After experiencing repeated verbal and physical abuse, Ae* exhibited the symptoms of accumulated trauma -- so much so that some parts of his body turned numb. Multiple visits to psychiatrists, psychologists and physical therapists didn't help much.
Yet after he went through art therapy conducted by Prachayaporn Vorananta at Studio Persona, he started to feel tickling sensations under his skin.
"The therapy encouraged him to have movement. He crawled and stretched out his arms as much as he could in order to regain his sense of control. His traumatic experience may have caused him to feel that he was no longer the owner of his body, so the therapy helped him by forcing him to take back control of his body," said Prachayaporn.
Prachayaporn prepares clay for a therapy session.
Ae was one of the patients who attended the course Trauma-Informed Expressive Arts Therapy at Studio Persona supervised by Prachayaporn, an integrative and expressive art therapist, who earned a postgraduate diploma in therapeutic arts from the Institute for Arts in Therapy and Education, University of East London. Prachayaporn explained trauma by referring to Dr Peter A. Levine who is the American originator and developer of somatic experiencing.
"Trauma comes from life events that create insecure physical and mental health. It can be an event that happens during our childhood and we are not aware that it is a thread in our lives. It also relates to somatic experiencing that Dr Lavine researched. We probably don't remember what happened, but there is muscle and body memory. Trauma can be expressed as stomach pain with unknown cause or pain in some part of the body. It sometimes leads to a panic attack. Some people experience post-traumatic stress disorder [PTSD] which is caused by a sudden event such as an accident or loss, or an earthquake or a war," Prachayaporn explained.
"The fight-flight-freeze response is the body's mechanism for surviving and after the freeze stage, it stores trauma in our body. Somatic experiencing is a therapy that aims to relieve trauma. It creates awareness of our body through a process such as body-oriented therapy or breathing. Some people may not be aware of their body, but the process makes them focus on their body, which is everyone's home," she added.
Large pastel pencils for guided drawing.
The course Trauma-Informed Expressive Arts Therapy was created because Prachayaporn wanted to provide a space and process that can assist people who are interested in art therapy. She believes that art is a medium that can help people recover from trauma. However, any prospective clients who have suicidal tendencies or a risk to harm themselves and others aren't allowed to undergo therapy in this private practice.
"If someone thinks that he may have depression or have trauma that affects his routine life such as having insomnia, he should consult with a psychiatrist. It is normal to get help from professionals. Any clients who are at risk of committing suicide or harming themselves aren't recommended to undergo therapy here or at any other private practice. They should be at a hospital or a clinic that provides equipment in case of emergency," said the art therapist.
At Studio Persona, clients are divided into two groups. The first group are clients who consult with a psychiatrist regularly and want to work on art therapy as well. The other group are people who are interested or have questions and want to know more about themselves. To heal trauma, there are many sensorimotor art therapy techniques such as clay field and guided drawing. During a 50-minute process of both clay field and guided drawing, an adult client closes his/her eyes while keeping his/her feet on the floor.
"When their eyes are open, they like to analyse or figure out what to create. The therapy isn't about creating something beautiful. Closing their eyes can help them to reconnect with other senses that they rarely use. Tools in clay field therapy consist of a 5kg box of clay, some warm water and a sponge. The clay field therapy uses haptic perception. Clients use their hands and bodies to manage emotion through clay. Clay is great for helping clients who feel under pressure. Some clients have a lot of anger inside them and need to let it go. Clay is flexible. It can be pinched, punched, squeezed and thrown away, but it can reform itself again," said Prachayaporn.
Guided drawing. Photo: Prachayaporn Vorananta
"For guided drawing, some clients use large pastel pencils, so they can hold the pencils and feel a sense of control. I sometimes suggest a client hold two pencils in his/her hands like skis and move their hands in a ski-like motion on the paper. This action can help a client move from the freeze stage and regulate himself. When clients draw a big X, some of them feel like they fight back and can feel their sense of control return. It is also another movement that draws a client from the freeze stage," Prachayaporn added.
A positive side to somatic experiencing is that a client doesn't have to recall his old memories, which can be hurtful.
"Without digging up what happened in the past, art therapy can reconnect, relieve and release tension, so a client can feel more light-hearted or more comfortable or cry for releasing. He may not know why he cries, but it is the body's natural way of releasing stress and he will feel better. A downside of the somatic experience is a therapist can't immediately use it in the first session because it requires trust. If a client doesn't feel secure, he can always open his eyes. He can choose to do what he wants. Most clients can go through the therapy with their eyes closed in the seventh session," explained Prachayaporn.
Clay field therapy consists of a box of clay, some warm water and a sponge.
There are 12 sessions for one course of Trauma-Informed Expressive Arts Therapy. Prachayaporn recommends clients to continually go through all sessions and after that, she would like the client to cut down some of their therapy.
"After 12 sessions, a client can feel some changes and there is a review of how the client felt from the beginning until now and what he learned about himself. Then, I recommend many clients to cut down some therapy because I don't want them to depend on it too much. After therapy, clients can understand more about their sensory action, their fears and worries. They discover their true desires and feel that their bodies belong to them. They can connect to themselves and others more. Some of them share therapy techniques such as breathing with their families. Asking questions about our bodies is important since it helps us to understand and take better care of our bodies and well-being," said Prachayaporn.
*not his real name
