Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Animation As Therapy For Mental Health Treatment Across Diverse Populations And Contexts, A Literature Review, Daneile Tabana

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Scientific research has explored and identified the beneficial relationship between health and creative expression, recognizing art therapy as a source of healing. Animation has been newly recognized as an art therapy medium with potential for therapeutic healing and increased psychological well-being. This review of the literature on animation therapy explores the history of the modality’s interaction with the population observed and the effects of animation on the cognitive processes, discusses current theoretical orientations and treatment options for treating a range of conditions that affect mood, thinking, and behavior with animation therapy, and considers culturally informed and client-centered practices alongside traditional …

All In The Image: Nightmares, Posttraumatic Stress, And Expressive Therapy: Critical Literature Review, Emma Geller

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This paper reviews the therapeutic potential of combining expressive therapy approaches with dreamwork protocol in treating recurrent nightmares seen in populations with PTSD. The intersection between the dreaming state, nightmares, dreamwork, and trauma can provide important insights into the purpose of dreaming, subconscious processing of trauma, and effective treatments for individuals struggling with nightmares. Clinical implications of dreamwork are considered in working with posttraumatic stress disorder along with this condition’s connection to recurrent nightmares. In working with trauma and the arts at a sensory and affective level of experience, there is potential for individuals to explore and process their recurrent …

Embodied Social Action: How Dance Movement Therapy Can Support Resistance Against Systems Of Oppression, Lauren Pope

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This thesis explores the ways in which the field of dance/movement therapy has been impacted by colonialism through examination of power dynamics within the therapeutic movement relationship and use of body/movement observation and analysis. This literature review examines the historical context of the field of dance/movement therapy while outlining ways that dance/movement therapy practices and approaches can target trauma due to experiences of oppression which can be a contributing factor toward creating social change. Themes of power, privilege, oppression, and cultural identity are explored in a variety of populations and settings to highlight the indiscriminate ways colonialism impacts all people …

Utilizing Flow Arts Movement As An Expressive Arts Therapy Tool To Treat Trauma: A Literature Review And Autoethnography, Shannon Mcgrail

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This expressive arts-based autoethnography research explores the effectiveness of using flow arts movement as a tool of expressive arts therapy to treat symptoms of trauma for individuals who experienced a traumatic event in their lifetime. While research on the use of flow arts movement to treat mental illness is in its early stage, much can be drawn from the literature on expressive arts therapy and dance/movement therapy research with a range of populations addressing trauma. Through exploration of trauma through neuroscience, mind, body, and integrated mindfulness through flow, this work aims to bring an understanding of using intermodal expressive arts …

Opening The Trauma Window: Embodied Storytelling With Adolescent Survivors Of Domestic Violence, April Reck

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Adolescents who have experienced trauma may develop a neutral state, which they use to shield themselves from the trauma so they can perform daily life tasks. Though it is acknowledged in the literature that trauma lives in the body, adolescent survivors of trauma may often stay in this neutral state until they seek mental health services. This thesis asks: How can drama therapy’s core processes, such as embodiment, widen the window of tolerance of an adolescent who has experienced trauma to begin to feel emotions beyond the neutral state and become open to new roles? The method that I have …

The Use Of Music Therapy To Mitigate Trauma-Related Music Associations And Restore Personal Relationships With Music, Courtney Pitzer

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

For many people, music is positively associated with nostalgic memories, emotions, and experiences. But for some, it can be a painful reminder of the past. This literature review examines how music serves as a cue for reexperiencing trauma and demonstrates ways in which music therapy may be beneficial in reframing and reassociating those connections. Drawing from existing trauma treatment models such as CBT and exposure therapy, this review highlights the unique potential of music therapy in allowing clients to expose themselves to the activating stimulus while maintaining elements of safety within the music. This thesis prompts further exploration of desensitization …

Integration Of Adverse Childhood Experiences In Adulthood Through Dance Movement Therapeutic Techniques, Kimberly Hoj

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Expanding knowledge about how to self-regulate when faced with challenging circumstances has the potential to benefit individuals and communities, especially in our post-pandemic environment with increasing needs for mental health support. This thesis provides a psychoeducational basis for use of dance movement therapeutic techniques to integrate adverse childhood experiences. The literature review refines an understanding of big T and little t trauma as it relates to mental illness, polyvagal theory, nervous system regulation, the window of tolerance, body armoring, somatic psychotherapy, trauma- informed care, adverse childhood experiences and post-traumatic growth.

