TRAUMA RECOVERY THROUGH ARTS AND IFS
Expressive Arts
Expressive Arts Therapy
While traditional talk therapy focuses on the left side of the brain, art therapy utilizes the right side of the brain where trauma and implicit memory is stored. The right hemisphere of the brain holds feelings, the unconscious, intuition, creativity, past, present, art, music, and implicit memory (common form of memory with traumatic experiences).
Using expressive arts in therapy activates the right hemisphere of your brain which is the “seat of implicit memory”. This has been proven to be effective in treating trauma as gaining access to our implicit memory is vital to trauma recovery. These memories contain our past experiences, even those memories a person cannot consciously recall.
Creativity and the arts access the storage of our traumatic memories that are difficult to recall, our sensory based experiences, and can include our exposure to violence. Implicit memory (sometimes referred to as unconscious memory) is enabled by previous experiences, no matter how long ago those experiences occurred. It is acquired and used unconsciously, and can affect a person’s thoughts and behaviors.
Clients have experienced healing while accessing the right side of the brain where trauma is stored by using artistic expressions or having art integrated with other therapeutic interventions. No previous art experience is required.
Come tap into your creativity, develop your resilience, and heal from the trauma you have experienced.
Expressive art therapy has been shown to:
Decrease in Anxiety Symptoms
Increase of Self-Esteem & Self-Regulation
Gain Insight/Discover Meaning to Wordless Events
Manage Addiction/Relapse Prevention
Develop New Perspectives
Stress Reduction
Process Trauma/ Heal exposure to Violence
Freedom to Explore Feelings
Internal Family Systems
Internal Family Systems
Internal Family Systems (IFS) has become a well known form of therapy especially in the fields of addiction and trauma as it is considered an evidence based therapy by SAMSH (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration). It focuses on the concept of the core-self and a person having many “parts”.
This powerful approach can accelerate healing for those clients with complex trauma and addresses the inner “Self”, protective parts, and conflicting emotions. Every part has good intention and every part has value! IFS is foundational in healing core identity issues and strengthening a person’s inner resources. This form of therapy is transformative for relational and attachment issues. It can be integrated with EMDR if client desires.
Develop your self-awareness and live a more productive life through strengthening and integrating your “parts.”
Beneficial for clients with:
Substance Abuse
Suicidal Thoughts
Conflict Avoidance
Self-Harm
