‘So you mustn’t be frightened…
If a sadness arises in front of you larger than any you have ever seen…
You must realise that something is happening to you,
that life has not forgotten you,
that it holds you in its hand and will not let you fall.”
~ Rainer Maria Rilke ~
Embodying the principles and practices of the Expressive Arts Therapies with grief work occurs through imagination and deep play. When experiences of grief and loss tear the fabric of personal identity, it requires both an active and reflective approach to hold these powerful experiences and allow them the respect and time needed to touch the depth of pain. Simultaneously the client’s journey is guided toward a sense of re-ordering, through the creative process, while maintaining an awareness of unfinished business that flows toward restorative retelling. This engagement creates a healing sanctuary, a holding space for the material that arises.
This didactic and experiential module provides an overview of the philosophical foundations, principles and practices of Expressive Arts Therapy and how using the arts can enhance grief counselling through art-assisted activities across the realms of visual art making, expressive writing / poetry, and somatic awareness with individuals and groups. Fundamental to this AAGT Orientation Module is the notion of Poiesis, a creative process that gives meaning, not through mastery of pain but rather through surrender, embracing our capacity for opening to and shaping what life gives us.
The architecture of a session invites the clinician to engage in unknowing and mystery, and tolerating the uncertainty that arises when one is deeply present. Specific phases include clarifying the life situation, stepping away from it to enter into art-making, aesthetic engagement with the artwork itself (analysis) and a bridging back with current life concerns. The clinician’s role is to relinquish the quest for control and trust that something of value will arise. This is an invitation for entering the realm where imagination operates and embodies the healing presence in the space. A sense of mystery and unknowing predominate. This hands on, deep dive into meaning reconstruction through the expressive arts therapies is followed by processing in pairs and group discussion. This will involve the use of quieting strategies, listening to an oral story, expressive writing, and art making.
