Expressive Arts Therapy: Where will I take it? 

Anne Lemos Edgerton 

Three Part Intermodal Transfer 

Process Exploration: Social Connection and Engaging Creativity 

Rhythm, Music Movement and Art. 

This is a process that will take place with an intergenerational group of senior citizens and a group of children who will be working together in a class setting. The process will be taking place after the groups have been working together for a period of at least 4 to 6 sessions so that the two populations have become familiar with each other and enjoy working together.  

The Architecture of the session follows the format of Knill (Knill, Levine and Levine, 2004, p95). 

Life of the clients/habitual world:

the senior citizens are in residential care and are mobile enough to bring themselves to the class. They range in age from 65-80 and are physically mobile. The children are in the age of 4-6 years old. They have been brought to the center to participate in the classes with the seniors.   

In the previous sessions the groups have worked independently on activities that can include: playing small handheld percussion instruments, playing hand drums, moving to the drumming of the instructor, and doing simple drawing activities together. In addition, they have explored playing the instruments/drums freely to recorded music. In separate activities they have been working with visual arts – collaging and doing simple drawings. The sessions with children have been very short, possibly about 15 minutes, and have been limited to one activity at a time. The aim of the initial groups is for the groups to get to know each other and learn how to have fun together. They have played a few games together including the name train (greeting everyone by name) 

Opening of the session/Connecting to each other.  

Groups a both together sitting in a circle. There are no specific seating assignments. The leader starts a simple rhythm on a bigger, standing drum and asks the groups to follow her beat.  Everyone joins in on either a hand drum or a handheld percussion instrument. The leader starts to vary her rhythms and asks the participants to follow along as well as they can. 

Bridge 

The leader asks the participants to stand up in place if they are able and to put their instruments down and start to feel the beat of the drum. The leader asks the group to start to gently bounce in place to the beat of the drum. She then calls out body parts and asks the participants to touch the part she is saying (“tap your shoulders, tap your knees, tap your toes”). When the group has become comfortable the leader asks the seniors to partner with a child and sit in chairs facing each other.  

Art Making/Play 

The adults and children are sitting across from each other and are close enough that they can touch each other's knees. The leader plays the drum again and says, “when I call out a body part, please touch your partner”. She uses a series of commands – kind of like a Simon Says game - “tap hands with your partner, tap your shoulders, tap your partners knees, tap your knees”. Depending in how well the partners do with these exercises they could become either easier or more complex. If the partners struggle with touching each other, the leader might ask them to just tap their own knees, shoulders, etc. If the group does well and is having fun with the activity the leader might make it more demanding “tap your partner’s shoulders 4 times, then tap your own shoulders 4 times” – creating a pattern for them to follow. 

Expansion/Decentering 

The leader plays a recorded song that the group has song before and is familiar with. Possibilities can include songs that both children and adults know. Favorites like “The Old Grey Mare just Ain’t What she Used to Be” or “Shine on, Shine On Harvest Moon up in the Sky”. The song is played and participants are asked respond to the music in any way they would like. They can stand up and move, they can sit and sing, they can play their instruments along to the beat.  Children will become more free with this activity than adults and will most likely respond in energetic ways. The senior citizens might join in with them and feed off their energy or they may choose to stay seated. For those moving around the room the leader asks them to find a partner and face them. The seated participants can sit across from their child partner and sing/play together.  

The leader then asks all participants to choose a percussion instrument and come back to sitting across from their child partner. The song is played and sung, and the leader asks the participants to tap their instruments however they are able. If using “The Old Grey Mare” the song is sung through first. Then participants are asked to add drumming. Then the leader asks the participants to create a structure of their drumming. For example: 

The Old Grey Mare Just Ain’t what she used to be (singing) 

Ain’t what she used to be, (tap-tap-tap)  

Ain’t what she used to be  (tap-tap-tap) 

The Old Gray Mare Just Ain’t What She Used to Be (singing) 

Many long years ago (tap-tap-tap-tap-tap 

The leader explores the song further with a call and response activity. The children sing the song and the seniors “tap” at the appropriate moment. Then they are asked to switch parts: seniors sing and children tap. Finally, everyone does all the actions together of singing and tapping their instruments. 

