Only at the circus!

A few days has ended a Juggling-Therapy program at the Emilia Bosis Foundation , one of the cutting edge environment for what is the use of performative arts in psychiatric rehabilitation paths.

The potential of juggling as a rehabilitation tool, with a great expressive and relational power, continues to stand out.

At the end of the 3 months program we were guests for a day in the chapiteau of Spazio circo Bergamo, an association that promotes circus arts, and is involved in international social circus projects. We thank them for letting us breathe the magical air of a real chapiteau!

Photo credit: cdmentana.blogspot.com

Juggling as a cognitive empowerment tool in patients with schizophrenia

Since 2008, with “juggling-therapy” project I have been involved in the introduction of juggling in psychiatric rehabilitation paths.

Psychiatric rehabilitation alongside social and relational support that provides to the patients, specializes in identifying specific compromised areas and cognitive functions in order to carry out targeted work aimed at recovery and enhancement of those.

There are many scientific studies carried out on this specific art, since juggling by its characteristics is a skill often used in recent years as a scientific investigation tool for neuroplasticity induced by motor skills learning.

From these studies it is noted that learning juggling exercises develops the V5 area of the brain that is compromised in patients with schizophrenia. This deficit is also linked to a deficit in Theory of Mind, or the ability to interpret intentions and emotions of others.

Hence the idea of proposing a scientific study aimed at demonstrating that the acquisition of juggling exercises, with the consequent increase in gray matter in V5 area, could improve performance in ToM in patients with schizophrenia diagnosis.
Check out the full study proposal here in SCIENCE section

If you're interested in being involved in this scientific study proposal please send me an email antonio.caggioni@juggling-therapy.com

Juggling-Therapy is going on Sport Training

The juggling therapy project, which has been active for nearly 10 years, had the credit to recognize and affirm the practice of juggling as a powerful rehabilitation tool for patients that suffer of psychiatric diseaes.

In the past years, J-t experiences allowed to appreciate the results highlighted in clinical practice. A series of scientific studies have demonstrated the consequences of learning juggling in human brain.

Juggling enhances the area of ​​motion prediction, an area that many athletes need to develop to improve their performance in sports such as Soccer, Baseball, Tennis, Boxe, badmington...

It is therefore possible to apply Sport-Specific exercises and Role-Specific exercises inside the training course of the athletes to train the mind harmoniously with the body.

For a few months, there have been active sperimentations with football goalkeepers in collaboration with great professionals, including the Italian youth national football team's goalkeeper Coach Davide Quironi, Emanuele Maggiani, the "Lupa Roma" goalkeeper coach and the "Imparando Foowel goalkeepers School"

Juggling-Therapy Sport Specific is arousing interest in the top class sport training because the scientific studies that support it are the most authoritative studies that have demonstrated neuronal plasticity.

If you are interested in a scientific brain training for sports feel free to contact us: antonio.caggioni@juggling-therapy.com

Juglling-therapy Sport Specific @ Davide Quironi Football Camp

Juggling Therapy Sport Specific training session English subs available

J-t keeps going on

The juggling therapy is continuing at the Emilia Bosis  Foundation inside a psychiatric daycare center. A group of patients has made 1 year of juggling-therapy. This group now proposes juggling workshops for children on the occasion of celebrations and gatherings. A big boost to their self-esteem and a good example of how anyone can become an asset to society.

During these months the juggling-therapy group will be involved in the preparation of a show with students of the horse-riding school of the Emilia Bosis Foundation in quality' of  consultant for the circus arts. they will teach to children juggling techniques to insert into their show.
On july we will post pictures of the show

Those are some pictures of the workshops frome the daycare's blog cdmentana.blogspot.it

Juggling-Therapy experience in Bergamo

Year: 2013
Who: Antonio Caggioni
Where: Italy - Bergamo - Emilia Bosis Foundation- Psychiatric Day care center

During the year 2013 the juggling-therapy was proposed in a day care center of Bergamo (Italy) at the Emilia Bosis foundation. The group consisted of 11 guests between 30 and 50 years with different psychiatric diseases.
The activity is carried out with weekly meetings lasting 45 minutes. The main objective was to stimulate body expression and coordination.
We started the construction of the materials that would be used for the activities during the first meetings.
The other meetings were following the same structure divided into three different phases:
-Heating and muscle relax
-Simple juggling exercises
-Relax and greetings.

This together with the use of the same music in every meeting has helped to create a setting that was known by the guests and within which they could find a space of expressiveness through the body using the relationship established with the objects of juggling.
The activity was appreciated by the guests and the participation was constant. Recall that the guests voluntarily attend this day care center  and voluntarily participate in activities.
Juggling-therapy was also a way to propose physical activity that might be more appealing than classical activity of gymnastics already present in the center. Juggling is a dynamic activity that takes place in constant motion, also working on balance and coordination.

We had started with meetings 1 hour hour that were assessed too challenging for the guests involved, we then reduced the duration to 45 minutes.

Along the way were taught to guests also teaching techniques of juggling, so that they could propose to teach friends and that they could use at parties organized by the foundation to offer workshops to children.

J-t on the press

"CIRCO" the italian  circus webmagazine has published an interview about j-t here is the link (only italian version available)