Getting Side Tracked...

"...It's like the scientific principle of test, evaluate and design. Try something and it fails, you try something else. It fails, you try something again, and it succeeds, and all of those processes that are taking place are happening in this lab..." - Bob Baker

Thank you to everyone who answered my survey, especially the ones that left useful or humorous comment responses. I got one comment that really stuck out to me, and made me think about this topic in a different way. They said how they were currently in counseling for a previous addiction problem, and one of the fellow clients in their program was using art therapy to help with their therapy. I thought that this was instantly a good idea. "How does art therapy help those that suffer from addictions?". I am currently 10 months sober, and am fascinated with this topic. Although I haven't found that much useful information for it. I found one article and am hoping on getting my hands on more. The article that I did find is fairly new and explains how the art therapy world is merging toward substance treatment. So...I don't expect to find much.

"I am in a fellowship in recovery from addictions, we have an individual that is providing art therapy as a way to enlighten and broaden their way of dealing with their addiction. I feel that this is a way to go beyond the usual counseling and cookie cutter ways that are available today. I also feel that as children we learned to express ourselves through drawing, we were given a piece of paper and a crayon or pencil and were allowed the freedom to create whatever we wanted. This I feel is a very open minded approach to therapy in general and a very relaxing and personal way to find the inner peace we all are looking for." 

This was the one comment from my survey that stuck out to me. I do not know the person or what they are in recovery for, but I do wish them  the best of luck in their recovery. I hope that if they see this blog that it can somewhat help them with the usage of art therapy! The reason I quoted this was to get an idea from an individual of what art therapy is. I loved the wording and thought that it was a good example to share.

For starters, I plan on studying the most common addiction there is, which would include the usage of alcohol consumption. Leaders of the AA (alcoholic anonymous) society have been studying 12 step approaches for more than half a century. The most effective model that they have made conducts of using Motivational Interviewing (MI) along with a Stages of Change model (SOC).

Unrelated to my topic, I had to know what the model looked like, the image below is the best example I could find.

People build barriers, trying to pose as a person that they wish they were, putting themselves in denial of ever having a problem. The first step in any AA meeting is to admit ones shame and overcome the denial that they put on themselves. The SOC model resembles some traces of the use of art therapy.

Later on, the article by Horay explains how he read about a patient who drew 12 images for each step of the 12 step approach. In one of the images he draws a pierced heart dripping blood surrounded by a volcanic explosion. The therapist explains how he drew the whereabouts of hell. Toward the end of the recovery he drew a picture of himself on a grassland with a bright yellow sun and a clear blue sky. His drawings arms were outstretched toward the sun. These drawings showed the therapist signs of fast recovery, proving that the 12 step process and SOC were highly effective in the AA world.

 How do scientists break through the defensive mechanism among patients?

 “art expression with work centered around
issues of unmanageability, being out of control, and powerlessness [that] can foster the admission of alcoholism/
drug addiction, which in turn encourages [clients] to
engage in further treatment” 

Another way that patients in the AA were treated was to make the art process as difficult as they could. How did they make things difficult? Clients either had to draw in an isolated dark bottomless pit, or in a room with chairs lined in a circular pattern only to learn that they had to draw on their hands and knees. They were given turpentine and oils for media. Often, they were told to draw with their non dominant hand, or with their eyes closed. Why do they do this exercise? In fact they do this as a power restraint. Its to take away power from the individual. In 1995 Julliard suggested, "Treatment programs should focus on heightening patients' awareness of their powerlessness over their addiction". Hes right, alcohol often makes people feel like they have more power than they originally did. Taking away that power can help them come to the realization that they are equal to everyone around them.

How does art therapy help those recovering from addictions? Out of experience, while I was using I never liked to talk to people about my problems. I had a school counselor that met with me once a week. Although, he was really good and I got a long with him, I never liked opening up to him. Art therapy gives people the ability to talk without using words. You can express on paper what you are feeling, and even if the therapist can't interpret what they drew, it still gives the client a relief because they still 'told' somebody their inner feelings.

Beck, Aaron T. Cognitive Therapy of Substance Abuse. New York: Guilford, 1993. Print.

This book is useful. It covers everything I needed to know. I've skimmed random sections of it. And hope on getting more into it.

Horay, Brian J. "Moving Towards Gray: Art Therapy and Ambivalence in Substance Abuse Treatment." Journal of the American Art Therapy Association (2006): 1-9. Print. This journal piece was the first thing I helped and the most helpful for this topic. It clearly stated everything that I needed and have yet to finish it. 

Video: Art & The Mind – Creativity." Art Therapy RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 July 2013. This blog is wonderful! It had an amazing documentary (with Lisa Kudrow) as well as useful information.