Art Therapy in the Treatment
of Addictions, An Exploration of the Use of Therapeutic Art in Women's
Intensive Day Treatment
by Christine
Lummis, March 24, 2004
The purpose of this thesis is to outline ways
that art therapy can be integrated into the women's DEW Program. This
research can also be generalized to other types of addiction treatment
programs. My intention is to raise awareness of ways in which art
therapy can act as a primary function within treatment to address
addiction and the underlying issues involved.
The women's DEW Program and Intensive Day
Treatment Program for women with substance abuse issues, is effective as a
treatment program due to its creative approach to combining
psycho-education with the benefits of creative-arts therapies. Women
accessing treatment benefit from gender-specific programs, such as the DEW
Program. It has been well documented that women-centered programs,
using approaches that are creative, holistic, and empowering, assist women
in achieving the most successful recovery.
Art Therapy is a unique and powerful treatment
modality. Its visual and creative aspects offer therapeutic elements
other approaches lack. It provides an opportunity for women to
address many of the clinical issues underlying substance abuse, while
building on their strengths, enhancing self-esteem, and stimulating their
imagination.
Ther apeutic art operates
on a highly complex mental-emotional level. The combination of
cognitive, emotional, and physical/experiential aspects of art therapy
allow women to become actively involved in their own recovery in a more
profound way than through verbal therapy alone. In addition to the
benefits experienced by clients, therapists may also benefit from the
explicit and metaphoric nature of the images, which leads to a deeper
level of empathy and understanding.
Art therapy has historically been widely used
in addictions treatment programs, although it has been recognized mostly
as an adjunct to other modalities. As a result, art is widely used in
a therapeutic manner, often without formal training in art therapy on the
part of counsellors or therapists. This paper presents a number of
the functions and interpretive methods used in art therapy, in a tangible
and useable way, in order to benefit those working in the addictions
field. It also serves to expand the understanding of clinical issues
involved in addiction, for those working as art therapists.
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The Chaos of Destruction and the Brilliance of
Creation: Art Therapy and Evil Puppets
by Jennifer
Peterson, Dec. 17, 2004
This thesis examines the value of creating evil puppets in Art
Therapy treatment with latency aged boys who have experienced domestic
violence. This is accomplished with a retrospective review of case study
material from an Art Therapy group for boys and analysis of the phenomena
in terms of Kleinian object relations theory and D.W. Winnicott’s concept
of transitional phenomena.
One of the strengths of object
relations theory is its attention to projective processes and the role of
phantasy in shaping interpersonal relations. Through this lens, behavior
problems are understood in terms of primitive defenses and anxiety
situations that aim to expel and attack projections. The puppets created in this case
study trapped these projections and they were creatively transformed. I propose that the activity of
destroying recycled materials functioned to defuse destructive impulses
and creating puppets served to repair split off object relations that
surfaced for mending.
The
case study illustrates the value of creating evil puppets in Art Therapy
in that they serve as transitional phenomenal. It is
aligned with the fairy tale of Pinocchio to offer a hermeneutic reference
for understanding the problematic behavior as a defensive structure. The story also illustrates the
role that resolving ambivalence plays in developing the capacity to relate
with others through identifications. From an Object relation perspective,
Pinocchio’s adventures lead him from the paranoid schizoid to the
depressive position. These chapters parallel the therapeutic movement of
the therapy and demonstrate the usefulness of applying object relations
theory to Art Therapy treatment and research.
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Crossing the
Threshold: Creativity, Art therapy and Agoraphobia
by
Millie Neufeld-Cumming, Feb. 11, 2004
This study is an exploration into the nature of
creativity and its function in the art therapy process with an adolescent
client who has issues of anxiety, identity and agoraphobia. My
interest in creativity has evolved directly out of my work as an art
therapy student and a practicing art therapist over the past three
years. During this time it has become clear to me through all aspects
of my learning (clinical, academic and personal) that creativity is the
heart and soul of this work. It is my intention here to demonstrate
how and why this is the case.
My thoughts on the relationship between
creativity and therapy within the context of art therapy practice are
presented in the introduction to this paper and then revisited in the
discussion in the light of the material contained within the case
study. The case study itself is presented as a retrospective
analysis. My approach to research and art therapy practice is
primarily phenomenological and existential though I have drawn from many
sources. The literature review provides an overview of these sources
with specific regard to my readings on the creative process, agoraphobia
and the phenomena of anxiety and art therapy with adolescents.
