Exploring Expressions: Therapists’ Use of the Creative Arts in Therapy
8.11 Theme-Based Techniques
Theme-based techniques were those that centred on addressing the core issues of the client. These included art specific techniques and were largely influenced by the therapist’s style, preference of art form(s), and nature of the client population they
were working with. Aahna, the art therapist, after clarifying the problem of the cli- ent and deciding whether to use Reiki or art therapy, selected strategies to address the needs of the client. This involved selection of an activity which revolved around using art materials—colours, newspaper clippings, pencils and the like. After the initial problem clarification, she did not discuss the problem at all. She and the cli- ent just got into the art work. Her belief that change can occur through transforma- tion of energy and removal of negative energies within, guided her session structure and strategies used to address the issues of the client. The process of art making is the therapy in itself. Slayton et al. (2010) identify the healing and life enhancing ability of art therapy with children, adolescents and adults, with varying challenges.
Aahna talked about using mandalas in the therapy session. She saw these figures as a symbol of completeness and had read extensively about them. Apart from draw- ing mandalas, she also encouraged clients to express what they were feeling or thinking through drawing and then interpreting the colours or themes that emerged from their art work. Another art technique used was collages.
Claire used her specific technique of wet painting where the colours were applied to the wet paper and allowed to take their own form. This art work was then left for interpretation by the client, complemented by the therapist’s perspec- tive. Though the art making process was itself considered therapeutic, the art work produced was used as a tool to make interpretations and give insight to the cli- ent. The structure to Claire’s session was consistent across clients. The first eight sessions required the client to work with specific colours with a theme in mind, provided by the therapist. These eight sessions were diagnostic sessions which helped her diagnose the personality of the client and the issues that needed to be addressed. The theme of the session would be using the colour to complete the exercise described by the therapist. In between the painting, the therapists and the client had minimal verbal interaction.
In anthroposophical art therapy, the session consisted of painting and reflect- ing. This reflecting helped the client to balance out his actions with thoughts, thereby creating harmony and not overwhelming oneself with a single act.
Anthroposophical art therapy is based on the holistic understanding of health that incorporates body, soul and spirit. ‘Illness has its’ roots in the soul; and artistic work is an expression of the soul… The therapy aims to strengthen and bring bal- ance to the person to resolve and prevent illness and guide towards a happier life.
It allows clients to become more aware of natural processes in and around them- selves and of the healing potential of colour, line and form’ (Arts Therapy London 2015). The communication became a ‘three way process’, between the thera- pist, the client, and the image or artefact created (The British Association of Art Therapists 2011).
Dance movement therapists spoke of specialized techniques such as mirror- ing, Chasian technique, Kerstenberg technique and the like. They also spoke about body movement exercises based on yoga techniques and folk dances (Kashyap 2005). In theme building, dance therapists used ‘therapeutics of dance’ fully in the session. Exercises designed to encourage exploration and resolution of client prob- lems were utilized by the therapists. Shazneen described this part of the session as
the ‘thematic movement experience’. It is in this part of the session, where a sym- bol is selected to build upon the theme or the issue that needed to be addressed.
The symbol determined the exercises that were chosen and the manner in which expression might take place. To illustrate this further, Shazneen used the symbol of water and described how this was developed into the theme of the session:
Imagine that you are water. How do you imagine water to be? You could think of ice.
You could think of fluidity you could think of it as vapour.… When the person is mov- ing their body they are taking the shape of an emotional story that they are unravelling through movement, on the dance floor…. Unravelling the story and telling it when they can’t necessarily talk about it. It’s happening in the imaginative process, calming them down. Inevitably they will associate what was in the past and the present and how they can work with it in the future. (Shazneen, dance therapist)
Tripura considers this theme development to be the ‘central core in which the therapeutics of dance unfolded through a combination of movement experi- ences…’ (Kashyap 2005). It is through the activities designed for this part of the session that the goals of the session are achieved.
