Healing Music
December 3, 2021
An interesting new music album is on the way soon. Nicole Porter Davis and her band, You and Us, have created an album of songs that reflect the various stages of Art Therapy Trauma Response, developed by Porter, a Registered and Board Certified Art Therapist, following the Sandy Hook School tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut.
The first single from the album is available to be heard now here.
As a retired Art Therapist, myself, I am appreciative of the creativity, imagination, and initiative involved in this project.
You can read and subscribe to her new newsletter here.
Mental Well-being, Leonora Carrington, and Art
October 10, 2020
Leonora Carrington. “And Then We Saw the Daughter of the Minotaur.” 1953. Oil on canvas.
I’m always happy to see surrealist images pop up now and then on the web, like this one from MOMA. I’m happier still to read about how an individual uses art for their mental health. The take-away quote: “There are things that are not sayable. That’s why we have art”.
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From The Museum of Modern Art, N.Y., NY
As a Surrealist, #LeonoraCarrington’s works are fantastical and otherworldly, but more than that, they give us a window into her inner world.
On #WorldMentalHealthDay, engage in a guided visualization of Carrington’s “And Then We Saw the Daughter of the Minotaur,” led by Jackie Armstrong on our Education team, for our Artful Practices for Well-Being audio playlist.
Visualization and mindfulness can be powerful tools for reducing anxiety, increasing awareness, and healing distress; the artist understood that mental wellbeing is inextricably linked to physical health, and that balance is important.
Throughout her life, Carrington struggled with her mental health, at one point being involuntarily committed to an asylum as grief over her lover Max Ernst’s internment at a prison camp caused a severe decline in both her mental and physical health.
Carrington was ultimately able to use her art to process and heal. As she writes in her memoir, “There are things that are not sayable. That’s why we have art.”
Start listening at the link in our bio. #ArtfulPracticesforWellbeing
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[Leonora Carrington. “And Then We Saw the Daughter of the Minotaur.” 1953. Oil on canvas. © 2020 Leonora Carrington / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York]
Art Therapy in the Museums?
June 20, 2020
Art as therapy is wonderful and effective. I wonder if any of these museums will consider hiring a credentialed art therapist to direct these programs. Credentialed art therapists have been professionally trained in the therapeutic use of art and can facilitate and oversee effective programming.
www.nytimes.com/2020/06/15/arts/design/art-therapy-museums-virus.html
Art as Therapy: Alain de Botton on the 7 Psychological Functions of Art
Here’s a philosophical take on the therapeutic value of art. i don’t need any more convincing but its always interesting to get a fresh perspective. thanks to Maria Popova at Brain Pickings- http://www.brainpickings.com.
Feb 1, 2011
February 1, 2011
Using imagery in therapy is energy medicine. If energy medicine can be defined as the means to change subtle energy systems in the body, then the use of imagery qualifies by addressing negative emotions in a way that can lead to transformation. Guided imagery, active imagination, and art therapy all can be used in this way.
Supernatural Thriller Features Art Therapist!!
January 17, 2010
I am excited and intrigued to see that a new book, Personal Effects: Dark Art
From Publishers Weekly:
Starred Review. Hutchins, author of the audiobook podcast trilogy 7th Son, makes his print debut with the stellar first of an interactive supernatural thriller series. Zach Taylor, an art therapist(emphasis mine), must evaluate Martin Grace, a blind audio engineer suspected of a dozen homicides, to determine whether Martin is mentally competent to stand trial for the murder of hip-hop singer Tanya Gold, whose body was torn literally limb from limb. Martin claims he’s an unwitting psychic sniper, foreseeing crimes actually committed by a Russian demon or Dark Man. One of his possible earlier victims was Martin’s psychiatrist, Sophronia Poole, the girlfriend of Zack’s dad, William V. Taylor, the New York City DA seeking to convict Martin. Weisman, an alternative reality game whiz, is responsible for the items inside the book’s front pocket—a psychiatric report, family photos, death and birth certificates, etc.—that allow the reader to follow a multimedia trail of clues. (June)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
I have not had a chance to read it yet- I have a copy on order- but, as an art therapist myself, I am excited to see this and wanted to get the word out to you all. If you read it, let me know what you think.
Update June 25, 2011:
I read about halfway through this book and, alas, I could not sustain my interest. I’m not sure if it was because of the way it is written, the story line, the character development, or something else. I wanted to like this book. Too bad. If you’ve read it, let me know what you think in the comments.
