Embodiment in Art Therapy - Research Paper Example

Embodiment in Art Therapy The body is never simply a physical object but always an embodiment of consciousness. Furthermore we cannot discuss the body without having a central concern for intentions: the object, outside world is always connected to my body in terms of my bodys actions or potential actions on them. To perceive the world is to reflect upon possible actions of my body and the world (Turner, 1996, the body and society: Explorations in social theory, p. 78). INTRODUCTION Understanding the body and how it works within therapy is a difficult situation for many because of the way that the Western world perceives the disconnection between mind, body and spirit. If you are born in the Western world you are used to going to a physician who listens to your symptoms and give you a prescription based on the body systems. A primary care physician only works with the body and when there is a problem that needs "fixing" that is mental, emotional or spiritual, you are sent to another type of doctor. The challenge with this method is that the individual is only getting one need met at a time and these needs are not seen as an aspect of each other. Eastern medicine treats the full person. They understand that the symptoms that are found in the body came because of unrest or a dis-ease in the mental, emotional or spiritual aspects of the entire person. They treat all three aspects of "the body" so they can effect a "cure" rather than just putting symptoms "in remission". Many critics say that we should somehow merge the eastern and western medicines but this is part of the culture that is difficult to understand. Therapists on the other hand are attempting to work with the whole body and to make sure that they work with the whole person. Therapy attempts to integrate the body, mind and spirit so that the individual becomes aware of themselves and the world around them. DETACHMENT FROM THE BODY It is not known why detachment from the body happens in some situations but there are many psychological disorders that show that the individual can mentally, emotionally and spiritually detach from the body. Often staying "in the body" can become very painful and detaching can be the best way to stay safe. It is easy for someone to detach because they do not see the body as being part of the emotional and physical experience. It is known that we learn to detach from our bodies so it happens on a daily basis. We operate in what Johnson (2007) calls a "mind/body dualism". This dualism happens because it is the way that the human brain thinks because of its conditioning. Johnson says that the body hides from our conscious awareness because we perceive what we are experiencing through our minds rather than through our bodies. He quotes Michael Polanyis (1969) words to illustrate this point: Our body is the only assembly of things known almost exclusively by relying on our awareness of them for attending to something else … every time we make sense of the world, we rely on our tacit knowledge of impacts made by the world on our body and the complex responses of our body to these impacts (Polanyi as cited in Johnson, 2007, p. 4-5). Although we live in a dualistic world we need to help clients bring together mind, body and spirit to help them create more balance in their lives. Shaw (2003) states that there is always a disembodiment when physicians and patients come together in which there "is almost a disembodied interaction from the doctors point of view, an acting out of objective science onto an unsuspecting subject, that of the patient" (p. 42). This suggests that the doctor and patient are separated from each other and although the two of them interact and there should be two bodies coming together, only one is there; a different kind of detachment. Other ways that we detach from our bodies is when we are listening to another human being. Often we are in that state of not seeing the body with a "central concern for intentions" because we are afraid to reveal ourselves to others. In this way we can make sure that people do not know us, but our bodies will react to the world anyway. MY DEFINITIONS OF EMBODIMENT, CREATIVITY AND ETHICS Finding definitions of embodiment, creativity and ethics was something that really needed to be thought about. Embodiment has many different definitions but as I was thinking about it I had some thoughts. Embodiment to me has two definitions. On the one hand it means to bring into ones consciousness something that they understand. As an example, an individual may try and understand how to do something. Once they understand, they "embody" the information and it becomes a part of them. In a sense, a therapist is attempting to help someone understand what they need to do for themselves and then embody that information. Therapists who use Cognitive Behavior Therapy are attempting to help clients release those thoughts and behaviors that they have currently embodied and replace them with other beliefs and behaviors. In order to accomplish this, the individual must be able to accept these new beliefs and behaviors. I also think that embodiment implies an integration of body, mind and spiritual principles so that an individual can move forward. In the case of children, they have often embodied concepts, hurts, emotions and perhaps trauma that they must release; one of the best ways to release is to do so through creativity. Sometimes this means taking the information into themselves and making it a part of whom they are or who they want to become in the future. The therapist understands that they and their clients must connect what they think with their internal self whether this is a "positive" or "negative" understanding. Whether this is a positive or negative situation it will come out in the body. As an example, when someone is feeling depressed over a period of time, they are most likely to develop a cold or other illness. They have "embodied" the depression and it wears on the body until illness is the result. In other words, the mind and body affect each other. Because of this mental illness can effect the body negatively and the illnesses of the body can impact the function and condition of the mind. Where the body and mind come together in a positive manner, healing can take place. Creativity is the next idea to discuss and it generally means the free flowing of ideas in my opinion. Ideas can be anything