Many of us have faced traumatic situations in different phases of our life. Trauma can have a deep impact on our behaviour especially when we talk about physical and psychological functioning in our daily life.
The effect of trauma variates from person to person as well as of different ages. It can occur once or multiple times due to many factors likewise death of a loved one, sexual abuse, accident, broken home, bullying, etc. Moreover, trauma occurred in childhood has a greater impact on life if it is not treated properly and can lead to malfunctioning.
According to research conducted by Malchiodi (2015), childhood trauma is described as “an experience that creates a lasting, substantial, psychosocial, and somatic impact on a child.” At an alarming rate, almost 3 million children are subject to child abuse and neglect every year.
Healing Children Trauma Through Creative Arts
When we raise a child, we try giving the best of both worlds to them by providing them proper food, shelter, education, and thus the process of nurturing continues for their developmental years. In the early years of a child’s development, if an unfortunate experience takes place, there is a chance that it can scar them for life.
Thus, a traumatic childhood can lose its capability to express its feelings of sorrow, pain, and hurt. Its maltreatment can further create complicated developmental trauma.
Learning Disciplines at Home:
Through proper curriculum development at home, a child can excel in any field of interest. When children are trained correctly, they can launch their careers at a much faster pace and confidently. For instance, children can learn arts at home and even dance or any other skill and build a career in it.
Children usually with higher creativity, display signs at an early age by pursuing arts. They tend to draw or paint with messy brush strokes and day by day practice and equally encouraging behaviour of parents can make them better. However, children can learn arts at home and other skilful fields in the same way.
Importance of Creative Arts in Therapy:
It is a fact that a picture is worth a thousand words and arts is the best medium to express suppressed feelings and words. Creative art therapy has been proved time and again and is known for its powerful healing. This therapy has multiple mediums to express through drama, music, dance, poetry, etc. On the other hand, it is crucial to comprehend the child’s current successful developmental stage as it helps in better understanding to put the direction in creative art therapy. The Community School of the Arts Foundation is raising money for healing childhood trauma through creative arts to help in attaining better and long-term affirmative results.
Mediums in Creative Arts Therapy:
Creative art therapy constitutes different mediums that can help in healing children in trauma. Such mediums include visual art, dance, music, painting, drawing, drama, etc. Different children respond to different mediums depending on their interest levels. For instance, a child may respond better to music i.e. dancing to express its cognitive behaviour and suppressed emotions rather than drawing or any other medium.
However, it is critically important for the therapist to understand the child’s psychology by applying different techniques to understand which will be going to work out best.
Creative Arts – Gradual Process:
However, in the case of young children, it can be highly challenging as it requires a lot of patience and making them understand can be a gradual process. The first alley children always blindly trust are their parents.
A traumatized child might have some friction in their behaviour. For children that are in the developmental phase, it is a common observation that children learn about their environment and/or experiences through constant experimentation to develop a basic understanding of their surroundings.
Creative Arts – Freedom of Speech:
Creative arts help children in expressing themselves with freedom of speech. They are free from verbal responsibility and can process and communicate smoothly in the language of arts.
Creative arts help to establish a connection between mind and body allowing non-verbal communication to take place along with empowerment, independence, and confidence-building.
Self-discovery – Creative Arts Therapy:
A traumatized child can find oneself through creative arts therapy no matter what medium it chooses to express. This therapy allows relaxation, inner satisfaction, physical and psychological relief.
Additionally, art therapists arrange an environment where the child can freely express oneself through creative arts. Such a controlled environment builds self-esteem and confidence in children to face challenges.
Result of Creative Arts Therapy:
The finished product in creative arts therapy is not the artwork exactly but it is the process from which the child goes through i.e. the emotional experience. Creative art therapy is a powerful tool that helps the child to comprehend and process suppressed and complicated emotions through creativity.
Conclusion:
Creative art therapy helps treat traumatized children as it connects their life experience and converts to a conscious mind. It empowers the child to work in a safe environment and challenge its fear caused by trauma.
The Community School of the Arts Foundation is raising money for healing childhood trauma through creative arts to help to overcome their fears and establish a sound life.
Have you ever experienced childhood trauma? If yes, how did you deal with it? Let us know in the comments below we would love to hear your story.