reflection
Art is a powerful tool for community relief and redevelopment after a disaster or crisis. It is an effective intervention in crisis relief when utilized in the best practices of certified creative arts therapists and trained community workers. The following concepts and practices will augment my current knowledge of community-based arts work.
In the Arts in Healing course that I recently completed, I learned how art allows trauma survivors means for expressing physical and mental effects of trauma in the body. Creative art experiences such as movement, dance, music, singing, drama, and engaging in visual art are inherently healing. These creative experiences stimulate new neural pathways in the brain, help trauma victims reconnect with the image-based part of the brain, thereby calming the part of the brain that has been overworked by trauma (Calm Through Creativity, n.d.), and do not rely on verbal expression, an often challenging task for a traumatized individual. Art experiences beget unrestrained, creative, personal expression that lead to personal empowerment, increased sense of mastery, higher self-esteem, and self-confidence.
Before art can heal the trauma that affects victims of a disaster, an immediate response to move victims to safety is warranted. In the event of a crisis or disaster, first-responders act quickly to secure food, shelter, medical attention, and clothing for affected persons (Arts Relief and Restoration, 2011, p. 3). It is only after these critical basic needs are met that creative arts therapists and trauma-informed, community-based artists can start their restorative work in trauma-informed care. These relief workers are called second responders.
Arts-based psychological first aid, creative arts therapies, creating safe spaces and providing holistic wellness through arts programming – all aspects of arts-based intervention and relief – lead to long term and restorative projects (Arts Relief and Restoration, 2011, p.3). In arts-based restoration development (ARD), the goal is to restore wellness in all domains in life. ARD involves training artists and community workers and working closely with local organizations to restore and build capacity.
I found a new term within the lesson power point in the Arts Relief and Recovery skill page that I found interesting – vicarious resilience. This hopeful term is the flipside of the negative term vicarious trauma that describes a state in which a caregiver (i.e. a relief worker, responder, or therapist, in the context of disaster relief) is traumatized from direct involvement in the disastrous environment, or from hearing the first-person stories of the trauma survivors. Vicarious resilience on the other hand happens when an instance of healing or renewal is witnessed by a relief worker (Arts Relief and Recovery, n.d.). This positive experience increases resilience because all people involved can expand the external resources available to them. Additionally they can learn and benefit from the strengths and resources that others possess.
In the Arts in Healing course that I recently completed, I learned how art allows trauma survivors means for expressing physical and mental effects of trauma in the body. Creative art experiences such as movement, dance, music, singing, drama, and engaging in visual art are inherently healing. These creative experiences stimulate new neural pathways in the brain, help trauma victims reconnect with the image-based part of the brain, thereby calming the part of the brain that has been overworked by trauma (Calm Through Creativity, n.d.), and do not rely on verbal expression, an often challenging task for a traumatized individual. Art experiences beget unrestrained, creative, personal expression that lead to personal empowerment, increased sense of mastery, higher self-esteem, and self-confidence.
Before art can heal the trauma that affects victims of a disaster, an immediate response to move victims to safety is warranted. In the event of a crisis or disaster, first-responders act quickly to secure food, shelter, medical attention, and clothing for affected persons (Arts Relief and Restoration, 2011, p. 3). It is only after these critical basic needs are met that creative arts therapists and trauma-informed, community-based artists can start their restorative work in trauma-informed care. These relief workers are called second responders.
Arts-based psychological first aid, creative arts therapies, creating safe spaces and providing holistic wellness through arts programming – all aspects of arts-based intervention and relief – lead to long term and restorative projects (Arts Relief and Restoration, 2011, p.3). In arts-based restoration development (ARD), the goal is to restore wellness in all domains in life. ARD involves training artists and community workers and working closely with local organizations to restore and build capacity.
I found a new term within the lesson power point in the Arts Relief and Recovery skill page that I found interesting – vicarious resilience. This hopeful term is the flipside of the negative term vicarious trauma that describes a state in which a caregiver (i.e. a relief worker, responder, or therapist, in the context of disaster relief) is traumatized from direct involvement in the disastrous environment, or from hearing the first-person stories of the trauma survivors. Vicarious resilience on the other hand happens when an instance of healing or renewal is witnessed by a relief worker (Arts Relief and Recovery, n.d.). This positive experience increases resilience because all people involved can expand the external resources available to them. Additionally they can learn and benefit from the strengths and resources that others possess.
References
Arts Relief and Recovery Module. (n.d.) [PowerPoint presentation.] Retrieved from https://sites.google.com/a/buildabridge.org/creative-arts-relief-and-recovery/modules/arts-relief
Arts Relief and Restoration. (2011). Retrieved from http://issuu.com/ncorbitt/docs/arts_relief_strategy
Calm Through Creativity: How Arts Can Aid Trauma Recovery. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://ncfy.acf.hhs.gov/features/thinking-creatively-family-and-youth-work/art-therapy
Arts Relief and Restoration. (2011). Retrieved from http://issuu.com/ncorbitt/docs/arts_relief_strategy
Calm Through Creativity: How Arts Can Aid Trauma Recovery. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://ncfy.acf.hhs.gov/features/thinking-creatively-family-and-youth-work/art-therapy