from something written to a different way that someone chooses to use their body. A child is a very good example of creativity because it comes to them naturally. As an example, you can put children in a room together or by themselves and they will find something to do. Usually it will start with talking to themselves or an "imaginary friend." If you add toys, paint or other "tools," they will find a myriad of things to do that will keep them busy for hours. Adults have a more difficult time of doing these things. Creativity is about expression and the body allows for many creative endeavors if we allow it to express on its own. Many people express feelings and thoughts that ultimately affect their body. The body then becomes the vessel for vivid expression. When you add this information to a creative venture like dance, it allows an individual to express themselves in a different ways. Therapists guide clients in the way they perceive creativity, but eventually a client will continue on their own. This is particularly true with children. They are able to express themselves in many different ways all at once. As an example, a child may start out drawing, but they may go into a bit of dance when music is added. They may go over into a corner in preschool where they have dress up clothes and begin to use them in different ways. Creativity can also be the expression of what is sitting inside someone waiting to get out. Creativity can be the catharsis that opens the door or window in an individuals soul to use to move forward. Natural healing can be brought out through the creative process. Since I work with children I see creativity on a regular basis. Creativity comes through self-expression and it can be a way for children to work out their feelings. They may never say anything, but depending on the way they draw or use color, the therapist can get a general idea of what is going on. In fact, creative expression is one of the best way for children who have experienced trauma to work out their feelings. As an example, I am working with children in Korea and sometimes I meet those children who do not want to talk or they only know a few words or want to use a few words. Some therapists have a problem working with these children but I know that all children enjoy coloring and drawing. Most of the time children like to use colors or to do other creative things. When they have suffered trauma they are not able to vocalize their feelings and they may not have words to express certain situations. With the use of creativity they are able to work silently without worrying about a high degree of questioning and this creativity may be their catharsis. Ethics are an important part of counseling because it is the "rules" by which we operate. In many situation ethics can be what helps therapist understand what to do versus what not to do. In my opinion ethics are the way that people perceive the word. When they are small children their first ethics are given to them by their parents. They are taught what to do when, what not to do, and how to act in every situation. As they grow older, they will adopt their own idea of ethics and they will work within these parameters. For therapists, ethics are based on what they were taught in school or as children as well on what the state laws require. Some people confuse ethics with religion but this may not be the same. Most religious doctrines have their own ethics that they expect the people who follow their religion to do. However, these ethics are only for the church that the individual attends; ethics as I am speaking about them are the more universal "laws" that are passed down for everyone to follow. Ethics and values are the same and we are talking here of a broader sense than what would be talked about with religion. Ethics go beyond only analyzing right from wrong because these two concepts can be different for different people and for different cultures. Some of the values that most people understand include trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship. There are also ethical considerations with the law and cultural ethics that make it difficult sometimes for people to work together. THE CONNECTION BETWEEN EMBODIMENT, CREATIVITY AND ETHICS Although I have somewhat explained how I see these three coming together, it is important to make a few distinctions. When therapists are working with clients they often look for ways to understand the client; they are looking for a connection. When they are sitting across from someone they are looking at their body language and how it expresses when the individual is relating information either verbally or through creative expression. It is necessary to understand that the body is important to the whole person and that both the client and the therapist are expressing in this situation with their bodies. Much of embodiment will come through observing this body language as it goes back and forth between client and therapist. Shaw (2003) suggests that body language is one of the ways a therapist can learn to "listen" to the body (p. 23). A therapist who sees the importance of the body can be trained to see how the body becomes more important as they move through certain issues within the therapeutic process. When a therapist is working with certain psychological issues the body is important to notice. As an example, the relationship between body image, eating disorders and the way a woman uses her body in that situation is important to notice. In therapy, the client and the therapist have their bodies engaged together and perhaps this is why ethics must come into play. "The therapists body is an actively present agent and highly tuned to receive sensitive information" (Shaw, p. 24). In many situations the therapist has to be careful because some clients are so "damaged" that they can misinterpret this highly tuned and present agent as someone who is interested in them sexually because this may be the first time they have ever been listened to or felt in this way. This is where ethics play a very big part because therapists have to have a strong ethical foundation in order to make appropriate decisions. Ethics can also be a part of the disembodiment of decisions because in classes the way that ethics "feels" is not discussed. As an example, Hervey (2007) makes the point that we can be pulled away form the idea of ethics when they are not "meaningful." That because "ethical conflict