The Legacy of Connection: Relational-Cultural Art Therapy and Complex Trauma Recovery Children’s advocate and television personality Fred “Mister Rogers” Rogers (2003) mused, "The purpose of life is to listen--- to yourself, to your neighbor, to your world, and to God and, when the time comes, to respond in as helpful a way as you can find...from within and without." The human need to listen and to respond is at the core of supporting life. Born ready for mutual connection and responsiveness, human beings are primed for growth-fostering relationships with significant people in their early lives (Jordan, 2010). As social creatures, survival has been contingent upon the ability to connect, bond, and share with and receive from these people (Ludy-Dobson & Perry, 2010). Rooted in emotional accessibility, the brain, and the …show more content…
She was a bright young woman who sought out counseling to address and reconcile her interpersonal and intrapersonal relationships. As she rounded out her twenties, she was increasingly concerned with her passivity, self-esteem, and one-sided relationships. April was hurting from chronic, acute disconnections and violations; and she wanted connection greatly despite feeling unworthy. The research question guiding this study is: Will the application of Relational-Cultural Therapy and Art Therapy facilitate recovery from complex trauma? Specifically, how may this combined approach facilitate April's movement through the stages of the Trauma Recovery Model (Herman, 1992b)? Lastly, I investigate how this approach may support April's healing and growth in her intrapersonal and interpersonal connections. I hypothesize that the mutually empathetic relationships that exist, between the client, art therapist, art process, materials, product, and audience, support and facilitate complex trauma
Historical trauma is described to be an experience or event that have caused a generation or individual harm.
Jordan, J. V. (2008). Recent Developments in Relational-Cultural Theory. Women & Therapy, 31(234), 1-4. doi:10.1080/02703140802145540
Albert Schweitzer’s claim, “In everyone’s life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit,” applies to everyone. The connection people have with others “rekindles the inner spirit.” These connections have the remarkable ability to inspire. Powerful bonds ignite something inside people to create a supportive impact. The influence of familial relationships towards one's positive behavior is conveyed through rhetorical devices.
The client had developed a dismissive attachment style characterized by two coexisting, but conflicting internal working models. The first working model was a conscious model in which she viewed herself as capable and strong and others as insufficient and needy. The second internal working model was unconscious and refers to her internal belief that she was flawed, inadequate and dependent on others. By validating and gaining insight into the client’s subjective experience, we were able to work on the client’s ability to tolerate the anxiety of her need for connection and the lack of safety she felt in her relational world to express that need. Using my own countertransference and making enactments explicit, we could challenge these internal working models and begin to explore new ways of being. Slowly, she was able to experience a new way of understanding her relational needs, tolerate the grief of lack of attunement from her attachment figures, and develop more intrapsychic space for her affective
Hinz, L. D. (2009). Expressive therapies continuum: A framework for useing art in therapy. New York: Routledge.
A silent epidemic in America is the all too common childhood exposure to interpersonal traumatic stressors (D’Andrea, Ford, Stolbach, Spinazzola, & van der Kolk, 2012). Approximately 6.6 million children were reported to Child Protective Services (CPS) in 2014 with alleged abuse or neglect (ACF, 2014). Parents are the culprit of eighty percent of all children who endure maltreatment (van der Kolk, 2005). According to Fratto (2016), maltreatment is abuse and/ or neglect by a parent or caregiver. Children who have been exposed to emotional and physical abuse, neglect, sexual abuse, or witness to war can affect the development of a secure attachment between the child and caregiver (Cook et al., 2005). Evidence shows children
“Art therapy is a form of therapy in making of visual images (paintings, drawings, models etc.) in the presences of a qualified art therapist contributes towards externalization of thoughts and feelings which may otherwise remain unexpressed”(Walter & Gilory, 1992).
Beebe, Steven A., Susan J. Beebe, and Mark V. Redmond. "Understanding Self and Others." Interpersonal Communication: Relating to Others. Boston: Allyn and Bacon/Pearson, 2009. 43. Print.
Sooner or later, we all through a traumatic event that makes life more difficult for us to handle. Trauma can be a sustained series of events (such as an abusive relationship) or a single event. Sadly, even a single traumatic event may compel someone to turn to drugs and alcohol. In fact, it can even cause to addiction to these substances, throwing a person 's life even further off track.
Smith, T. B., Rodríguez, M. D., & Bernal, G. (2011). Culture. In J. C. Norcross (Ed.), Psychotherapy relationships that work (2nd ed.). New York: Oxford University Press.
For clients who express their experiences for the first time in counseling, it can be a powerful force to help them heal. It is important for the counselor to pay close attention to the person’s body language, affect and tone. The counselor must consider the possible scenarios that may occur in the first session. Cultural aspects of the client must be considered. From the client’s perspective, the first session is an important session, even if the first session is mostly an information gathering session. The client may have experiences much trauma in their life, never being able to trust a person with their closest feelings. This is why it is very important to establish rapport and trust in...
processes of art expression in therapy, Art Therapy: Journal of the American Art Therapy Association, 21:3, 125-135
It discusses how children are born with that needs to connect with individuals around them. Teachers and providers create positive relationship with children from birth through the early years. The foundation for that healthy social and emotional development because it affects her children see the world, express themselves, manages their emotions, in establishing a positive relationship with others. There were several areas of development that included social interactions that focus on the relationship that we share and include relationship with adults and peers. Emotional awareness recognized and understands your feelings and actions of other people, and self-regulation where you have that ability to express your thoughts, feelings, and behavior in a socially appropriate way. There were many tips that were listed when working with infants from talking and reading, having that warm, responsive, and consistent care, maintaining predictable routines, and getting to know each child while following their lead. The importance of supporting children and developing social skills is critical for learning, happiness, and long-term. This development begins during infancy and can be supported through simple social games, emotional role model, and imitating an infant's facial expression and sounds. The importance of social-emotional development and toddlers makes an impact in a child life when these skills are developed starting in infancy. Encouraging positive behaviors and using positive discipline practices that helped to develop the ability to make good choices as well as recognizing the confidence that is built when these behaviors are repeated. This is a process for young children to learn these behaviors always remembering that a patient response will help especially when the behaviors are
Trauma, as defined by the American Psychological Association, is an emotional response to a terrible event like an accident, rape or natural disaster. In order to process and overcome a traumatic experience, most seek a therapist. This is especially true for individuals who have dealt with childhood sexual abuse. There are different types of therapy and therapists that exist that individuals go to. Art therapy is a kind of psychotherapy that uses art as it’s main technique of communications in order to improve the emotional and mental well being of the patients. It combines the areas of human development, visual art such as drawing, sculpture, painting and other kinds of art and the artistic process with counseling and psychotherapy.