The drama therapists used song, dance, movement and role plays with special children to develop social, emotional and behavioural skills. Depending on the skill level of the child, the activity was designed by the therapists to address his or her needs. As Amala said, ‘If it’s mobility we use dance, if it’s social skills, we use drama…. We can use dialogue and music too. If it’s hand function issue, we use arts and craft’.
The music therapists either played live music or recorded music. Vijay per- formed his sarod recitals at the hospitals; playing songs which he felt would have certain affective changes in the patients. The expressive therapists used multi- ple art modalities. These included two or more modalities in a single session. As Theresa mentioned, ‘We have bottles, masks, dolls. So we use anything. Some people… we make them do papier-mâché stuff and that’s also therapeutic. We use drama. We get people to roll. We use props. So, we use pretty much whatever we can’. Theme building of the session in music therapy involved direct administra- tion of the music to the client. As Anjali said, ‘They come in; they listen to the music for 22 min. They have received one dosage here…’
Expressive therapists, Theresa and Bhavya, used a number of modalities to address the theme of the session such as guided imagery and music along with some body movement. Following which, they could express what they are feeling through painting. The theme development happened through various modalities and a single theme was addressed using various techniques.
8.11.1 Relaxation Techniques
The relaxation techniques could consist of meditation or breathing exercises. Since arts therapies are action oriented therapies, techniques to relax the body and mind after a session of intense ‘doing’ were required.
8.11.2 Reflecting Techniques
The reflecting techniques helped the client to elaborate on the experience he or she has had. These techniques primarily involved words—verbal or written. Clients were encouraged to maintain a journal or have a discussion with the therapists and the group about how they felt and about what they thought about the session.
These techniques sometimes took the shape of homework activities, where the cli- ents were expected to go back and think further about the session. This was rec- ommended especially by the dance therapists and the expressive therapists. The expressive therapists encouraged reflection through other means as well—such as a song or poetry or art work. The drama therapists, due to the profile of clients they dealt with (children with special needs) did not use reflecting techniques. One of the art therapists discouraged the use of reflective techniques, since she wanted her clients to leave behind what was done in the session and not take it home.
This was based on her theory of energy, where once the energy is transformed, that needs to be carried forward.
8.11.3 Use of Metaphors
The use of metaphors was a technique mentioned by many therapists. Metaphor is anything that can represent something else. It could take the form of a visual image, object or a word. This metaphor was then used as the glue that tied the session together. Kimiya (drama therapist), illustrated the use of river as a meta- phor to give an idea of ‘the transformative power of a metaphor in therapy’ (Loue 2008). She narrated an incident that occurred while she was working with a group of children. She mentioned that everyone except one boy was participating in a story building exercise. The boy kept looking at her and would not respond. There were dupattas (stoles) and things lying around; she asked him to pick up whatever he wanted and become that object. Both she and the boy took blue dupattas and became the river:
… And then we said a big wave is coming and we moved like that. First he was like this (bodily closed and shy) and then as he physically opened up, you could see his energy lev- els also changing and how he was moving around the room because we were supposed to be in floods or something. And I had to move with him … and soon we were all over the room. (Kimiya, drama therapist)
Geldard and Geldard (2009) have explored the significance of using meta- phor with adolescents in therapy which can be seen through this snippet of a ses- sion—The boy had an increase in interest levels when the metaphor was used, as he went from being closed to being energized. He was not being pushed to move, but through using an external symbol such as a river, the boy was encouraged to move around the room. This had a therapeutic impact on him—emotionally and behaviourally.
Moon (2007), elaborated on the significance of using metaphors in art therapy.
Metaphors play a powerful role in therapy as they help stimulate the creative pro- cesses and encourage insight. They are discreet in nature and do not threaten the individual. This allowed a person to explore threatening experiences and emo- tions in a safe manner. They contain layered meanings, and could have a powerful impact on the individual at the conscious and subconscious level. Metaphors pro- vide the link between the art work, the client and the therapist which allowed the session to be held together and not dissipate into abstractions. Metaphors in this way helped build rapport and engaged the client in a positive direction.