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…
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…
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
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…
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…
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