Art Therapy Research Paper
Art Therapy
The American Art Therapy Association defines art therapy as “the therapeutic use of art making, within a professional relationship, by people who experience illness, trauma or challenges in living, and by people who seek personal development” (American Art Therapy Association, 2011). Art therapy can be used to successfully treat PTSD. Facing and overcoming trauma place a significant amount of tension in the brain. “The traumatized brain is constantly on high alert” (“Calm through creativity”, n.d.) from being used to and the constant re-living of the unsafe and traumatizing environment. Artistic activities, like drawing or sculpting clay, can soothe those lower regions of the brain that are overactive and release some of the mental …show more content…
tension (“Calm through creativity”, n.d.). Cathy Malchiodi, who has founded Trauma-Informed Art Therapy and Trauma-Informed Expressive Arts Therapy, claims that the use of music, art and other creative activities grant victims a means of expressing the effects of the trauma even after therapy ends (“Calm Through Creativity”, n.d.).
Trauma is also stored in memory as imagery, which explains the immense amount of imagery and difficulties in memory associated with the symptoms of PTSD.
Art therapy uses imagery-specific techniques that are among the most effective in reducing PTSD symptomology (“Calm through creativity”, n.d.). The art materials serve as a medium towards exploration. The art making process, with the guidance of the therapist “helps the [client] to learn from the experience as well as the product” (Rubin, 1999) and reflecting on the emotional or behavioral outcomes can help create awareness of a trauma. Some people who experience the trauma find it difficult to verbally express the experience due to the emotionally overwhelming associations. The nonverbal methods of art therapy provide a comfortable means to address the trauma. Art therapists use the Media Dimension Variables (MDV) alongside the Expressive Therapies Continuum (ETC) models to “think about media and activities according to specific objectives for people” (Rubin, 1999) and intentionally plan sessions according to where they stand in terms of expressive interaction with the …show more content…
media.
Stage-Based Approach
The stage-based approach, created by Dr.
Judith Herman, offers an effective model for treatment of those exposed to trauma and is often used as a foundation for many interventions. Unlike other models for trauma recovery, such as the Self-Trauma Model (Briere, 2002), Constructivist Self-Development Theory (CSDT) (Saakvitne et al., 2000), and Survivor Therapy model (Walker, 1994), her model serves as a basis for the most necessary and basic steps that need to be taken during recovery (“Trauma Based Approach, 2015). Other models are generally made up of multiple steps that could be combined to form Herman’s three simple stages. Herman’s model is applicable to a diverse number of populations, groups, and trauma types. Other models are restricted to a specific type of trauma and/or population, such as intentional human design for women. As Herman states in her book, Trauma and Recovery (1992), the basic purpose of the first stage is the establishment of safety, the second stage is remembrance and mourning, and the final stage is reconnection with ordinary
life.
Creating Safety. Individuals who are affected by trauma tend to feel unsafe within their relationships, environments, and bodies and have difficulties with healthy emotion-regulation. This stage is the most important stage and the key to begin healing from the traumatic experience (“Herman’s stages of recovery,” n.d.). Setting a safe environment allows the client the ability to be able to discuss the difficult experience(s). It is important to not actually discuss or process memories of the unwanted experiences in this stage (“Herman’s stages of recovery,” n.d.). In this stage, the therapist and the client work together on a number of goals that involve establishing safety and stability in life, and managing emotions. The client learns to understand personal strengths and resources for healing. All activities and conversations must be intentional and sensitively handled. Dr. Rothschild, who is an expert and specialist educator in the treatment of trauma and PTSD, compares the first stage of recovery to a shaken bottle of soda. The amount of pressure inside the bottle mimics the pressure build up in an individual as a result of that shaken experience. The safest way to handle the situation is by opening and closing the cap in a slow, cautious, and intentional manner to prevent an explosion (Rothschild, 2010). Regaining a sense of safety may take days to weeks with acutely traumatized individuals or months to years with individuals who have experienced on-going trauma. Assessing the areas of life that need to be stabilized and how that will be accomplished will be helpful in moving toward recovery. When connecting art therapy, safe spaces are created through guided imagery. It can aid in reducing anxiety, providing security, building trust with the therapist, and emotion regulation. In this directive, the client envisions a place of safety. It could be an imaginary or real place. The therapist prompts the sessions with breathing and muscle relaxation techniques as well as sensory-related questions to help the client encompass their vision. After, the client is asked to artistically represent the safe place as a physical reminder and source of comfort throughout the recovery process. Remembrance and Mourning. This stage transitions to actually processing the trauma. However, safety and stability is still continued, with proper pacing and timing, to move through the phase gently rather than in a fight, flight, or freeze response (Klinic, 2013). The main goal of this phase is to explore the trauma and provide space to grieve and express raw emotion. It is important for the therapist to validate the traumatic experience and help the client make sense of what happened. Areas discussed during this phase include, mourning the loss of the deserved happy childhood, recognition that the trauma does not define the client, and the release of the negative emotions of shame, guilt, and disgust (Arber, 2014). Journaling can be an effective method to process through the event, associated dreams, and feelings. Narrating the story allows the client to organize the experience and express the thoughts and emotions about the event. It “fosters a coherent sense of identity and shaping of emotional reactions and goals for the future” (Neimeyer, 2012). Altered books or visual journals are also a popular directive used and serve as a form of stress relief. An altered book is a” form of mixed media artwork that changes a book from its original form into something different, altering its appearance or intended meaning” (Malchiodi, 2013). Creatively altering a book can be a form of rewriting one’s life story through visual journaling. It is similar to the process of the typical type of journaling or narrative therapy; however, the story is told through images and words. Draw the Dream On (Green, 2009) is a simple, play-based activity for children who had experienced trauma. They had to maintain a dream journal and use magazine clippings and drawings to represent their nightmares. Dreams show a skewed version of events that surface troubles into resolution (Enari, 2009). This can used to detect and treat PTSD. The therapist guided the children to transform the dream into something funny or happy to reduce the fear and teach coping skills (Myrick et al., 2014).
