Dolls have a universal and timeless appeal. Ancient civilizations created them to ward off illness, promote fertility, and ensure abundant crops. Dolls have been infused with the wishes, fears, and hopes of their makers, and have served as powerful talismans of transformation. Learners will discover the clinical benefits of doll making through case studies that illustrate its effectiveness in the treatment of grief and traumatic loss. This creative, imaginative and transformative art therapy technique explores the relationship to the self and to the deceased, either of which can be represented by dolls, through the lens of meaning reconstruction and attachment informed grief therapy.
We will present handmade art therapy dolls as a valuable vehicle for the telling and reworking of one’s loss narrative, which includes event and back story, bracing, pacing and facing, and for exploring an identity impacted by grief and rooted in the existential question, “Who am I?” Alternatively, the doll making process and product can serve as a concrete, transitional object to support the exploration of the continuing bond with the deceased. It provides opportunities for reconnection, care giving and memorializing.
Our time together will include the sharing of a survivor’s intimate doll making experience. Small breakout rooms and a larger group discussion will serve as a witnessing experience to the process of non-verbal expression, using a pliable human form to gain a sense of control and well-being.
