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Reflective essay on art therapy
Essay about art therapy
Psychological impact from art
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Freud postulated that there were two distinct forces that fueled all human behaviors. These are the polar drives of life, “libido,” and death, “morbido,” which were later labeled as the Eros (life) and Thanatos (death) instincts (Kerr, 2014). As a country, there is an overall obsession with technology. This fixation on creation may lead to the inevitable destruction of our species. (Leith, 2000). Furthermore, the problems of the world are not from the disease outside, but the disease within. Therefore, I propose embracing the libido-morbido conflict by working with bones in an art therapy climate. Indeed, I believe that this may result in the “sublimation” of the life and death tension. In fact, the use of bones is not foreign to the field of art therapy. What is more, the use of bones as art is mentioned by one of the original art therapists, Edward Adamson (Moon, 2010). Also, mentioned in Catherine Moon’s (2010) book, Margaret Naumburg sought an archeological perspective later in her practice of art therapy (p. 116). …show more content…
Although, this was not as easy as anticipated. Although, websites had suggested local supermarkets, I only acquired a package of marrow bones. In anticipation of difficulties collecting bones, I had previously asked friends to save any scrap bones for the project. Luckily, this attempt was more successful, and I moved on to material preparation. Boiling the bones in water and stripping them of residual tissue, put the bones through an alchemical process, both literally and metaphorically. Thus, it broke down the barrier of death, and then I began the transmutation of the bones into a new form of life, through art. While cleaning the bones, an awareness of similarity between the bones, in my body, and that of the chickens emerged. Moreover, “transference” occurred, as I contemplated how my bones kept my body’s form and structure, protected my vital organs, and enabled me to function, and
The skeleton had a hideous impact to the community and was predicted by local investigators to be reasonably modern. To get better understanding and avoid confusion, a bone sample was sent to a laboratory in the USA for investigation and analysation using series of scientific
One of the most memorable experiences I had last summer was visiting the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore, Maryland. (3)At this museum, professional artists had created none of the works hanging on the walls. Visionary art is an individualized expression by people with little or no formal training; the rules of art as a school did not apply here. While I was there, I learned that for many years, the artwork created by patients of mental institutions, hospitals, and nursing homes were disregarded and destroyed by their caretakers. After seeing what powerful and telling work came from many people in these situations, I found this information to be very distressing. Fortunately, the development of art as a form of therapy has changed the medical attitude toward art created by the healing in the past fifty years. While the work created through this therapy is rarely showcased as at the American Visionary, it is aiding therapists and their clients in reaching a new awareness.
The contemporary philosopher, Susan J. Brison has been a great influence in my practice. One quote that has inspired much of my work comes from her book, Aftermath: Violence and the Remaking of a Self. She said, “We are our molecules; our deepest fears, joys, and desires are embodied in the chemical signals of our neurotransmitters. But we are also creators of meaning, making up- and made out of- our histories, our idiosyncrasies, our crazy plot-lines, our unpredictable outcomes. How are we to make sense of the fact that we are both?”1 It is that question that I try to explore in my work.
Dates of publication were not used as selection criteria given the limited research available and the early inception of art therapy as an intervention (Dunn-Snow & D’Amelio, 2000). Only three of the nine studies selected for this literature review occurred within the past ten years (see Figure 1).
Alain De Botton on Art as Therapy. Dir. Alain De Botton. Perf. Alain De Botton. The
“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).
Thanatology is derived from the Greek word Thanatos, which means death; Death of the physical self and death of the internal self. As Sigmund Freud institutes in his work Beyond the Pleasure Principle there are two drives in the brain that both coincide and conflict within the individual and one of these drives is death itself. Eros is the drive of life, love, creativity, sexuality, self-satisfaction, and species preservation. Thanatos consists of aggression, sadism, destruction, violence and the unknown thoughts of death (Freud, 1953). These self-destructive characteristics are present in all human beings, but they are in the unconscious part of the mind that can be accessed but can also be repressed in order to survive (Freud, 1953). The purpose of this essay is to examine the history of Thanatology, what it is, and the correlations of Sigmund’s Freud’s understanding of the unconscious death instinct that has infiltrated into today 's society.