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Finding Meaning in the Pain:
The Use of Art Therapy with People in Chronic Pain
by
Heather Cameron, May 28, 2004
This thesis gives an overview of the use
of art therapy with people in chronic pain. It begins with a discussion of
the unknowability of another's pain and the lack of language to
communicate the experience of pain. It goes on to suggest that making art
can provide an effective vehicle for the expression of pain. Recent
findings in pain research have determined that attitudes, thoughts and
emotions are integral to the perception of pain, and therefore an eclectic
approach to art therapy that incorporates cognitive-behavioural techniques
may be a viable strategy in the management of chronic pain. A plan for an
art therapy group for people with chronic pain is outlined and the
clinical description of this population and treatment issues are
discussed. Three case studies are presented. I conclude with the specific
benefits of art therapy for this population and questions for further
research.
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The
Tao of Art Therapy: Bodily Movement as a Bridge Between the Concscious and
Unconscious
by Linda
C. Mahoney, Oct. 25, 2004
In this paper, the role of movement and
the kinaesthetic sense as a form of perception, in combination with the
concept of balance and rhythm (Cane, 1983), is explored through a
qualitative analysis of the phenomena of vigorous gross motor movement of
the arm in the spontaneous creation of images with art media. According to
Cane (1983), an art teacher and pioneer in the field of art therapy, we
apprehend the world through the functions of movement, feeling and
thought, however, we do not begin life with all three functions actively
employed. The chief hope of change - the transcendent function - "lies
buried in the unconscious" (p. 35) and, in order for growth to occur - for
change to occur - it must be "coaxed up"
for union with the conscious.
In this paper, I propose that a change
in self-perception occurred for the subject of this study - an adult in
mid-life - as a result of "coaxing up" the function of movement through
vigorous gross motor movement of the arm in the spontaneous creation of
images.* I liken the creation of art in this manner to transitional
phenomena (Winnicott, 1971) to abet regression in service
of the ego (Kris, 1952).
The study, a retrospective analysis
(Schaverien, 1993), uses the client's history of emotional, physical and
sexual abuse to enhance understanding and appreciation of her art. The art
(22 images) and session notes from five out of a total of
24 sessions, purports to identify:
-
A change in the client's ability to
endure stress "when things are going good" (hence, interrupt patterns
of self defeating behaviours) and
-
A change in the client's sense
of self (sense of well-being).
In conclusion, in response to the query
"What was going on?" I make an analogy between the concept of rhythm and
balance and the body's response to the flight or flight response gone
awry. A phenomenological analysis addresses the symbolism of the circle
and of "the eye" (a recurring image in the
subject's spontaneous creation of art).
* Cane's method of using movement
exercises to liberate expression with art media was the precursor to the
subject's experience of creating art in this fashion. (Cane, 1983, pp.
48-52)
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Who's It? Scribble Tag with Children Who
Have Witnessed Abuse
by
Catherine Swanston, April 28, 2004
This
study examines the usefulness of including the game of Scribble Tag in the
initial assessment process with children who have witnessed and
experienced abuse. Scribble Tag is a variation of the
schoolyard chasing game “Tag”, which is played on paper and incorporates
the child’s drawing and use of a Home Base orSafe Place. Phenomenological and psychodynamic
examinations of three aspects of Scribble Tag, the Home Base, the manner
of play and the interaction with other reveal the game’s usefulness in
gathering information about a number of domains of interest to therapists
working with children who have been exposed to violence. These areas of interest include
eight themes for assessment: the child’s concept of safety, coping skills
and defenses, strengths including ego strength, how a child feels about
self, the child’s concept of boundaries, developmental issues, and the
child’s current concerns. The
game also reveals possible indicators of four clinical issues: sexual
abuse, attachment disruption, anxiety, and post-traumatic play or on-going
trauma. Further analysis
focussed on these areas of interest leads to the conclusion that the
behavioural indicators, hypotheses and questions which arise in the mind
of the therapist while playing Scribble Tag can, as part of an initial
client assessment, contribute to the development of working hypotheses
regarding the therapeutic needs of children, and assist the therapist in
setting relevant treatment goals.
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