Art Therapy & Trauma

Trauma can be defined through emotional, psychological, spiritual, behavioural, and physical reaction from a distressing event(s). This contributes to one’s coping capacity, sense of self, connection to others and environment, and ability to maintain psychological resilience.[1] Art therapy focuses on the recovery of an individual’s response to trauma, personal narrative, and how it influences their current life.[2] The use of verbal and visual art making has positive effects in processing memories and emotions related to traumatic experiences.[3] Art therapy identifies and decreases negative effects and increases one’s ability to connect with positive life experiences by strengthening comfort and well-being within their daily lives.[4]

Art therapy provides an avenue to exert energy, mindfully explore stress responses, and engage in personal connections within the art making process and therapeutic alliance.                                                                  

Benefits of Art Therapy

Early trauma can contribute to the disruption of an individual’s right hemispheric development, which is the section of the brain that is able to regulate emotion, process pain, and maintain attention span. Trauma is associated with memory deficit, and art making can assist in safely reconnecting with implicit memories related to personal trauma through the development of imagery.[5]

Benefits in Art Therapy include:

Art therapists can assist clients in approaching cognitive integration of their experiences through their art creation and reflection of their trauma narrative.

Art therapy can provide an avenue to explore layers of trauma narrative and build closure to move forward in their life.

The client can be guided through different art material, creation, and reflection when experiencing feelings of anxiety and stress. The client can strengthen tolerance and personal connections to stress reactions, learn thought patterns and use the creative process to gradually build on self-identity beyond trauma memories.

Katherine’s art therapy practice explores the link between trauma and autonomic nervous system arousal with individuals experiencing stress and anxiety symptoms. It is informed by Art therapy relational neuroscience approach (ATRN), Mindfulness art therapy, Narrative therapy, and top-down and bottom-up thinking in relation to Expressive Therapies Continuum to assist in safely guiding clients to understand present and past influences on their stress responses and/or trauma experiences.