in with yourself mind, body and spirit. It will have QR codes throughout the spot to access this playlist that we've curated with different meditation tracks, different sound and music tracks. So you can literally take it with you.

Nimeet K 10:16
That's great. I think Tim said you could, you know, listen to it anywhere, you know, you don't have to be there for it. But I've been to the rio myself, and it's a very nice area. And nice, you know, the walk itself around the lake is really nice. So what can a community expect from the spot itself, like from the space?

Rachel Baker 10:32
We'll have a resting place along the Adventist HealthCare path to wellness trail at the lakefront where users can sit, reflect and connect to this playlist we created, and let their mind travel to a calming space, while have various guided meditations and sound experiences. There will also be nature themed art, colored glass features, trees, like Tim is saying, and it also highlights our behavioral health offerings at Adventist HealthCare.

Nimeet K 11:07
That's great. So a lot of not just, you know, listening, but also a lot of visual cues as well for you know, for you to relax and just take a moment for yourself.

Rachel Baker 11:15
Absolutely. And one of my favorite things here is how in the hospital, we offer so many different forms of expressive therapies, because everyone connects with things differently. So the serenity spot will also give everyone something to connect with whatever that is, whether it's sound, whether it's visual art, whether it's nature, whether it's moving with the meditations, just really encompassing something for everybody.

Nimeet K 11:48
So what are you guys looking forward to the most about serenity spot,

Tim Reagan 11:52
I'm looking forward to just being present, taking a moment to be there, and just soak it all in, not worrying about what's happening next, maybe thinking about what happened earlier, but just letting it go. Great exercise is deep breathing, but also with music. And just to get you in the zone, where you can just be present in DC, things are running, constantly, the wheels are turning, and this is a nice place just to relax, and to sort of access your inner calmness, and reduce anxiety and stress.

Nimeet K 12:36
Yeah, I think being present is, I think people take it granted for at times, you know, one of the therapists that I used to work with, he told me that, you know, being present is like being grounded. And you just check your five senses, you know, look at what you see, look at what you smell, look at what you hear. And you know, just touch and feel things when you're there. I think being at that spa, just relaxing and grounding yourself, could be hugely beneficial for many, of our members of the community.

Rachel Baker 13:04
And I'm looking forward to just really seeing this creative project come to life. I've been working on my part with the playlist for a couple of months. So it's really exciting to see this project, launch and become real. And I just always love the work that I do. So I'm excited to share it with others and not just talking about it, but really sharing it in an experiential way. And like I was saying, how we got to all the different modalities in this space. I just think that's really cool.

Nimeet K 13:39
Yeah, I'm excited to listen to the playlist in the future. So and it's good that it could be accessible anywhere, which is really neat. So I know the serenity spot at rio lake front will be unveiling the spot. But there's also the NAMI Walks event that will be occurring on May 20 as well. Can you shed some light on that?

Rachel Baker 13:58
Yes, it's been a real honor to partner with one of the nation's largest mental health organizations, both to unveil this space and also to be able to do it during the month of May, which is Mental Health Awareness Month and working with NAMI walks for this event allows the message of caring for your mental health to be presented to a much bigger audience. This walk is significant because it mobilizes people who are affected by mental health allowing them to have a voice and be able to actively demonstrate their support and their stories of how mental illness has affected them and their loved ones. To be able to add this bonus of the serenity spot. It's like presenting a gift to the community by inviting them to again, take an active part and do something about their own mental health by taking time to learn and engage in different therapeutic strategies and the walk begins at 10:15am on the stage in rio.

Nimeet K 15:03
That's exciting, I think I think it truly is a gift to our community and allows them to come out and be part of this social event as well being out of their homes and share their stories and have the peer support as well. So towards the end, we always ask our speakers about one thing they want to, you know, a message to our our listeners about one takeaway item. So what would you know, without one point or be from your from you guys?

Rachel Baker 15:29
I would say that there is no health without mental health. So it's so important that we take care of our whole selves, and not just on a personal level, but on a community level as well.

Nimeet K 15:44
Yeah, so help yourself and help others as well.

Tim Reagan 15:48
Make that commitment to help yourself, and just to have the courage to take charge of your own and also to be aware of mental health, with your peers, with your family, set goals, solve problems. And again, just be.

Nimeet K 16:07
Yeah, I think keeping mental health just in the forefront with your physical health because at times it takes the backburner you know over physical health. So, mental health is just as important, if not more.

Rachel Baker 16:19
Absolutely.

Nimeet K 16:21
Thank you, Rachel and Tim, for joining us on the podcast today.

Tim Reagan 16:25
Thank you.

Rachel Baker 16:26
Thank you.

Nimeet K 16:27
To learn more about Adventist Healthcare Shady Grove Medical Center's behavioral health services, please visit AdventistHealthCare.com/MentalHealth and don't forget to subscribe so you get notifications for all new episodes. Thank you and be well.