Art materials are distributed to all the participants. They are asked to choose markers, crayons, whatever they prefer. The leader then improvises on the drum or plays an improvisation of the Old Grey Mare on the piano. Everyone is asked to “draw the music in the air”. This is repeated several times while they become accustomed to the activity. “Now let’s put pen to paper”. The activity is repeated with the musical accompaniment and all are asked to draw freely to the music. There is no formal intention of the art making other than expressing the music on the paper however they feel.  

Optional participation for those who feel comfortable: everyone shares their artwork and speaks of what they feel it “says”.  

Goal of the Session 

Social Interaction:

Many seniors do not have personal contact with people, especially if they are living in an assisted living facility. Most have grandchildren and enjoy spending time with children. The interaction of the children and the seniors has the goal of personal connection. The senior citizens interact with the children on a nonverbal level that is accessible to both. They are having fun together. 

Engaging creativity:

Imagery with music, Iso Principal “using music to match the state of the individual and aimed at improving mood and behavior” (Pinson, 2012) As noted by McNiff: 

The uses of many modalities in tandem “create an atmosphere which fosters access to the realm of imagination, which acts upon us through its transformative forces... There is a high level of emotional release and relaxation connected to the drumming that helps people move more spontaneously. The drum helps to sustain expression within the painting, just as the rhythmic element provides continuity for a musical composition. T drum helps to sustain expression within the painting, just as the rhythmic element provides continuity for a musical composition.”  (McNiff, 2012)  

While the participants are not aware of the release, they are experiencing it through the kinesthetic connection. Ideally, the final goal for the class would be social integration through the creative process of drumming, rhythm exploration, singing, moving and finally drawing (creating a product of expression). 

 

 

Artistic Representation of an Idea  

Expression: Start with a dance representation of this feeling, write words that come to mind during the experience create a collage of these feelings. 

I read through the “Creation Axis” (Goren-Barr, A. 1997) and followed the 6 steps in this process: Contact, Organization, Improvisation, Central Theme, Elaboration, and preservation.  

I started by connecting to myself. I took some time to go inside and start to move freely. I chose a percussion piece (Deep Forest, Celine Music, 1992) that had a deep drum beat that reached inside me. I then oriented myself in the space and explored the movement options (space was limited). I played through the music selection many times and improvised my dance to it. The idea that came to mind was “self protection” (central theme emerging from the “background”) Once I had established this idea, I kept it in mind as I explored improvised dancing. More words came up: hold me, strong, bring to the heart, giving love, bringing love in. As I repeated the dance improvisation the movements that appeared were sometimes comforting, sometimes sharp and strong and returning to bringing it all into the heart over and over. 

Elaboration: I then created a collage with variations of the words that came to mind with a central image of a heart. I felt with the movements that came were returning to the heart and at the same time coming from the heart. I found alternate words that expressed many of the same thoughts, but bringing them to a resolution. (eyes wide open, sacred space, happy. at one) When I looked at the words that came. I felt that they were a resolution (Preservation) to the words about “self protection”. I realized that a key to my self protection is my heart.  

Transferring between modalities 

In this expression I transferred from the modality of movement (supported by rhythm) to creating a visual representation. I found by following the six steps of the “Creation Axis” the transfer between modalities was much clearer. Setting and intention and then moving it but focusing on improvisation was key. Not planning what movements would come, not planning what words would come, gave a huge freedom in creativity. As a result, the experience became very deep for me. I found I reached into my heart and felt the pain there and extracted it. I realized my heart is my protection.  It has carried me through many difficult experiences in my life. It keeps me strong. The words that came for the collage are the words that come from my heart: courage, happy, joyful soul, sacred space, at one.  These words were transformative. I can connect with my heart and I realized that my heart guides me through life and all its joys and sadness's. Ironically, I remembered through this process that throughout my whole life my family has said to me “Anne you take everything to heart”. This experience was a clear embodiment of that phrase! 

 The containing aspect of the process was the transfer from movement to visual. The transfer that supported the process was the initial words that come to mind. From there I could create a visual/word collage with the initial visual of the heart with the hands reaching for it and transformative words for the collage. 

This experience was connected to the principles of embodiment, attunement and the Expressive Arts continuum of kinesthetic/sensory and perceptive/affective. I first referred to Daria Halprin who writes about the three levels of awareness and response: 

  • What is happening in the physical body (sensation, body posture, body parts, gesture, and movement)? 

  • What is happening in the emotional body (feelings)? 

