Essay On Therapeutic Masks

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Module 4 Assignment - red word count + quotes 373 A mask can be seen as a “psychotherapeutic tool which is … very ancient and very new” (Janzing, 1998. p. 156). There are obvious implications with masks used in theatre, but masks certainly take on a creative and expressive life of their own when working with clients. Various counselors have sought to use masks in order to assist clients in gaining distance from their problems. Once this distance has been created, clients are given space to be reflective (West, Watts, Trepal, Wester, & Lewis, 2001). The mask allows the client to externalize a concern or part of their self. This part of the self is typically a persona of the client that is not overtly expressed. Landy (1985) states, In therapeutic mask work, then, the mask is used as a …show more content…

In particular discuss how the unconscious is privileged through the exercise, what qualities of experience and medium are relevant, and how the choice of medium is justified. Fundamental Concepts of Art Therapy: 1. Experience is Sensory – qualities of the medium. The soft, tactile, and earthy qualities of the fur, feathers, leather and bone provided a connection to the animalistic, shape-shifting qualities of the Shaman archetype. During the process of constructing the Shaman mask from these ‘found objects’ I had the experience of being connected to the archetype. A sense of the tribal Shaman preparing for a ritual. Making the mask was as if I was intentionally creating a ritual artefact. These qualities of the medium fit perfectly with the qualities of the experience in making the Shaman mask. 2. Words are only an approximation of lived experience. The experience of making this art product was of being profoundly connected with the history and practices of shamanism across many

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