Reconnection. Once the trauma has been addressed, the final step is to redefine oneself in the terms of self-image, future, and meaningful relationships. The client has recognized the impact of the victimization and is ready to move towards empowerment (Klinic, 2013. Victims find new meaning and purpose. Some decide to give back by finding a mission where they can continue to heal, such as mentoring youth (Klinic, 2013). Clients are working to understand that the traumatic event does not define them. Association to a spirit animal is used to create confidence and power. In the article, “ Empowering the Traumatized Child Through the Use of Art and Action”, the art therapist Bobbie Kaufman was working with an eight year old child who had learned that his younger sister had been abused by his cousin. He had difficulty forgiving himself for not protecting his sister and felt powerless, hopeless, and guilty. The therapist asked him to identify with an animal that he wishes he could be and the client chose a tiger. The sessions were centered on the idea of the tiger. Throughout the sessions, he built a safe house with clay for the tiger and identified the symbolism of being a protector. Once that was established, the therapist and client practiced roaring and role-playing different experiences that brought out the strength, courage, and power of the tiger within him. The child began to interact more assertively with peers and felt empowered live his life happily again (Kaufman, 2010).
The American Art Therapy Association defines art therapy as “the therapeutic use of art making, within a professional relationship, by people who experience illness, trauma or challenges in living, and by people who seek personal development” (American Art Therapy Association, 2011). Art therapy can be used to successfully treat PTSD. Facing and overcoming trauma place a significant amount of tension in the brain. “The traumatized brain is constantly on high alert” (“Calm through creativity”, n.d.) from being used to and the constant re-living of the unsafe and traumatizing environment. Artistic activities, like drawing or sculpting clay, can soothe those lower regions of the brain that are overactive and release some of the mental …show more content…
tension (“Calm through creativity”, n.d.). Cathy Malchiodi, who has founded Trauma-Informed Art Therapy and Trauma-Informed Expressive Arts Therapy, claims that the use of music, art and other creative activities grant victims a means of expressing the effects of the trauma even after therapy ends (“Calm Through Creativity”, n.d.).
Trauma is also stored in memory as imagery, which explains the immense amount of imagery and difficulties in memory associated with the symptoms of PTSD.
Art therapy uses imagery-specific techniques that are among the most effective in reducing PTSD symptomology (“Calm through creativity”, n.d.). The art materials serve as a medium towards exploration. The art making process, with the guidance of the therapist “helps the [client] to learn from the experience as well as the product” (Rubin, 1999) and reflecting on the emotional or behavioral outcomes can help create awareness of a trauma. Some people who experience the trauma find it difficult to verbally express the experience due to the emotionally overwhelming associations. The nonverbal methods of art therapy provide a comfortable means to address the trauma. Art therapists use the Media Dimension Variables (MDV) alongside the Expressive Therapies Continuum (ETC) models to “think about media and activities according to specific objectives for people” (Rubin, 1999) and intentionally plan sessions according to where they stand in terms of expressive interaction with the …show more content…
media.
Stage-Based Approach
The stage-based approach, created by Dr.
Judith Herman, offers an effective model for treatment of those exposed to trauma and is often used as a foundation for many interventions. Unlike other models for trauma recovery, such as the Self-Trauma Model (Briere, 2002), Constructivist Self-Development Theory (CSDT) (Saakvitne et al., 2000), and Survivor Therapy model (Walker, 1994), her model serves as a basis for the most necessary and basic steps that need to be taken during recovery (“Trauma Based Approach, 2015). Other models are generally made up of multiple steps that could be combined to form Herman’s three simple stages. Herman’s model is applicable to a diverse number of populations, groups, and trauma types. Other models are restricted to a specific type of trauma and/or population, such as intentional human design for women. As Herman states in her book, Trauma and Recovery (1992), the basic purpose of the first stage is the establishment of safety, the second stage is remembrance and mourning, and the final stage is reconnection with ordinary
life.
