Final Flashcards
Understand how trauma impacts the brain according to chapter 3 in King
- Childhood maltreatment or neglect contributes to under-stimulation or overstimulation of the brain and disrupts right hemispheric development and the ability to regulate emotion, process pain, maintain attention.
- Impairs the ability of the prefrontal cortex to exert control over the limbic system responses through the prefrontal cortex (PFC)-amygdala hippocampal network.
- Unregulated signals from the amygdala can lead to increased anxiety due to insufficient cognitive discrimination leading to emotion deregulation.
- Trauma can be associated with memory deficits and decreased corpus callosum volune and difficulties processing language nad regulating emotions and behaviors
- experiencing trauma causes neuroendocrine responses that can result in structural and functional changes in developing brain
- trauma survivors have difficulty expressing themselves verbally, especially if they have experienced early trauma which may have interfered with haptic perception and development of elemental language skills
What is the overall goal of using art therapy with trauma according to chapter 3 in King
integration of nonverbal implicit memories stored in the right hemisphere with the left hemisphere verbal functions to form explicit, reconstructed, and coherent verbal memories leading to “flow” and post-traumatic growth.
Understand the basic tenets of ITT according to Chapter 4 in King
- Preverbal traumatic memories stored in the nonverbal mind: consist primarily of body experiences of the animal survival instincts/ core of trauma experience happens outside awareness and beyond capacity for conscious choice
- Preverbal memories are blocked from awareness by verbal cerebral dominance are are inaccessible to verbal probes.: possible to recover experience and imbed it in verbal narrative that will provide closure and storage in long term verbal memory (through art)
- In non-verbal mind imprints of trauma memory lack narrative structure and therefore lack narrative closure: vertical connection of right hemispheres cortical and subcortical limbic systems restored and way is paved for intrahemispheric communication
Understand the dual brain theory according to Chapter 4 in King.
- Tinnin and Gantt base ITT on the structure of the human and brain and animal survival mechanisms.
- The brain at birth is two separate brains until the corpus callosum develops the mylenating sheath at 3 years of age.
- Before the left hemisphere dominates with language the right hemisphere performs the crucial role of developing the emotional self and of forming a secure attachment with a caregiver.
Understand the symptoms of the instinctual trauma response according to Chapter 4 in King
- Affect
- dysregulation
- Depersonalization
- Derealization
- Numbness
- Amnesia
- A person rendered helpless over the fearful situation falls into an altered state of consciousness which can lead to PTSD
- Defined as a universal response to overwhelming life-threatening events
- fundamental components:
- the startle
- the intention to fight or flee
- the freeze
- an altered state of consciousness
- automatic obedience
- attempts at self repair
Define the perceptual component of the ETC
- Deals with the figurative aspects of mental imagery and emphasizes the formal elements of visual expression
- Line, color, form, size, direction
- Emotions can sometime get in the way of this kind of functioning or opposite polarity is rigid repetition of form or overuse of geometric patterns with no emotion.
- Media use in PC has form creating potential like metal, wood and tile.
- Structure in art becomes important to children after the sensorimotor phase of childhood.
- Graphically this stage characterized by visual schemas or familiar symbols. Ex. Triangle representing a nose
- Form is sometimes distorted to represent the significance of a visual element. Ex. Large hands drawn by child, physically aggressive treatment.
Understand when it is useful to utilize the perceptual component of the ETC
- When developing perceptual objectivity about something is needed.
- Manipulating images can be the first step toward influencing, controlling, or changing various factors in life.
- Helps in perspective taking skills (Recognizing and understanding other’s points of views)
- Cognitive re-structuring is possible through the image.
Understand how emotional work is done with clients with the affective component of the ETC
- When AC is overused… form is distorted or not involved with images. Affect is perceived as overwhelming or projected onto environment and emotions are acted out aggressively or destructively. Overuse of affective processing seen in severe mood disorders, anxiety disorders and borderline personality disorder.
- Learn to express through art can help learn how to recognize and balance overwhelming emotions
- Important for acting out clients to learn to use art to communicate with others rather than just purging, then there is potential for therapeutic growth.
- Clients can be taught that art provides a method of communicating feelings without experiencing the threat of emotional devastation or self-destruction.
- Through the AC clients can learn to name discriminate and express emotions safely.
Define the cognitive component of the ETC.