It had also given me more interest to how they looked at the bones and what
Thus it enables a state of being that is in the moment (it is present). The aesthetical (in terms of material aspects) of the body are also something that is a definite variable. When the body undergoes ‘embodiment’ it is the process of the locus, culture, traditions, biological traits of the body (sex, race) that plays a role in the construction of this experience (which happens on a daily basis) and at the same time simultaneously confines it (2009:3). ‘Embodiment’ is forever shifting and growing; as one’s experiences are continuously happening and thus making it a highly subjective experience as well (2009: 4). This process then allows the body to become something that is more than just a biological construct; it allows the body to become something that is able to express itself unto other beings in both words (the patterns developed when one is speaking and the language styles that one has been influenced to use) and non-verbal communication (the shape and form the body takes when moving in space or even sitting or standing still in a space drawn from experienced emotions and the person’s historical, social and political background). Therefore it is suggested that ‘embodiment’ is something that is a network of interlinked signs showing past experiences and continuously reshaping and forming to show new signs based on new experience (Thapan 2009:
Freud has always been on of my favorite theorist, He was never afraid to think outside the box and propose something unimaginable. Freud, as a psychosexual analyst had a very unique way of looking at humans and their actions. According to Freud 's theories, everyone 's actions were driven by a sexual desire whether it was suppressed or not. While Freud did focus a lot on the sexual drive behind people 's actions, his Three Essays on the Theory of Sexuality focused on sexual aberrations rather than normality. The essays covered a wide spectrum of topics including: sexual object, sexual aim, and many perversions.
Art Therapy is defined by the American Art Therapy Association, as “the therapeutic use of art, within a professional relationship, by people who experience illness, trauma, or disabilities, and are seeking personal development.” This process uses art media, images, and performances to enhance the patient’s abilities, personality, and quality of life. Patients who use art as a therapeutic device engage in creative outlets which allow them to gain emotional healing and relief from stressful and terminal diseases or disabilities (Benefits, 1). Art Therapy is practiced in mental health, rehabilitation, medical, educational and forensic institutions. This treatment also has a variety of clientele, and formats, such as: individuals, couples, family, and group therapy. Creating, viewing, and talking about art, provides a way for people to cope with emotional conflicts and increase self-awareness (History, 1). The ability to create or interpret art provides the patient the proper format to express unspoken and often unconscious concerns about their misfortunes. Coupled with medical treatment, Art Therapy provides emotional support and stability for many people throughout the world. Although it is a growing field, with 34 master’s programs approved by the American Art Therapy Association in universities throughout the United States, Art Therapy departments and therapists are continuously shown a lack of appreciation and support. Other than the actual patients and their loved ones, successes shown within this form of treatment are relatively unheard of by the general public. The significance that Art Therapy has in the medical world should be known because is completely safe, without side effects and incredibly important to many people (Ar...
One of the disadvantages of art therapy is that the therapist is more vulnerable to misinterpretation in terms of the objective understanding of content. Care must be taken not to make rapid interpretations on the specific piece of art which might prevent or even deny the client the satisfaction of discovering and finding out for herself (Case and Dalley, p. 65). This is because art therapy involves a lot of interpretation, it is understandable that critics about this technique are similar to that of psychotherapy. The client’s images can come across as many things with contrasting ideas, but only the individual themself can explain it. The therapist is urged not to point out obvious red signals, instead they should allow the client to come up with their own interpretations. Their own interpretations alone are something to make note of as it may shed some light on the client's thought process about the
Passionate love is based on drive. Couples in passionate love feel physically attracted to each other. Sexual desire is typically a component of passionate love. Passionate love is not limited to sexual attraction, however. It is a way for couples to express feelings of nurture, dominance, submission, self-actualization, etc![4] Passionate love is considered the "hot" component of love because of the strong presence of arousal between two people. Sternberg believed that passionate love will diminish as the positive force of the relationship is taken over by opposite forces. This idea comes from Solomon's opponent-force theory[5]!
I visited the Body Exhibition, which is located in Buena Park, California. This exhibit allows a person to get a deeper look the inside the systems of a human body and it anatomy. It includes the skeletal system, muscular system, nervous system, respiratory system, digestive system, urinary system, productive system and fetal development, circulatory system, and lastly the threatened body. This exhibit contains more than 200 actual human bodies that have been dissected and preserved. During my visit I saw many things that changed my perspective. While visiting bodies I observed the exhibit itself, observed the people around me and asked the tour guide questions regarding the bodies.