In my work with children and families affected by trauma quite often the image making falls under a range of expression...from avoidance and denial to a safe arena to project and express the myriad emotions survivors carry. As an Art Therapist I feel particularly fortunate to have the knowledge and skills required to hold the space for my clients and allow the images to come... And most importantly to support the meaning making from my client.
This co-creating of healing is the cornerstone of an empowering therapeutic for trauma survivors.

Exactly! And the same holds true for adults. Whether dealing with old or new traumatic experiences, the triangulation of the incident and related emotions makes verbal associations to the created product safer and easier. By talking about "it", the created expression, one gains additional distance from the trauma itself.

Keep these pearls of wisdom coming, Cathy.

Wonderful to read your article. So important for professionals in the field to understand the reasons why traditional talk therapy is so limited with trauma survivors. The damage to Broca's area is one part of that story. Please read "Why Students Underachieve: What Educators and Parents Can Do about It" to learn more about all the neurological and physiological changes caused by trauma. It's my mission to get this information to educators and parents everywhere so we can intervene more effectively and stop the misdiagnoses and overmedication of our youth. Visit www.DrMelrose.com for additional resources. Thanks again for an important article.