  • What is happening in the mental body (images, memories, associations)? 

  • And how are they related (are they in accordance or in opposition)? (Halprin, 2003, p. 104) 

I experienced the movement in my physical body and connected to my emotional body through the process of improvised movement. That then transformed to my mental body – words that came up and related them to the visual representation (collage). Throughout I was practicing attunement. Michael Kossak describes it as: “focus(ing) on the resonance that is created through an embodied awareness of rhythmic flow, and on mutual connections that occur when there is an intense process of deep listening, kinesthetic awareness, and deep attention to what is occurring in the moment” (Kossak, 2009, p. 15)”. The concept of attunement has been eye opening to me. Listening, connecting, body awareness are all elements of being “present”. I have become acutely aware of the fact that we spend most of our waking time in a “mindless” state. We are not present and are constantly distracted by media, errant thoughts, a barrage of information that we cannot process. It is crucial to learn to be present and practice attunement. 

Kinesthetic/Sensory level is “information gathered through these channels and does not require words: it is rhythmic, tactile and sensual” (Heinz, L.2009) The experience of creating a movement expression through improvisation worked on this level. While moving to the drum music I focused on being present and listening. I experienced the rhythm of the music and felt its support for free movement.  

Perceptive/Affective Level. “Information processing may or may not need words at this level. It is beginning to take form and can be absorbed in the creation formed images. Information processing at this level can be emotional and raw expressed in image without regard to form” (Heinz,L. 2009). While not being aware of it directly, while improvising the movements I was in the level of information processing which came through the form of images and raw emotions. The words that came up were the emotions and expressed images. 

The Cognitive/Symbolic level came into play when the modal transfer became visual and linguistic. This level requires “cognitive action and intuitive recognition” (Heinz,L.2009). The cognitive action was creating the images on paper with the words connected to my movement exploration. The processing of experience intuitively brought a deeper understanding and assimilation of the experience. 

Final Questions 

I entered the study of Expressive Arts Therapies through the background of being a Dalcroze Eurhythmics teacher and my experience as a dancer, choreographer, composer and pianist. 

 Dalcroze Eurhythmics is a method of music study developed by Emile Jacques Dalcroze in the 19th century and is the theory of musical learning based on movement connected to the music, specifically rhythm. Several people have explored the therapeutic effects of Eurhythmics, most notably Eric Barnhill (2004) who studied Cognitive Eurhythmics in Alzheimer patients. While Dalcroze Eurhythmics is not considered a therapeutic approach to music learning, it inherently has many therapeutic aspects. For example, awakening, attunement, improvisation, sensory stimulation. 

The experience of the Principles and Practices course opened me up to the therapeutic application of the arts through their many modalities and how they can be used in intermodal transfers. I have a beginning understanding of the deepness Expressive Arts Therapies can create in a person and how that can facilitate change. The many theories and practices enrich the study. I was most drawn to the studies of Anna and Daria Halprin who explored the dance therapy approach, but combined it with other modalities, including the somatic sensation, creating a drawn image and then creating a script (Halprin, D. 1998).  

I am very excited to incorporate these principles into my own practice of Dalcroze Eurhythmics in a therapeutic way. I want to explore the dynamics of a Eurhythmics class with a therapeutic approach. I am very interested in working with senior citizens either in an assisted living facility or still independent. As presented in my intermodal process the older adults would benefit from therapeutic interventions including working with young children. 

 I am also interested in the application of Expressive Arts Therapies with disabled children. I have been working as a Family Support Specialist for the past 7 years. My work entails supporting parents of children with mental health and behavioral issues. Many of these children have experienced trauma, homelessness, poverty, abuse (physical and psychological) and are dysregulated. I would very much like to apply the therapeutic approaches of the Expressive Arts Therapies to support the processing and healing of the life experiences of these children. 

Where do I anticipate my work taking place? I am already employed by a Community Music School that has a music therapy program. I would like to start there working with children. I envision working with senior citizens through the venues they would normally attend classes. For example, at their local senior center, a senior day care center and in an assisted living facility. 

I take from this class an initial understanding of Expressive Arts Therapies, their history and development and the multiple theories. I have been exposed to the richness of the practice.  I have only a novel understanding of these theories and look forward to more assimilation of the readings and concepts. I will look forward to a deeper understanding of the practices and their applications.