Openings in art therapy or „I don’t know how to draw”

Sažetak

The paper explores the experience of the beginning of the therapy
process as experienced in the moment emotionally, physiologically, mentally,
and relationaly.
In research about openings in psychotherapy noticable amount of space is dedicated
to emotion regulation due to shame, anxiety, and attachment complications.
Resistance is not solely attributed to the beginings of the therapy
sessions, but in its intensity it dominates the beginning of the process.
These issues emerged in art therapy process with Wendy (pseudonym), whose
case will be presented in study of this theme. 83-year-old Holocaust survivor
with complex trauma, sturdy and sensitive, expressive and gentle woman bravely
immersed herself into abundance of insights, consciously making decision
to change, which supported the therapeutic process of transformation from
resistance and shutt-down to curiosity and action.
Attending to the physiology of the person with polyvagal informed art psychotherapy
practice, Somatic Experiencing and Sensori Motor Psychotherapy, art
therapy process was excelled in understanding, regulating, and controlling the
autonomic nervous system response.
Using immense human ability to generate image through the embodied experience
of the perceived reality and meaning making of these images, layed a path
to working through the emerging emotion, thought, and behaviour patterns
towards an awareness and subsequently - a change.