The Window to Art Therapy

Trauma can be caused by an overwhelmingly negative experience that can impact a victim’s mental and emotional stability. Physical violence is the main source of trauma, but so can psychological abuse.

Art therapy is a study that has expanded the way one can cope with trauma, or healing from it when going through physical abuse. Multiple studies have been done to support that art therapy is effective in helping treating not only victims of all types of violence, but also different age groups.

Up to 43% of people experience trauma by the age of 18. Up to 70% of people will be impacted by trauma in their lifetime.

A Window Between Worlds volunteer Carol Figueroa told the story of a seven year-old boy who witnessed a lot of domestic violence and traumatic events in a short period of time. He came to the art therapy shelter with his mom and family, he was extremely impacted by these events and had many behavioral issues.

“In art class, we did the Monster in Me project with him. He was very quiet in the beginning, drawing on his own and not using any words,” Figueroa said. “When he was finished with his art, his monster had no ears He wrote that since his monster didn’t have ear, he was not able to hear himself yelling. Somehow, realizing this, he felt he could now stop yelling.”

A Window Between Worlds believes that art transforms trauma. It is a nonprofit based in Venice, California that is working with the community to make art become a tool for empowerment and healing to men, women and children who have experienced violence or trauma in their life.

On average nearly 20 people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner in the United States. Out of 114 adults, 94% said the art workshops help participants take decisive steps in their lives to break from the cycle of violence.

Silvia Rico, AWBW participant, said that art helped her leave her abuser and using art to transform lives of other people who have been domestically abused. She has been using art therapy since 1994 at the Chicana Service Action Center where the AWBW art therapy program was given.

“It was the first time I used art to express the feelings I had inside. That night, while meditating and thinking about the class, I felt a great tranquility that was hard to explain,” she said. “I found refuge in art. It helped me get my most profound feelings out.”

The creating of art reduces distress, increases self-reflection and self-awareness, alters behavior and thinking patterns, has positive physical effects and causes specific brain regions to interact, and lead to stronger resilience.

AWBW started Touchstones: A Creative Journey that is led by founder and artist Cathy Salser as an initiative to bring change directly to victims. The art activity consist of having a clear stone so one can draw or write the wants and needs of that individual.

One can carry the stone in their pocket, backpack or keep in a secret place and whenever one needs extra strength, the stone can be there to give one that support. Through creating touchstones, one is able to carry art along the stone as a resource for continuing healing and transformation.

AWBW is not only helping people who come to their shelter, but also opening the door to art therapy so it can be done in the comfort of your own home, including a Touchstone tool-kit to make this activity possible for anyone to do.

Creating At the Core Touchstone is a simple way to ignite positive change and carry art with you as a tool for transformation. At the core means ones innermost selves and coming together to use art to transform trauma.

Cristy Prieto, volunteer for AWBW, says she has used the touchstone activity with a group of college students, and many of them appreciated it and took time to briefly reflect during there busy days at school.

“I brought the activity to my campus to see how students would find this useful, and I was amazed by the results,” she said. “Students were taking their time, reflecting and in a way stepping back from their busy schedule and just reflect on themselves.”

AWBW has been active for more than 20 years, and the change it is bringing is evidence that art therapy is doing wonders for people who are going through trauma, like domestic violence. Something as simple as putting paint on paper helps say what one cannot say out loud.

Related posts:

Journalists above all, have been held to a higher standard then most users on social media. Whether they act accordingly is a totally different story. The world of news has changed so much since…

I often think about the power of words and how they affect a society. It’s a chicken vs. egg scenario — is our vocabulary violent because of how our country came into being, or is our society numb to…

Las finanzas personales es un tema que siempre tengo en mente, pues soy de esas personas que trata de ahorrar lo más que se pueda y solo gastar mi dinero en cosas necesarias. Lo normal es que nos…