can create some of the most violently felt body-based responses" that we are not allowed emotional responses (p. 92). Working with children is a very difficult situation sometimes for people ethically because you want to save every child that comes to your door. You want to make sure that they are safe and in reality, you have to work with them when they are in unsafe situations. We constantly have to make ethical decisions with children that are sometimes creative to get them out of a negative situation. MY EMBODIMENT TO MY CLIENTS AND TO MY MEDIUM OF CHOICE I am very involved in working with my clients because they are children under the age of eight. I want them to be able to express themselves and I continually work with them to do so. I think that we do communicate through our bodies and I like this quote by Frank: The communicative body understands that the body -- self exists as unity With its two parts not only interdependent but inextricable. When the body that associates with its own contingency turns outward in dyadic relatedness, it sees reflections of its own suffering in the bodies of others (49). I feel that this is what the therapist is supposed to do. They must work not only with themselves to get an understanding of their own body and the communication of their body, but also with their clients. I work with many abused children who face difficulty in expressing their complex emotions. The research on emotion indicates that young children who are less than five years old are not able to describe mixed emotions verbally. In addition, it is hard to understand that children tend to have contradictory emotions that they are unable to express. In order to help them understand their feelings, it is important for them to have an alternative way of expression; in my case this is through art therapy. A childs body language can be more expressive than their verbalizations and this helps them become successful in therapy. I understand how embodiment works and how easy it is to detach from your own body. When I was a child, I used to draw pictures and make dolls when I had time. My body would disappear in a sense which I concentrated on what I was doing; today when I concentrate on something the same thing happens. I used to draw dramatic scenes from movies and I would feel how my body would react. I can now see how my body was then and is now a container with various kinds of messages, memories and imaginings. I think it is necessary for me to have this understanding so I can react more appropriately to my clients and their need for self expression. I watch how their bodies react when they are telling me about their art work. When children and adults are being creative, they are producing many new ides. They are learning to be flexible, original and they find a way to practically use what they are being taught in the classroom and through their art. Creative activities can make people more expressive so they can be more embodied in their work. The body generates meaning even before self-consciousness has fully developed (Johnson, p. ) Ethics do come into play for me when I am working with children because I may one day work in the United States. I understand that Korean ethics and American ethics are different. As an example, I like to give presents to some children when they have finished therapy with me. In Korea, this is perfectly fine and culturally it is something that we do. In America, I understand that this practice may be frowned upon by parents and the ethical boards. I believe that this is one of the ways to express love to a child but sometimes I wonder if it is appropriate in the therapy setting. According to Taylor (1995) this is a matter of an individual therapist being clear about their own boundaries and being able to set them for their clients (p. 124). In my understanding this means that I have to be aware of my reasons for giving the child presents and be able to set clear boundaries that say why the present is being given. I also have to be careful about the types of gifts I give. In all the information I read on ethics, it seems that it is difficult to decide sometimes what is ethical and what may not be ethical. As an example, when a client has a particularly intense session it is difficult to know whether you should hug them or tough them at all. Taylor says that there are "no cut and dried" answers in this situation so it is best to talk to our colleagues and supervisors about these issues (Taylor, p. 6). Empathy in my opinion is one way to decide whether a situation is right or wrong when you are working with clients. The concept of "kinesthetic empathy" is interesting because according to Hervey, it is a way to know a client through "embodied identification" (p. 98). In a sense this is a way of helping people find a way to feel their bodies and feel what someone else feels. Although this is used in dance and movement therapy more than other ways, I could see how it could be used as a part of art therapy as well. We could actually have children move sometimes to just experience the way their bodies feel when they are happy or when they are sad. I am embodied in my art therapy because I enjoy art. I enjoy making things on my own and I enjoy working with children to create works of art. I embody this information because it makes me feel good and it helps me to understand the way that I can help others. To this day I still have an opportunity to challenge myself and to get lost in my art. CONCLUSION This is an interesting topic to think about because expressing ones self creatively is often taken for granted. Some people feel they cannot express themselves easily while others find it very easy and comforting. If we as therapists can understand that we are not our bodies only, but that it is just one part of the entire human experience, we will understand better how to work with clients. References Frank, A. (1995). The wounded story teller: Body, illness and ethics. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press. Hervey, L. (2007). Embodied ethical decision making. American Journal of Dance Therapy. 29 (2) 91-108. Johnson, M. (2007). The meaning of the body. Illinois: University of Chicago. Shaw, R. (2003). The embodied psychotherapist: The therapists body story. NY: Brunner-Routledge. Taylor, K. (1995). The ethics of caring: Honoring the web of life in our professional healing relationships. CA: Hanford Mead Publishers. Read More