Creating Safety. Individuals who are affected by trauma tend to feel unsafe within their relationships, environments, and bodies and have difficulties with healthy emotion-regulation. This stage is the most important stage and the key to begin healing from the traumatic experience (“Herman’s stages of recovery,” n.d.). Setting a safe environment allows the client the ability to be able to discuss the difficult experience(s). It is important to not actually discuss or process memories of the unwanted experiences in this stage (“Herman’s stages of recovery,” n.d.). In this stage, the therapist and the client work together on a number of goals that involve establishing safety and stability in life, and managing emotions. The client learns to understand personal strengths and resources for healing. All activities and conversations must be intentional and sensitively handled. Dr. Rothschild, who is an expert and specialist educator in the treatment of trauma and PTSD, compares the first stage of recovery to a shaken bottle of soda. The amount of pressure inside the bottle mimics the pressure build up in an individual as a result of that shaken experience. The safest way to handle the situation is by opening and closing the cap in a slow, cautious, and intentional manner to prevent an explosion (Rothschild, 2010). Regaining a sense of safety may take days to weeks with acutely traumatized individuals or months to years with individuals who have experienced on-going trauma. Assessing the areas of life that need to be stabilized and how that will be accomplished will be helpful in moving toward recovery. When connecting art therapy, safe spaces are created through guided imagery. It can aid in reducing anxiety, providing security, building trust with the therapist, and emotion regulation. In this directive, the client envisions a place of safety. It could be an imaginary or real place. The therapist prompts the sessions with breathing and muscle relaxation techniques as well as sensory-related questions to help the client encompass their vision. After, the client is asked to artistically represent the safe place as a physical reminder and source of comfort throughout the recovery process. Remembrance and Mourning. This stage transitions to actually processing the trauma. However, safety and stability is still continued, with proper pacing and timing, to move through the phase gently rather than in a fight, flight, or freeze response (Klinic, 2013). The main goal of this phase is to explore the trauma and provide space to grieve and express raw emotion. It is important for the therapist to validate the traumatic experience and help the client make sense of what happened. Areas discussed during this phase include, mourning the loss of the deserved happy childhood, recognition that the trauma does not define the client, and the release of the negative emotions of shame, guilt, and disgust (Arber, 2014). Journaling can be an effective method to process through the event, associated dreams, and feelings. Narrating the story allows the client to organize the experience and express the thoughts and emotions about the event. It “fosters a coherent sense of identity and shaping of emotional reactions and goals for the future” (Neimeyer, 2012). Altered books or visual journals are also a popular directive used and serve as a form of stress relief. An altered book is a” form of mixed media artwork that changes a book from its original form into something different, altering its appearance or intended meaning” (Malchiodi, 2013). Creatively altering a book can be a form of rewriting one’s life story through visual journaling. It is similar to the process of the typical type of journaling or narrative therapy; however, the story is told through images and words. Draw the Dream On (Green, 2009) is a simple, play-based activity for children who had experienced trauma. They had to maintain a dream journal and use magazine clippings and drawings to represent their nightmares. Dreams show a skewed version of events that surface troubles into resolution (Enari, 2009). This can used to detect and treat PTSD. The therapist guided the children to transform the dream into something funny or happy to reduce the fear and teach coping skills (Myrick et al., 2014).
Reconnection. Once the trauma has been addressed, the final step is to redefine oneself in the terms of self-image, future, and meaningful relationships. The client has recognized the impact of the victimization and is ready to move towards empowerment (Klinic, 2013. Victims find new meaning and purpose. Some decide to give back by finding a mission where they can continue to heal, such as mentoring youth (Klinic, 2013). Clients are working to understand that the traumatic event does not define them. Association to a spirit animal is used to create confidence and power. In the article, “ Empowering the Traumatized Child Through the Use of Art and Action”, the art therapist Bobbie Kaufman was working with an eight year old child who had learned that his younger sister had been abused by his cousin. He had difficulty forgiving himself for not protecting his sister and felt powerless, hopeless, and guilty. The therapist asked him to identify with an animal that he wishes he could be and the client chose a tiger. The sessions were centered on the idea of the tiger. Throughout the sessions, he built a safe house with clay for the tiger and identified the symbolism of being a protector. Once that was established, the therapist and client practiced roaring and role-playing different experiences that brought out the strength, courage, and power of the tiger within him. The child began to interact more assertively with peers and felt empowered live his life happily again (Kaufman, 2010).