This thesis culminates in a personal arts-based autoethnography informed by …

Dance/Movement Therapy Used As An Intervention To Heal Racial Trauma Within The Black Community: A Literature Review, Jennifer Noboise

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

The history of dance within the black community has served an important role while living through a racist and discriminatory society. Dance has been used to express anger, grief, and joy during hardships and moments of rejoicing from the black experience. African American people have endured years of trauma and abuse from oppressive systems. Research has been conducted to demonstrate that dance/movement therapy has been effective in treating those who have experienced a form of trauma since the trauma is stored in the body. Examining trauma symptoms such as anxiety, depression, and substance use, the research found these symptoms diminished …

Playing In An Earthquake: Development Of A Method Integrating Traumaplay And Drama Therapy Core Processes, Lisa Bumpus

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

TraumaPlay is a specific play therapy model designed to meet the unique needs of children with exposure to traumatic and/or adverse experiences through clearly identified treatment components. With this, drama therapy has also been considered as a viable treatment option, particularly in the school setting, for children with exposure to traumatic and/or adverse experiences. Additional literature has identified overlaps between play therapy and drama therapy practices. As such, the aim of this thesis was to propose a method which explores whether the drama therapy core processes can be integrated with TraumaPlay’s foundational treatment goals to augment the therapeutic process of …

Playful Dance/Movement Therapy For Traumatized Individuals With Intellectual And Developmental Disabilities: Development Of A Clinical Method, Teagan Collis

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This capstone thesis project explored the potential for dance/movement therapy (DMT) to be an accessible and effective treatment for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) that have been impacted by trauma. People with IDD are more vulnerable to adverse life events than the neurotypical population. Past research has largely used treatment designed for neurotypical people who communicate and interpret life events in different ways than people with IDD. The expressive arts therapies, and DMT specifically, have the potential to create a positive embodied experience for people with IDD that have been impacted by trauma. The current method consisted of …

Sandtray Therapy Through The Lens Of The Expressive Therapies Continuum: Helping Children Who Experienced Trauma Tap Into Their Creative Potential, Mollie Lesnever

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This study explores the use of Sandtray therapy with children in middle childhood who have experienced trauma. Sandtray therapy allows children to create a world of their own with sand and symbolic figures. It supports children’s need for autonomy and provides a way to engage in healing through playful and non-verbal means. Based on the intermodal nature of Sandtray therapy, it was presumed that the Expressive Therapies Continuum (ETC) could be used alongside the intervention as an assessment tool to better understand how development impacts artmaking. Based on the developmental needs of this population, a method including play and art-making …

The Benefits Of Dance/Movement Therapy For Adult Survivors Of Adverse Childhood Experiences, Aubrey Workman

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This literature review focuses on how dance/movement therapy can be beneficial for adult survivors of adverse childhood experiences. The long-term effects of adverse childhood experiences have recently gained attention after a study in 1998 had profound results. Adverse childhood experiences have long-lasting results that continue into adulthood and the more adverse childhood experiences an individual has the more risk they are at for developing psychological and medical diagnoses later in life. Trauma impairs the brain’s functioning and structure, and it takes multiple positive experiences to rewire the brain. Unhealed adverse childhood experiences can lead to impaired relationships with offspring and …

Recovering Vitality After Trauma Through The Use Of Body-Oriented Expressive Arts Therapy: A Literature Review, Kate Hall

