What Do You See?

As I close my eyes and drift away to a land where there is love, health, peace, and blessings. I wanted to take the time to think and reflect.

     The truth is that most of the time my thoughts, or blog posts are reflective of current events, politics, education, or thoughts and ideas that are related to the mission of creating love and peace. Although there have been times of brutal opposition both in and out of the classroom, I continue to read and write. Closer to my personal research interests which include the arts, and creativity stemming from recent endeavours to experiment with art. Creating workshops for individuals who have faced trauma, to the actual research to understand more about Creative Arts Therapies, otherwise known as CAT. My personal connection to CAT was derived through the explorations of Frida Kahlo and her life story.

     Though she suffered, she survived. Through her personal journey, she not only created art as an avenue to release her raw emotion and physical pain, it was also a mechanism for her to remain productive, an active producer, to create and contribute to the social and political movements, by joining the Communist movement, and creating art as a contribution. Her history is rooted in Latin America and Mexico, but I also think that her legacy is a part of America. Her and Rivera paid a pivotal role in contributing to American Social and Economic policy. 

     What I find unique about Kahlo is that while she did suffer, she also carried a sense of ownership to her life and even her struggles. Not desiring the label of a victim, she remained strong, desired to live through her struggles. It is this sense of ownership that we can think about and connect to trauma survivors, or anyone who has faced some type of negativity in their life. Until we don't own this part of our life, we can never really heal. Healing begins with realizing that there is a part of you, longing and desiring to be healed. It is only then, does one take active steps to do so. Sometimes taking the decision to be pro-active and claiming ownership does not happen alone. Sometimes it means walking alongside support groups, or professionals that you can trust. 

     Part of the healing process through CAT is the creation of trust. CAT's are more than just about creating art. They are about exposing wounds, revealing them in their raw forms. This is where we also have to think about the role of the therapist. The therapist is more than a facilitator. The therapist is engaged in the active process, and journey towards healing, interpreting the sensory perceptions of art, and in a sense diagnosing as well. So we can say that art therapy is much more of a scientific process that it is assumed or thought about. The actual art that is produced not only tells story, but is accessing the sub-conscious of the participant. So whilst the scientific evidence and empirical studies don't report much success as the data collected  from quantitative methods and case studies, we can ask the question of Why?

   The success through case studies differs dramatically to what is revealed through scientific studies. This could be because of the lack of funding in these areas, but clinicians are requesting more support and the need for clinical trials, as experimental methods are revealing positive outcomes. Could we be at a point of intersection where science is meeting art? It is believed that healing through art is connected to that of ancient traditions, healers, and community healers. Whilst the scientific data do report low efficacy for the creative arts, and Art Therapy, I question and wonder why the case studies and the data collected from qualitative studies reveals higher positive affects. Art therapy is being used as an intervention for all kinds of trauma including assisting with PTSD, veteran care, and refugees who enter a new country such as the Syrian Refugees, to heal from the trauma's of war. The numbers might paint a different picture of the benefits of art therapy, but it is really a question of what you see, and how you perceive what you see.

It is my hope that there is going to be more support for this area of research, not only from a researchers perspective, but also to support all the clinicians, creative arts therapist and psychologists who are using and engaging in methods to heal their patients. 

My thoughts to share with love & Kindness! :) 

Notes: These thoughts were originally hand-written on March 31st, 2018.
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