Obama Campaign Logo- More to It Than You Thought
January 20, 2009
In an article in the Huffington Post dated January 18, 2009, Ben Arnon writes about Barack Obama's campaign logo. The logo is a very attractive, evocative image and there is quite a story behind its creation. What is most of interest to me is the interpretation that an art therapist made about the logo. Carol Cox, an art therapist and professor of art therapy at George Washington University and Pratt Institute. Read the article to get the whole story and more of the Cox interpretation.
Art Therapy for Terrorists
April 15, 2008
Here’s an unusual but very welcome application of art therapy, from Drake Bennett of the Boston Globe of April 13, 2008. Art therapy, along with other interventions, is being used in Saudi Arabia to attempt to treat convicted terrorists to help them to become less violent. I don’t see much in the way of outcome in the article but there are some criticisms mentioned that this couldn’t possibly work because it is too superficial. Those of us who who work in the field of art therapy know that the treatment can be quite deep and help to bring about profound and lasting change. I wish these art therapists the best of luck.
The image that accompanied the article (that is reproduced above) is by Brian Stauffer for the Boston Globe, not one of the art therapy participants. Wouldn’t you love the see the resulting art work from the art therapy sessions? What do you imagine it looks like?
Visual Literacy
November 16, 2007
I am currently attending the annual conference of the American Art Therapy Association in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and am moved to write about a presentation I attended yesterday on the subject of visual literacy. If I have it right, the idea is that we are so flooded with images in our society from the various media that most of us have lost the knowledge and ability to discriminate between images that are healthy and those that are not.
The presenters, Linda Chapman and Michael Franklin, both art therapists showed many images drawn from popular culture including print, television, and video games that illustrated how we have come to accept without discrimination images of violence, sex, and poverty to sell products- even to the extent that we become blind to the negative aspects of the image and its effects on us. They also suggested that this may be a reflection as well as a contribution to an acceptance or expectation of a higher level of violence or poverty and suffering in our lives. This ability to overlook and accept such extremes was described as a disconnection from the present moment and from aesthetic awareness. They cited several sources including Rudolph Arnheim, Janie Rhyne, Laura Sewall, James Hillman, and Vittorio Gallese.
At the end of the presentation my reaction was that I felt disturbed by the dour and provocative notion that we may be collectively slipping into some sort of hellish dystopia. However, my tendency to seek an optimistic outcome led me to the following- it may be a bit of a stretch but I don’t think what I am about to write is impossible.
Technology has developed so quickly over the last 20 years that human/social development has not been able to keep up. In the case of video games, for example, the result of technological development has given us, in general, games that are quite violent, rewarding bloodshed and killing. It is possible that these games are designed for the lower levels of human development at this point but, as game designers continue to develop games that are more sophisticated, they may find ways to appeal to higher aspects of humanity. (See Spiral Dynamics, a description of levels of human development that is applicable for this discussion.) There are examples of this happening already, although there appear to be many fewer of them than are the violent games. Can games and other use of images in popular culture that reflect, appeal, and foster higher values become popular and profitable enough?
One good example of this better kind of computer game is Journey to the Wild Divine , software that shows great promise in this regard since it fosters the integration of self-awareness into the process and outcome of the game by using biofeedback to influence the game. Following the example of Journey to the Wild Divine, I wonder if maybe the new technologies might eventually be developed to address and encourage the development of higher states of consciousness and interconnectedness. (Watch Robert Thurman at TED.com talk about technology, buddhism, and interconnectedness.)
The concerns of the presenters concerning visual literacy need to be widely considered and discussed. What do you think?
December 4, 2007
Michael Franklin adds: " The bottom line is to
create consciousness around larger processes that reinforce unconscious
perception. So many uses of images are visual constructions that target
consumerist behavior – they do not appeal to an awakened state. As you
suggest and we did in the presentation there are products on the market that are
inspiring and worthy of additional development. And I do think that it is worth
considering why the diet for violent imagery is so pervasive in our culture. I
also think it crucial for AT's to help the larger culture develop more visual
literacy around being able to see what we are not being shown as with media and
the 2 wars we a currently engaged in. We are manipulated by forms of censorship
that many of us are not inclined to pay attention to or to even question. Those
of us that grew up in the Vietnam era we shocked into visual awareness by the
nightly footage coming to our homes. "
Linda Chapman adds: "I really like that you move
into solutions and generate ideas for alternatives. This is what must
occur as you are right, you cannot stop it."