- Where complex thought processes take place
- Abstract concept formation
- Analytical and logical thought processes.
- Reality-directed information processing.
- Cognitive maps.
- Verbal self-instructions in the performance of complex tasks
- The cognitive component includes thought processes that are intentional and deliberate requiring a conscious effort at:
- Planning
- Decision making
- Sequencing
- Problem solving
- CC depends on the capacity for abstract thinking, requires the use of language in order to express complex thoughts, ideas and values.
- Art therapy with the CC considered in the treatment of the elderly to heighten mental functioning through reality orientation and building compensatory skills to counteract naturally occurring cognitive deficits such as short-term memory loss, word retrieval difficulties, and decreased processing speed
Understand when to utilize the cognitive component of the ETC with clients.
- primary function is to generalize from one concrete experience to other situations
- increase cognitive problem solving skills
- teaching and reinforcing cognitive skills (cause and effect thinking, planning, reflecting) can hellp overly affectively involved clients experience their emotions
- relate lessons learned from other experiences to other life events
- art therapy can aid in reframing problamatic abstract thought
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Blocks to cognitive functioning can come from:
- trauma and PTSD;
- Substance abuse
- difficulty with executive functioning
- overly emotional
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Overuse of cognitive functioning from using rational thought to the exclusion of other modes of information processing. (Alexthemia)
- Indicated in art therapy by rigid structure, inability to generalize, progressive analysis of details.
- Art therapy can help develop an emotional language to identify, express and soothe emotions.
- Often seen with substance abuse, eating disorders , OCD and PTSD.
- Cognitively oriented art therapy activities can provide a framework to approach traumatic memories without overwhelming emotions.
Explore the healing functions of the symbolic component of the ETC
- Healing function within SC is to realize personal meaning within the larger context of universal symbols
- integration of this new symbol could promote a new self-definition and guide future personal growth.
- Healing power of symbols can be regressive or progressive.
- Regressive symbols represent unconscious, needs and urges. Can work with client through childhood conflicts.
- Progressive symbols are related to future striving and new goals. Can work with client on new goals, new directions and promote psychological growth.
comprehend how the creative level of the ETC works.
- Cognitive, symbolic, affective, perceptual, sensual and kinesthetic processes are conceptualized as working together to provide optimal experiences.
- Creative information processing can occur at any level and with any component process. It can include functioning with all component processes in one event, or in a series of experiences.
- Art therapy can support self-actualization by providing experiences that model, teach and support spontaneity and openness in expression as well as courageousness in confrontations with the unknown.
- Through the artistic process, clients can be challenged to take risks and make mistakes. Discuss risk and growth are not just in art but also in life.
Know the stages of creativity
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Preparation
- Individual is receptive to stimulation from inside (thoughts, dreams and wishes) and outside (objects and information)
- Openness to see things from many points of view.
- Instruction about effective problem finding and the ability to “trust the process”.
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Incubation
- Time when information is allowed to exist without decision making (daydreaming and dreaming to allow unconscious thought process)
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Illumination
- Phase of creativity where input comes together to present a problem or propose a solution.
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Verification
- Requires explicit thought and deductive reasoning
- This all results into the creative product which is the translation of thought into solution. In art therapy, the final art product can represent transformation or reformulation of a problematic issue or situation. It contains and explains the solution.
Understand what flow is
- When an individual’s talents precisely match a specific task, she or he experiences a state of mind in which time loses meaning (speeds up or slows down), mental facilities are completely engaged, and a profound sense of satisfaction prevails.”
- 7 aspects of flow
- leads to a sense of ecstasy, a sense of clarity
- you know exactly what you want to do from one moment to the other
- you get immediate feedback
- You know that what you need to do is possible to do, even though difficult,
- sense of time disappears, you forget yourself
- you feel part of something larger
- Important for an art therapist to take into account the individual’s developmental level and ego strength when approaching and suggesting media and activities.
- A sense of play in enhancing creativity. Encouraging clients to have fun with the art media and worry less about finished product present opportunities for creative functioning.
- Music and imagery circumvent left-brain analytical functions, again allowing for creative release. In both types of activities, clients are counseled not to decide upon a product, but rather to allow the material to surface as it will.
Know the difference between explicit and implicit memories.
- Explicit memory is the conscious, intentional recollection of factual information, previous experiences, and concepts
- Implicit memory uses past experiences to remember things without thinking about them