Art and Music Therapy for Trauma Survivors

Abstract

Trauma survivors suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may be unable to verbally express the trauma that has happened to them (Malchiodi, 2008b); however, in order for healing to occur, these individuals must externalize their stories if their traumatic memories are to be reconstructed and positively transformed (Herman, 1997). Thus, the creative arts therapies may be particularly effective in the treatment of PTSD because they offer a sensory means for children and adults to express traumatic memories. This paper provides an overview of how the creative arts therapies, specifically art and music therapy, are effective in helping traumatized individuals throughout their journey of recovery. It will offer a brief description of art and music therapy, describe the mechanisms of change with these modalities, and examine some of the available research on the use of these therapies with children, adults, and families.

From time immemorial, people of all ages have turned to play and to the arts to deal not only with the stresses of everyday life, but also to cope with traumaexperiences that are too overwhelming for the ego to assimilate. From the soothing of David’s biblical harp to the catharsis of classic Greek drama, the arts have offered solace to those under stress. Children play doctor, adolescents write poetry, and this very fact, that creative activity is therapeutic, is the main reason for the existence of the expressive arts therapies as helping professions. (Judith Rubin, 2006, p. 9)

Editor’s Note

Amy Green is a second year MA student in Counselling Psychology at the University of British Columbia. She is the recipient of a 2011-2012 Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) Master’s Scholarship, and is a student affiliate of the Centre for Youth & Society, an interdisciplinary research centre focusing on youth health and wellbeing. Amy’s Master’s thesis will explore the application of the qualitative action-project method within the context of art therapy. It will explore the joint projects of art therapists and young adults with cancer, investigating the ways that art therapists and young adults work together to assist young adults with issues related to their cancer diagnosis and recovery. This research will add important knowledge to the art therapy body of literature by providing a novel description of in-session action and joint goals of art therapists and clients.

Editor’s Note

Amy Green is a second year MA student in Counselling Psychology at the University of British Columbia. She is the recipient of a 2011-2012 Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) Master’s Scholarship, and is a student affiliate of the Centre for Youth & Society, an interdisciplinary research centre focusing on youth health and wellbeing. Amy’s Master’s thesis will explore the application of the qualitative action-project method within the context of art therapy. It will explore the joint projects of art therapists and young adults with cancer, investigating the ways that art therapists and young adults work together to assist young adults with issues related to their cancer diagnosis and recovery. This research will add important knowledge to the art therapy body of literature by providing a novel description of in-session action and joint goals of art therapists and clients.