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This capstone thesis examines how to use body-oriented expressive arts therapy to address dissociative symptoms of trauma in adults. Dissociation can arise during or after trauma has occurred and creates a state of disconnection in the body, inhibiting one’s sense of vitality. In this literature review, I provide a basis for why to look to the expressive arts and the body as effective resources for restoring vitality. I present relevant research on trauma, dissociation, and body-oriented expressive arts therapy; I also explore how concepts embedded in sensuality, pleasure, and eroticism may help inform how to use expressive arts therapy as …

Rhythmic Co-Regulation As A Recovery Tool For Grief, Loss, And Change: A Literature Review, Rebecca Kushner

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Rhythm is a core tenant in the field of dance/movement therapy. Rhythm is a particularly noteworthy tenant due to its easeful translation and universality across populations and cultures. The literature review below is a trauma-informed exploration of how rhythm might aid in the recovery process of change, grief, and loss at both the individual and collective levels. Research is explored across historic and present-day rituals which embody dance and rhythm while societal expectations, the denial of death and the harmful effects this produces are scoured closely. This literature review looks at bereavement processes in family and group systems and how …

The Phenomenon Of Dissociation With The Application Of Expressive Arts Therapy: A Literature Review, Katherine Alexander

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

As a symptom of pathological disorder, dissociation is commonly seen as detrimental; yet dissociation is also frequently referenced as a typical occurrence for most people on a regular basis. This paper aimed to investigate and clarify definitions of dissociation as a phenomenon in mental health counseling treatment, and to examine the application of the modality of expressive arts therapy where dissociation is present. Dissociation was found to be widely regarded as a spectrum of phenomena within the subjective experiences of an individual, ranging from average to debilitating in severity. Research and expressive arts therapies were found to reflect theory informing …

A Role-Based Integrative Community Engagement Model: Drama Therapy With Survivors (Option 3), Jodi Kanter

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Abstract

Trauma survivors have, by definition, undergone a change to their bodies and therefore, necessarily, a change in their role repertoire. This paper describes the development of a 6-session drama therapy community engagement model for self-identified survivors. The model is structured around the categories of Robert Landy’s Role Profiles assessment and integrates a range of role-based methods. The paper begins with a review of the literature on drama therapy theory and practice involving roles. It briefly considers two debates in the field: one involving the difference between therapy and the therapeutic, the other concerning the use of distancing techniques (such …

How Art Therapy Can Help Survivors Of Trauma Access An Embodied Sense Of Safety: A Literature Review ศิลปะบำบัดสามารถช่วยให้ผู้รอดชีวิตจากการบาดเจ็บทางจิตใจได้เข้าถึง ความรู้สึกปลอดภัยภายในตัวตนได้อย่างไร: การทบทวนวรรณกรรม, Catherine L. Ripley

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Traumatic stress can disrupt systemic rhythms in the brain and body that enable a person to feel safe in the world. Therefore, the initial phase of trauma treatment must focus on establishing an embodied sense of safety. This literature review examined cross-disciplinary data to assess whether art therapy can help trauma survivors access an embodied sense of safety, and if so, what therapeutic mechanisms contribute to its effectiveness. The data indicated that trauma-informed art therapy can support an embodied sense of safety through activating key therapeutic factors that downregulate instinctual defense mechanisms which can occur as a result of traumatic …

Developmental Transformations With Refugee Children: Exploring Different Cultural Responses To Traumatic Experience, Katrina L. Sanyal

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This thesis explored working with refugee children resettled in the US, and how Developmental Transformations (DvT) can support different cultural interpretations and experiences of trauma, particularly when the drama therapist and the client come from different cultural viewpoints. Situated within an after school program, this research includes results from 5 individual, trauma-centered, short-form DvT sessions conducted with refugee children ages 8-15. Dramatic images, traumatic responses, and observations were documented for each play session. To synthesize the experience, the drama therapist reflected on the process through their own DvT play sessions, which are presented as stories via an arts based process. …

