… my full name is Alexandra Schefner, but people call me Alexa. I am a registered creative arts therapist (AThR) and artist, based in Wanaka, New Zealand.
I am passionate about the use of visual art, dance/movement, writing, music and mindfulness practices to stimulate self-expression, reflection, growth and healing.
The word “resource” is defined as source of support, aid or wealth. I regard it as an apt way to describe the ability of any means of creative expression to enrich our life, to help us navigate through the complexity of human experience and to point to the reality within us.
I invite you to have a look at the different services and products I offer and get in touch if you have inquiries or questions.
“At the deepest level, the creative process and the healing process arise from a single source. When you are an artist, you are a healer; a wordless trust of the same mystery is the foundation of your work and its integrity.”
~ Rachel Naomi Remen, MD
Events
Currently there are no new events scheduled.
Past Events
Introduction to Authentic Movement
This evening workshop is tailored to people who are curious about Authentic Movement, but find it daunting to jump straight into classic format of moving without music or directive, with eyes closed and in a presence of a witness. In conversation and through experientials we will incrementally explore those integral and unique aspects of the practice, and examine why we do it and what the benefits and risks are.
I will further introduce history and underpinnings of Authentic Movement, and why it can be equally used as a spiritual practice, therapeutic modality and arts-based research.
Suitable for newcomers as well as experienced movers, who would like unpack the basics of Authentic Movement.
Dates: to be announced, in accordance to expressions on interest
Time: 6:30-8:30 pm
Location: Dunedin, Wanaka
Cost: $ 60
Spaces are limited to a maximum of 8 participants. Registration closes two weeks prior to the starting date.
Seeing Myself in Your Presence
An Authentic Movement Immersion Workshop
This daylong workshop is for those who are familiar with Authentic Movement. We will go straight into the realms of moving and witnessing – in dyad and group work – while also creatively expanding the scope of the practice and mixing in aspects of other modalities.
Consider it a call to the temple – the temple of our bodies and souls – where we can begin to unfurl the layers that remain unexplored in our everyday lives. A call to listen deeply to the subconscious stirrings and parts of ourselves that long to be known and welcomed into our experience.
What starts as a personal inquiry, progressively can become a spiritual emergence, when we penetrate deeper and expand wider into our essential being. The space of compassionate witnessing becomes sacred, healing and transformative. The raw and genuine moving from within can be experienced as a catharsis, a cleanse, a revelation, an integration, a prayer.
The intention is to invite all of it – the personal, the archetypal and the trans-personal – into a safe, non-judgmental container and to arrive at a sense of awe, peace, unity and loving presence with it all.
Dates: to be announced, in accordance to expressions on interest
Time: 10 am – 4 pm (with a lunch break)
Location: Dunedin, Wanaka
Cost: $150
Spaces are a limited to maximum of 8 participants. Registration closes two weeks prior to the starting date.
Restoring the Creative Wellspring
An Introductory Art Therapy Workshop
After an extended maturation period, I am delighted to offer this introductory workshop in Art Therapy to the wider community.
Art Therapy is a modality which uses a great range of art & craft materials to express feelings and needs, externalize inner imagery and sensory-motor impulses, integrate and make sense of experiences and find a creative way of dealing with difficult aspects of one’s life (trauma, loss, inner conflicts, fears etc.). It emphasizes the process (not the result) oriented way of making. It is all about how it feels and flows, and not about how it looks. There is no prior experience needed and all materials will be supplied.
The workshop will be divided in 4 segments – with 4 art processes. In the morning we begin by introducing ourselves using more-than-words. We will then proceed to sensing into our current emotional landscape & identifying current needs/ relevant life themes. In the afternoon, we continue by expressing sensory-motor impulses & inviting somatic engagement. We complete the exploration with a resourceful visualization. How to do all of this through art making? …. it is my pleasure to walk you though it.
Dates: to be announced, in accordance to expressions on interest
Time: 10 am – 5 pm (with lunch break)
Location: Dunedin, Wanaka
Cost: $170
Spaces are a limited to maximum of 6 participants. Registration closes two weeks prior to the starting date.
Art as Resource 
