A Story Behind Expressive Arts Therapy
by Joselyn Carvalho
Lesley University Dual-Degree Student:
BA - Expressive Arts Therapy & Psychology, LMHC - Specialization in Expressive Arts Therapy
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The direct definition of passion is a strong, and barely controllable emotion; it's more than just enthusiasm or excitement, passion drives my ambition. This is one of many phrases and words I continuously come back to, reminding me of why I started this academic journey. My passions are driven by different communities, my family, and my motivation in a field I love working in. Expressive arts therapy is a field known for its diverse range of tools to help those in need. With modalities of dance, visual art, literacy, drama, and music, my goals from the very beginning were to dive right in and understand the therapeutic tools used to help others. When entering the field of expressive arts therapy there are a lot of unknowns. So, my hope is to share a piece of my story through the creative arts in healing.
The baseline behind expressive arts therapy is the ETC, the expressive therapies continuum. Every practitioner, therapist, or student learning like myself faces the decision of where to start with using the arts in healing or development. I love using the analogy of when a painter faces a blank canvas or a dancer hearing a song for the first time to create choreography. There are different ways to approach the creative-making process just like there are different types of ways arts can approach you!
The ETC is almost like a directory for the human psyche, allowing for shifts and changes before, during, and, after making art. The left side of the diagram demonstrates the left hemisphere of the brain while the right is the right hemisphere. Each serving functions as creativity happens right in the middle. In the lower levels, the left has kinesthetic, and the right the sensory. A great reminder is how as children we immediately attach ourselves to what we touch and, want to feel. The second tier is perceptual and then affective, entering the ability to interpret what we feel while also attaching meaning to it. Affective is more of the influence of the emotions we can feel rather than our own interpretations. Lastly, at the very top, we have the cognitive and symbolic levels of understanding. I use this a lot with young adults and teens as there is a fully formed development of metaphors and understandings that can create a dialogue when artmaking.
When working in diverse communities I’ve learned to pair the ETC with my approach to the arts, especially with specialties of poetry and music. My recent work at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center consists of the theories behind the ETC. While shifting the curriculum to best serve the population. I use all modalities of music, visual art, poetry, dance, and drama to evoke storytelling. With an age range of 13 to 17, I’m able to have some freedom and explore how their stories can affect different communities in the city of Boston. While reflecting on how their voice has power. I typically start my sessions with warm-up activities that relate to a specific experiential I have in mind, for example, Black-Out Poetry!
One of my favorites is to get a group going using factors of spontaneity and imagination to introduce some cognitive and symbolic thinking. I provide random magazines, newspaper strips, and collage materials for them to get started. I play instrumentals and background music during this time to let their imaginations run and start blocking out words, highlighting phrases, and creating images. I’ve noticed in warms up like these it is easy to enter a ‘flow state’. Within expressive arts therapy, this is a great place to then shift to a deeper experiential and reflective work time. Usually, I allow for group sharing, making an art piece that represents the poem made, or creating a movement that symbolizes their feeling of the warm-up. Typically, in the ETC there is a constant change, you can be in a very kinesthetic place but also perceptual. You can be symbolic and cognitive. In addition, have a deep kinesthetic moment with art materials but also think of it through symbolism. This infinite creative exploration of the self is what makes multi-medias and expressive arts so influential. As it’s a vehicle from one modality to the next and provides different intermodal transfers physically and emotionally through art.
My work in expressive arts therapy did not begin at BIDMC but way before I even started my undergrad and graduate education. When I was 15, I started within my community organizations and used the arts to share my story and empower others. Which has in turn evolved my self-awareness, creativity, and passion. Creating a network across different populations and spaces within the city of Boston. I’ve attended events that have transcended the way art can voice, feel, and touch others in both performative and therapeutic settings. While being a part of museums, conferences, non-profits, and the clinical world, I have learned how I am living a passion through arts and healing!
“Remember to get out of your head and into your heart because that is where the passion lies.” - Joselyn Carvalho
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