Redefining Anger For Sexual And Gender Minorities Using Art As A Visual Voice, Kirsten Ranheim

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Art therapy is an increasingly popular approach for addressing trauma and anger in clinical settings. This literature review explores the connections between art therapy, trauma, gender, and anger, drawing on a range of studies and theoretical perspectives. Background is provided on the history of anger within the context of societal institutions, interpersonal power dynamics, psychiatric nosology, and social justice movements. The review concludes that art therapy is ideally suited as a trauma-informed approach to addressing anger in the therapeutic setting. This is due to the unique opportunities that art making provides for helping individuals express and process their emotions nonverbally, …

Whatever It Takes: A Literature Review Exploring The Psychological Cost Of Actor Training And How Drama Therapy Can Help, Kelsey Burke

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This review examines the literature as it relates to the psychological and emotional impact of professional training programs for student-actors. Special attention is paid to student-actors’ developmental stage, mental health and trauma history, possible exposure to sexual harassment in rehearsal or classroom settings, specific acting techniques taught, and power dynamics between student-actors and acting teachers. Also examined is data on the potential effects that the application of trauma-informed drama therapy approaches could have on this population. This is followed by a proposed outline for a supervision-style class for student-actors led by a drama therapist intended to introduce drama therapeutic principles …

A Return To The Roots: Mysticism And Psychodrama For Traumatized Populations: A Literature Review, Hyde Nichols

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This paper is a literature review on the spiritual roots of psychodrama and how this can be utilized for traumatized populations. To support this hypothesis, I reviewed research done on post- traumatic stress disorder, spirituality and mysticism, as well as how psychodrama has been utilized for traumatized populations. J.L. Moreno’s original writings on psychodrama and its components and philosophy are utilized to situate mysticism and spirituality within the psychodramatic paradigm. All terms listed above are defined using research done within the United States, although Moreno began his career in Austria. To end the paper I discussed the importance of staying …

A Literature Review: Posttraumatic Growth In Trauma Recovery Using Art Therapy: "How A Superhero Learns To Fly", Patricia Ezzard

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This literature review examines posttraumatic growth (PTG), a psychological construct based on the phenomenon of transformative, positive changes experienced by an individual or a community after struggling with trauma(s) and adverse life events. The intention of this capstone thesis is to explore processes in art therapy (AT) that enable PTG and broaden trauma recovery practices by focusing on well-being rather than pathology. This review examines quantitative, qualitative, and arts-based research that explored PTG directly and indirectly using AT, which revealed large gaps in PTG and AT research. Creativity, positive art therapy, social and community support, mindfulness, spirituality, and channeling confidence …

Exploring The Benefits Of Expressive Arts Therapy With Survivors Of Sexual Violence, A Literature Review, Allison Dooley

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Sexual violence is a common experience throughout the United States. The aftermath of this traumatic experience impacts the entire body, including the emotional, physical, and mental states of an individual. The distressing symptoms of sexual violence can last from weeks to years. The aftermath of sexual violence can make it difficult for victims to complete daily tasks and can lead to disorders such as Depression or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. This literature review explores the current treatments used with survivors of sexual violence, which include trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, and other effective treatments. Due to …

The Therapeutic Intersection Of Dance And Sport In Trauma, A Critical Review Of The Literature, Molly Rockwood

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Trauma is the psychological and physiological response to environmental triggers as a protective measure. Adolescents with trauma histories or trauma symptoms are introduced to new environments as they grow and mature into adulthood; however, without the appropriate skills or understanding, these maturing youth cannot appropriately adapt to new environments or communities without the activation of the autonomic nervous system and its protective behaviors (fight, flight, freeze, or fawn). Dance/movement therapy and sports-based therapies are two body-based modalities that utilize movement to engage youth in the therapeutic process and to treat trauma symptoms. This literature review explores the ways in which …

Dance/Movement Therapy As A Transdisciplinary Approach To Treating Trauma, Destany Schadder

