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Why the Arts in College Counseling Psychotherapy?

Why the Arts in College Counseling Psychotherapy?. Lourdes Brache-Tabar CCNY Conference June 3, 2011. Two Theories. Self Psychology, Kohut,H. Importance of Arts to humans Dissanayake, E. . Kohut. Narcissism as fundamental psychological force not a pathology

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Why the Arts in College Counseling Psychotherapy?

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  1. Why the Arts in College Counseling Psychotherapy? Lourdes Brache-Tabar CCNY Conference June 3, 2011

  2. Two Theories Self Psychology, Kohut,H. Importance of Arts to humans Dissanayake, E.

  3. Kohut • Narcissism as fundamental psychological force not a pathology • Attunement or intersubjectivity • Empathy • Mirroring

  4. Dissanayake Art as an intrinsic need for humans Four forces behind human need for art-making: • belonging to a social group • finding and making meaning • gaining a sense of competence through the success in manual craftsmanship • rituals as a way of acknowledging the importance of the art

  5. Rituals -Not merely a vestige of “primitive” cultures • Use vocal, rhythmic movement, feeling tone – • Alleviate anxiety about uncertainty - Promote bonding/belonging = Primal (Primo $...) In sports events or concerts, the rhythmic chanting and moving with the crowd creates a feeling of elation. This ritual bonds together anonymous members of the crowd and offers the experience of belonging, even transcendence.

  6. The Arts as Love Similar to act of physical love Rhythmic,mood-enhancing properties (mother-infant) Profoundly moving Difficult to describe

  7. The Arts Like Love • Build Intimacy • Convey Emotions • Share Experience • Redirect Energy • Heighten Awareness • Release/Transcend (transported by art)

  8. Expressive Arts Therapy • Embodied – invites engagement of the body, e.g. the act of creating (movement, rhythm, sound) - challenges “disembodied” thinking and thus ungrounded wish fulfillment (client’s rigid fantasy) • Imaginal – uses metaphor (generation virtual reality vs material) metaphor challenges concrete thinking invites other perspectives, tolerance of paradox

  9. Implications • Soften rigid/petrified defenses (e.g. shutting down/avoidance with addiction) to more fluid response to stressors • Gain playfulness • Acceptance of uncertainty • Live with life’s contradictions --- theater of humanity

  10. Case (not real—composite) A 19 year old Caucasian female comes to CAPS for the first time the first month of classes. She is a transfer student (sophomore in sociology). She reports she has no energy, no motivation, eats mainly chips and cookies, and can’t sleep. She denies SI. She cries throughout the session. She says a week ago her boyfriend broke up with her because he found another person. She says she can’t stop thinking about it and cries all the time. She says “I don’t want to feel like this, I want to be normal again.”

  11. Working the Case • Listen to the story use attunement, mirroring, empathy -What was the relationship like? - What do you miss? - What did you not like?

  12. Engage the imagination and the senses • If you were to think of a color to describe how you feel now, what would it be? • If you had a texture to describe that feeling, what would it be? • - Can you give it a shape? • If I gave you crayons, can you show me on paper what the feeling looks like? • - Is there any song, poem that comes to mind about how you feel?

  13. Embodiment - The loss of love can feel like physical pain. If this is the case for you, can you tell me where in your body do you feel the pain of having lost your relationship? - Can you describe the feeling?

  14. Invite mindfulness • - As you hold the image of the pain in your body, can you breathe with the pain?

  15. Return to client’s goals • - About your goal of wanting to feel “normal” what does that mean to you? • – “I don’t want to cry everyday and feel like no one cares” • - “When was the last time you were not crying and felt like someone cared?” • - With my mom • Again I would I ask her to describe and re-experience the emotional state of being cared for

  16. Build tolerance for contradiction and mindful witnessing in non-anxious state • - Hold feeling states at the same time • - Can you imagine the “normal” feeling inside you? Can you at the same time imagine the feeling of rejection? Breathe as you hold the two

  17. Summary Expressive Arts Therapy includes some of the underpinnings of self psychology, such as - Attunement, Empathy, Mirroring In addition = invites Embodimient Imagination Curious (vs anxious) approach to dilemmas

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