Friday Night Dialogues: Self-healing and stress reduction

An evening of hands-on healing and insights into stress management tools and techniques will be the subject of the Shelter Island Library’s July 20 Friday Night Dialogues starting at 7 p.m.

Shelter Island’s own twin healers Gail Staal and Tal Schwartz will illuminate their personal and professional explorations into the holistic practices of energy healing and the creative arts therapies.

Gail and Tal are twins who have come back to living and working together after life presented them with twin losses. Tal is a licensed Energy Healer and Acupuncturist and Gail is a Certified Clinical Social Worker trained in Expressive Art and Trauma Healing. Both women have been teaching Mindfulness Meditation here at the library.

Energy healing is a holistic practice that activates the body’s subtle energy systems to remove blocks. By breaking through these energetic blocks, the body’s inherent ability to heal itself is stimulated.

There is a growing interest in the relationship between the creative arts therapies and the brain, including how the brain processes traumatic events and the possibilities for reparation through expressive arts therapies — art, music, movement, play and drama interventions.

Being identical twin sisters has facilitated an added dimension to Tal and Gail’s understanding of self and other. “When we understand twins, we also can see the ‘That’s me’ in everyone, in spite of history, race or what we think of as separate and alone.”

The issues around meaningful existence for all of us can be made ever more real by contributing to the healing of the individual, family, community and the planet.

Trauma — like the morning news — is now recognized as “anything that is too much, too soon.” By learning concrete tools for managing one’s stress and fatigue, regulating the nervous system away from fight, flight or freeze and teaching busy and chaotic minds and lives how to be present with themselves and others can move a person to participate in larger action in the world.

Join us to be educated and inspired by the twins — prepare for laughter, insights and new stress-management tools — on Friday, July 20 at 7 p.m. Admission is free, donations to the library gladly accepted.

Up next: Join us on August 10 at 7 p.m. to hear author Helene Stapinski discuss her fascinating book, “Five Finger Discount.”