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This thesis considers dance/movement therapy as a transdisciplinary approach to treating trauma in the body. It explains what the functions of the brain are, how trauma negatively affects it, and how posttraumatic stress disorder is expressed in both the body and the brain. It discusses multidisplinary approaches, it shows how these approaches leverage the body in treating trauma. Moreover, it demonstrates the benefits and advantages of a dance/movement therapist in supporting individuals who have experienced traumatic events. To achieve these goals, this thesis discusses research by neuroscientists, such as Damassio (1999), who maintain that the body and mind directly affect …

Expressive Arts Therapy With Pregnant Adolescents In South Africa: Observations And Reflections On Intimate Partner Violence And Intergenerational Transmission Of Violence, Alexandra Zimeray

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This paper is based on a qualitative arts-based pilot research aiming at understanding pregnant adolescents, victims of intimate partner violence (IPV) in South Africa (SA) with the long-term goal to design a mental health service to support the adolescents and positively influence intergenerational transmission of violence. Through a literature review and the author’s observations and reflections, the relation between adolescent pregnancy, trauma, intimate partner violence and intergenerational transmission of violence is discussed and explored. This paper details the expressive arts interventions, the relevance of those interventions in relation to the prevention of intergenerational transmission of violence, and the experience of …

The Effectiveness Of Music Therapy With Children Who Have Experienced Trauma Using The Neurosequential Model Of Therapeutics (Nmt): A Literature Review, Brianna Lambert-Jenkins

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This paper initiates filling the gap in the literature by utilizing NMT, which addresses trauma through understanding and assessing how it has impacted a child neurodevelopmentally with music therapy. Children in intensive residential care are referred to treatment with a unique range of challenges resulting from their traumatic experiences. Of these challenges, included are a wide range of traumatic experiences such as physical/emotional abuse, neglect, sexual abuse, homelessness, witnessing violence or domestic abuse, adjustment issues, attachment issues, or trauma while in utero. The Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics (NMT) is a newer framework for working with developmental trauma. Current research around …

Dance/Movement Therapy Combined With Tai-Chi As A Regulation Strategy For Children Who Have Experienced Trauma: Developing A Method, Brenna Meindersma

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This capstone thesis examines the question of how dance/movement therapy can be combined with tai-chi to support the emotional regulation of children who have experienced trauma. The paper examines a possible method that combines dance/movement therapy with tai-chi, grounded in the theories of Trudi Schoop. It highlights the application of tai-chi as a movement intervention that impacts participants ability to engage in treatment. Through the literature it was found that dance/movement therapy techniques of deep breathing, balance, and slow, rhythmic movements can impact emotional regulation. In combination with dance/movement therapy and tai-chi principles of internal awareness, body alignment, and …

Storytelling And Narrative Therapy Through Art Among Refugee Children: A Literature Review, Haley E. Lansing

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This literature review introduces the importance of art therapy, storytelling, and narrative therapy for refugee children. While familiarizing themselves with a new habitat and way of living, this population battles being a minority, an immigrant, learning a new culture and language, and social-economic difficulties. This literature review brings to light the challenges and difficulties children face within their own trauma and anxiety. The passing on of trauma generationally, historically, culturally, or genetically is common, as is parents’ countertransference. Re-adaptation is essential for children who experience trauma, especially when escaping war. Childhood trauma affects the future adult state of mind. This …

How Art Therapy And Energy Work Can Effectively Shift Core Beliefs: A Literature Review, Rachael Holland

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Current evidenced-based therapeutic frameworks lack an overall involvement of the combined mental, physical, spiritual, and energetic bodies, demonstrating a gap between where healing is and where healing can go. The various new modalities being used in therapy, including bottom-up and somatic approaches, show the body’s innate capability to store, compartmentalize, and connect diverse functions within to various memories, feelings, or sensations. When working with the mental and physical body without understanding the energetic and spiritual body attached to them, there is a missing link in the greater truth of the whole person. This literature review examined the use and innate …