January 27, 2008
Yesterday, I attended a conference organized by the Delaware Valley Art Therapy Association in Philadelphia, PA, where a presentation by Sondra Rosenberg gave an overview of how art therapy can be used in the treatment of eating disorders. During the presentation she mentioned the influence of images in the media on the self image of many women and men. It occurred to me that this, too, should be considered in a discussion of visual literacy.
Update September 21, 2009:
From the Times of India, an interview by Rashmee Roshan Lall with the Karmapa Lama, Trinley Dorje, the only senior Buddhist leader recognized by Beijing, the Tibetans and India, picks his way through the diplomatic minefield. On a visit to Delhi from Dharamsala, the 24-year-old leader of one of the major schools of Tibetan Buddhism talks politics, hip-hop and video games. Relevant excerpt below-
Moving to other issues, I believe you like to listen to hip-hop on your ipod. Who are your favourite artistes?
I can't think of any specific artistes right now, I basically listen to what ever comes my way, whatever sounds appealing. It's important for me to stick to my traditional forms of art because I am a Tibetan Buddhist teacher wearing these robes. It's important for me to maintain my cultural affiliations.
But from time to time I do enjoy listening to hip-hop because it has a very modern sound to it and even though I'm a Tibetan teacher representing these ancient teachings, I'm also a global citizen in the 21st century. Hip-hop perhaps is one way of me being a 21st-century person.
Is that why you play war games on your play station because many might say it's inappropriate for a Buddhist monk dedicated to peace to play war games?
Well, I view video games as something of an emotional therapy, a mundane level of emotional therapy for me. We all have emotions whether we're Buddhist practitioners or not, all of us have emotions, happy emotions, sad emotions, displeased emotions and we need to figure out a way to deal with them when they arise.
So, for me sometimes it can be a relief, a kind of decompression to just play some video games. If I'm having some negative thoughts or negative feelings, video games are one way in which I can release that energy in the context of the illusion of the game. I feel better afterwards.
The aggression that comes out in the video game satiates whatever desire I might have to express that feeling. For me, that's very skilful because when I do that I don't have to go and hit anyone over the head.
But shouldn't meditation take care of that?
No, video games are just a skilful method.
What are your thoughts and feeling about this subject?
Art Therapy by Computer?
November 5, 2007
A recent issue of Time Magazine had a small article on Horace Ho-Shing Ip, professor of computer science at City University of Hong Kong. Professor Ip has developed a series of Smart Ambience Therapy (SAT) programs. Those programs include one that is designed with the help of art therapists to overcome the effects of abuse- a simulation that allows children to throw paint against a screen, virtually. Read the article at Time Magazine Online.
Imagination and Art Therapy
May 1, 2007
As an art therapist, it seems about time that I bring art therapy into the discussion of the imagination as the term has been used on this blog. The following paragraph is an adaptation that I edited from the longer, more comprehensive, description found on the web site of the American Art Therapy Association (AATA). To find out more about Art Therapy and AATA, take a look at the AATA web site.
Art therapists use art media, images, the creative art process and patient/client responses to the created products as reflections of an individual’s development, abilities, personality, interests, concerns and conflicts. Art Therapy practice is based on knowledge of human developmental and psychological theories which are implemented in the full spectrum of models of assessment and treatment including educational, psychodynamic, cognitive, transpersonal and other therapeutic means of reconciling emotional conflicts, fostering self-awareness, developing social skills, managing behavior, solving problems, reducing anxiety, aiding reality orientation and increasing self-esteem. Art Therapy is an effective treatment for the developmentally, medically, educationally, socially, or psychologically impaired; and is practiced in mental health, rehabilitation, medical, educational, and forensic institutions.
Since art therapists use art they therefore also use imagery in their work. The use of art imagery can be a direct interaction with the imagination or it can be a vehicle for illustrating an experience in the imagination. Using guided imagery, in art therapy or without, does not require the use of art, but can be a way to interact directly in the domain of the imagination. The imagination is engaged in either process but in different ways. You can find out more about guided imagery at my web site, The Inward Eye; at the Academy for Guided Imagery; at Dr. Marty Rossman’s web site, The Healing Mind; or read the article, “Imagine That”, by Marian Sandmaier (originally published as “Ask the Bunny” in Oprah Magazine in January of 2006).
Knowing Imagination 